Ever wondered how someone makes it as their own boss? What it takes to run your own business? We here at VIP are speaking to some of Ireland’s top business people to find out the secrets to their success.
This week we’re chatting to Elsie Byrne, co-founder of Baile Clothing about starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic, moving back to Ireland and their plans for pushing the sustainable clothing movement even further.
Have you always dreamed of owning your own business?
I studied Textiles at NCAD so I suppose studying as a designer the dream of owning your own business has always been there. It’s definitely not something I thought I could accomplish, not this soon anyway.
But when I lost my job, because of Covid it just seemed like a natural progression. It was something both myself and Dean were super passionate about and we suddenly had all this spare time, something we usually always lacked.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Oh there’s been so many. And may I say having a business with your partner during a pandemic is a challenge in itself. We’re away from family and there’s just us two in our bubble so I don’t know how we’re not sick of each other.
But in terms of our biggest challenge it’s definitely been operating from London. Baile was an idea at our kitchen table in Drogheda that grew into a business in London. So although we’re an Irish brand we were shipping from the UK which was a nightmare.
We were dealing with constant delays and long lead times. We wanted to give the best possible service we could to our customers so Brexit was a blessing in disguise, it led us to move Baile home and we’re so proud it’s now a fully fledged Irish brand operating from Drogheda. We can now offer our customers next day delivery which has honestly changed our brand.
What has it been like launching a business during a pandemic?
There’s been so many pros and cons and highs and lows. It’s amazing having the extra time to really put our all into Baile. Something we all lack is time but with, I don’t even know what number lockdown we’re on now we have all this free time to really dive head first into our business.
A major con has been the restrictions. It makes our supply chain a little slower and turnaround times longer. We’re always in a rush to get new products launched and keep up with the demand but sometimes it’s impossible. From suppliers to postal services there’s so many things out of our control that slow us down. It can be super frustrating but we’re so thankful that our community completely understands and is always so supportive.
How do you balance work/home life as a business owner?
Ohhh great question, I don’t have the answer. If you find it out please let me know!
We both work full time in our normal jobs and run Baile with every other waking hour. Back when Baile was in London we lived amongst boxes in a small flat for months. We had no balance and spent every moment dying or printing. And the moments we weren’t we felt extremely guilty.
But since moving it back to Drogheda we’ve really restructured how we do things. We no longer live amongst jumpers and spend more of our time building our brand from within which is amazing and really paying off.
We still work full time so every evening is filled with Instagram, emails and creating content. But to be honest we wouldn’t have it any other way. Baile is all about home and having that link to Ireland. We’ve created a brand that resonates with us every day and that we live and breathe.
What advice would you give a young woman who wants to be her own boss?
Just go for it. There’s absolutely nothing stopping you, except yourself. I know starting a business seems like a huge feat but start small. There’s nothing stopping you from selling to your local community on FB or even starting an Etsy.
You don’t have to go for gold immediately with a website or store front. I was super lucky that I had and still have the support of Dean. We’re 50/50 and each take on tasks that play to our strengths.
It is extremely hard work and I think Instagram and Tiktok can romanticise it sometimes so don’t be fooled. We all love a seamless packing video but behind the camera there’s a girl with a phone in her mouth trying to multitask and pack Sandra’s order perfectly. But if the passion is there then all those sleepless nights and monthly (you know what I mean) meltdowns are worth it.
When I hear a customer has sent a jumper to their sister in Australia that she hasn’t seen in years it makes everything worthwhile and all the hard work pays off.
What do you wish you’d known when you first started out?
How much hard work is involved. We love every aspect of Baile but it’s not something you can just switch off from at 5pm like a normal job. The cogs are always turning and we spend every evening and weekend replying to emails, packing orders and doing stock counts.
We’ve had countless arguments over the right shade of pink dye and which colour string we prefer. Everyone gets to see the finished product beautifully wrapped in front of them. No one sees the hours of dying, sewing, labelling and folding that goes into each order.
We want Baile to be viewed as super slick and professional and sometimes that goes against us because people think we’re operating like ASOS, when really we’re just 2, now 3 people, running every aspect of our business. Don’t get me wrong it’s all worth it but it’s by no means glamorous.
What has been your biggest business mistake? What lessons did it teach you?
A major learning curve for us was believing in ourselves. At the beginning we really undervalued ourselves and our product. We didn’t have the confidence to just go with our gut and I suppose we were too worried about pleasing people who knew us.
I think once we realised you can’t please everyone we really fine tuned the products we have now.
What has been your biggest achievement?
We launched in August 2020 and since then we’ve dispatched over 1,100 orders. These orders have travelled to loved ones across the world. We have Baile jumpers wandering around Canada, US, Australia, Germany and Dubai.
Our biggest achievement is most definitely the community we’ve created. It’s amazing to see families and friends coming together through our products especially during difficult times like Covid. We see customers coming back time and time again and we hear their stories of gifts for loved ones who they haven’t seen in months and even years.
We say our jumpers are like a hug from home and something that reminds us of the smell of home made stew on the stove & the quiet ramble through the fields. The goodbyes that last 5 minutes and the threat of the wooden spoon lurking.
What woman in business inspires you the most?
There’s no one specifically that comes to mind. I’m 26 so have really grown with digital marketing, online retail and the age of influencers. I suppose there’s always been an abundance of inspiration for me. I also come from a family of outspoken females. We have always been surrounded by men so my Mam has always pushed us to stand up for ourselves and fight for what we want.
Fantastic Irish women I follow daily are the likes of Angela Scanlan, Laura Whitmore and Doireann Garrihy who have all really become household names and accomplished so much. They’ve creatively created opportunities for themselves and documented how they’ve gotten there along the way.
I love how social media can show the raw and unfiltered side of how hard work and dedication can pay off.
What are your plans for the next five years?
Oh we’ve so much planned. Once we all leave this never ending lockdown I feel like we can put our foot down and really push Baile. We’re hoping to set the bar for affordable sustainable clothing and really bring awareness to the impact of fast fashion on the environment.
We’re focusing on how Baile can do better and how we can give back. From planting trees, reducing plastics and supporting charities, as we grow we really want our impact to grow too. We’re hoping to create a platform for Irish artists and a space where we can showcase some of that amazing talent.
We’re also planning a wedding and working full time so it’s a balance I’m sure we’ll figure out at some point!