SooCool is currently owned by Debbie Sapsed and her husband Martin.
We had a holiday in the Holy Land in 2019 and Debbie got heatstroke on the first day in temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius.
One of the American couples on the tour took pity on me and lent me one of their Kool ties. I found it really helpful in the heat of the exposed archaeological sites and the desert conditions of the Negev, particularly on a camel ride where there was no shelter!
When I got home I decided to buy one for myself. I "Googled" and found the UK site where I discovered that it was necessary to ring to narrow down the colour and and exact design of the tie before placing an order.
Rae was very chatty and in the course of the conversation, I discovered that she wanted to sell the business.
A light went on in my head and as a Christian I would say it was God nudging me into action. I had created a website for a photographer friend from church and processed orders for him when he was on holiday. I had set him up with Facebook and Twitter, created newsletters in Mailchimp and generally advised on the use of social media and marketing so I had acquired the necessary skills.
Like Rae I'd never run a business but I had to learn fast with the help of my husband Martin.
I had really enjoyed helping my friend Dave Newbould with his Origins Photography business. We had to redevelop the website from scratch for technical reasons which I won't bore you with and we did a lot of work to redesign it at the same time. We had fun creating newsletters in Mailchimp together and I went on to produce some on my own when he was busy. The interaction with customers whilst processing orders when he was on his holidays was a welcome distraction from long hours spent working from home on my own. I was committed to providing the same high standards of service as he did. He set the bar very high!
I suffer from depression so all of this provided structure and purpose which helps me to cope. Dave's faith in my ability also provided a much needed confidence boost. I am looking forward to the challenges that will come with developing the business and establishing a relationship with my customer base.