This week, I spoke to Judith Evans from notonthehighstreet.com – finding out a little about what she has learnt from working with the 5000+ inspiring creative small businesses on the NOTHS platform.

We talk about what trends are exciting the commercial team right now, the Pitch Up events to find the next generation of talent, and what it takes to be a creative entrepreneur in 2016.

On the 2nd September we’ll have Sally and Jude from notonthehighstreet.com on stage, so book a ticket to join us , or tweet me your questions for Jude at @Just_Got_Made, and I’ll ask the best at the end of our session in our Q&A.

Enjoy! Helen, JGMX

Please note: this is sponsored content, thanks to notonthehighstreet.com for supporting our work.

– What does it mean to be a creative entrepreneur today?

Creativity, and in particular craftsmanship, is a key strength of the UK and continues to be an incredibly important industry (the creative industries contribute £84.1 billion a year to UK economy).

We work with over 5,000 creative entrepreneurs and whilst their businesses are all unique they share a passion and talent for creating innovative, beautiful and original products, which our customers love. Of course, creative entrepreneurs need to wear many hats – it’s not all about the designing and creating and notonthehighstreet.com works to empower and support our Partners on their business journeys. We strongly believe that being a small creative business is a life choice with strong viable economics and not just a lifestyle choice.

– What can the Just Got Made community expect if they come along to a NOTHS Pitch Up?

Firstly, we’re always keen to reassure people that it’s a friendly, supportive environment. It’s an opportunity for attendees to tell us their story and show us their very best products/creative ideas. People that book a slot will get 10 minutes with our category specific experts and they’ll receive invaluable advice from the team. If the commercial team feel that the products and the business is right for notonthehighstreet.com we’ll sign them up on the spot with a special-rate joining fee and they can start selling as soon as they have all their material uploaded and approved by our team. For those who don’t get signed up, it’s still a really key opportunity to get feedback and advice on their products and ideas – the team have resources to share too so we make sure that everyone gets the most out of the day.

– Tell us, what are some up and coming trends that the NOTHS team are seeing coming through?

Botanicals are trending quite strongly for SS17 across all product areas. In food and beauty it taps into idea of wellness with, ‘green’ ingredients adding a sense of healthy/clean living. In clothing we see a lot of plant and leaf prints which also translates into prints & art, while in terms of the home, the garden is becoming a key focal point of the house, with more time spent creating beautiful outdoor spaces.

Another important trend we see is the need for Slowness which advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life’s pace. Video-maker and photographer Xanthe Berkeley is a key figure for this trend; her softly-shot video memories often capture family life highlighting the importance of reconnecting with nature and enjoying the simple pleasures.

– Are there any exciting new categories doing well at the moment?

At notonthehighstreet.com we are always looking to develop our category offering – whether that’s finding stand out products for our key categories such as Home & Garden or Jewellery or developing the range in some of our newer ones such as Food & Drink and Experiences (Customers can purchase vouchers to enjoy opportunities such as making your own fascinator or trying your hand at silversmithing) We’ve certainly found some interesting new Partners across our categories through our past Pitch Up events.

And finally, what should people do now who want to get involved in Pitch Up?

We’re excited to be taking the Pitch Up events around the country for the first time in September – we’ll be in Bristol on 8th, Manchester on 21st and Leicester on 30th. Our final Pitch Up event of 2016 will be held at our office in Richmond on Saturday 8th October. If you don’t feel you’re ready to attend yet, but would like to in the future then new dates will be added.

Thank you Jude!

Further Information:

For more information on The Just Got Made Breakfast and to buy your ticket: http://www.justgotmade.com/bestselling-products-breakfast-club

For more information on the Pitch up events and to sign-up:  www.notonthehighstreet.com/pitchup