Franca Hood: "More Little Red Riding than Robin."
Franca Hood is the entrepreneur behind online gift site Something Divine (see www.somethingdivine.co.uk). The company supplies beautiful giftware to private and corporate buyers with clients including Derby County Football Club. In an exclusive interview with the Pressman PR news blog she revealed the truth about why women love jewellery…
Tell us About Something Divine. What is it exactly and why is it divine?
Something Divine is a design-led luxury gift company supplying both private and corporate clients with boutique style products which are stylish, high quality and quirky, yet affordable.
It is divine because most of the products can’t be found easily on the high street, so it makes buying gifts a pleasurable experience. Elegance is standard, rather than an optional extra.
What led to you launch the business?
I was finding it increasingly difficult to find high quality luxury gifts for my friends and family on the high street, and I found that because we all lead such busy lives, buying gifts, cards and wrapping paper always seems rushed and last minute.
By offering a service which does everything from handwriting the card to wrapping the gift and sending it directly to the recipient, it takes the pressure out of buying gifts and makes it a more enjoyable experience because it is effortless.
My wife has a birthday coming up. What should I buy her?
You should consider what sort of lady your wife is. Is she hearts or stars; bling or plain; black, pink or silver? The answer to those questions will give you the perfect gift that she will adore. Add a card with a personalised message, some luxury gift wrap and the job is done for you.
We also offer a service called “Never Forget” which is an email reminder service. Simply enter your memorable dates and we will send you an email reminder at a frequency decided by you. You will never forget a birthday or anniversary again.
What’s the deal with women and jewellery? Why do they like it so much?
Jewellery is adored by women because it allows them so much personal expression. Whether it is light and discreet or heavy and bold, it enables ladies to express themselves and has a fantastic feel-good factor. We all love to feel special and we can do that by accessorising with our favourite jewellery. The other thing with jewellery is that we can never have enough of it. So there is always that fantastic little something that someone can buy for us to make us feel extra special and to earn them Brownie points.
What was your first job? Did you enjoy it?
After a paper round and working in Boots as a Saturday girl, my first job was as a children’s nanny. I did the job for five years and loved it largely because I’m so bossy. I then developed a love for paperwork and organisation and so moved into office work and became a PA. Basically bossing bigger people around! I love to be organised. I’m very OCD like that; open my cupboards and all of my tins face the front!
What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done for money?
When I was 19, I helped raise some money for Esther Rantzen’s charity, Childline. A group of us dressed in fancy dress and spent the day in Derby City Centre collecting money. I was dressed as a fairy, in the most divine little white tutu. I have to admit that I loved every minute of it, it was so much fun, and we raised lots of money for a very worthy cause.
Is the recession impacting your business? How so?
I started Something Divine just as the country was entering recession, so the impact it is having is that it is not growing as quickly as it would have if we were economically buoyant. However, I feel that by starting out during these difficult times, I have never had any room for complacency which I actually feel is a healthy attitude to have towards business. I have never taken anything for granted, and am grateful for every contract I gain.
What do you think businesses can do to survive the economic downturn?
The first thing many businesses are doing is looking at how to make savings and improvements internally in order to cut their costs and improve their own efficiency. This will of course be beneficial in the long term anyway, but now is a great time to evaluate and measure and ensure that every single activity is vital for productivity. Hard times force us to strip out the things we may be doing which are a waste of time.
Your name is Hood and you are from the East Midlands. Do you think robbing the rich to feed the poor is a good idea?
I would consider myself more “Little Red Riding” than “Robin” so am perhaps more wary of wolves than Sheriffs, but no, I don’t consider robbing anyone to be a particularly good idea!
How important do you think PR and good publicity are for business?
PR and good publicity are vital for business. I strongly believe that people buy from people they like, and to build a good reputation is paramount to gaining trust and respect in your particular field. PR and good publicity can only help this.
Would you be more or less inclined to use a PR company that guaranteed national media coverage or your money back? Why?
I would be more inclined to use a PR company which offered a guarantee of national media coverage as it shows that they have confidence in their own ability which in turn would instill a certain level of confidence in me. Especially if the guarantee was money-back. You almost can’t lose and with marketing budgets being very tight, I think that some sort of guarantee makes it a very attractive proposition.
What have been the personal highs and lows of your business career?
My own personal high during business has been winning the contract to exclusively supply Derby County Football Club with all of their corporate gifts and trophies. It showed enormous belief and confidence from the club in the quality of Something Divine’s products and service, and our ability to meet their own very high standards. I am very proud of that achievement.
Lows I think have to be the occasional feelings of loneliness. Having to make my own decisions can sometimes be difficult, as I came from a background of a very large organization, but then I think of all the benefits of being on my own and the lows soon disappear.
What single piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in business today?
Plan, Do, Check, Act. It’s cyclical and vital to an evolving business. PDCA. Similar to YMCA only without the leather chaps.
Thanks Franca and best of luck with Something Divine.
