A group of MumsClub members have been enjoying the advantages of Gin Festival. Some have been to the actual Gin Festival to try out new flavours in an inviting, themed event in Manchester, while others have had the joy of testing a parcel of Gin’s from Gin Festival!

As you can imagine they’ve all had a ball! Check back for the final review results but in the meantime when we realised that at the jolly helm of Gin Festival was a Mum, we were overjoyed and instantly wanted to know more. Do you personally test the gins, are you tipsy everyday? How much do you LOVE your job? Shall we swap for a day?

As ever you only need to leave it to us, we totally got to the bottom of it…

Marie and Husband Jym created gin because of their absolute love of the tipple. It was in 2012 when they started to plan after they discovered no one else was doing anything like it. Marie tells us it was actually Jym’s idea but she was the one who made it happen *nods in appreciation*.

You started Gin Festival in 2012, at that time what were you doing work wise, did you have to leave employment? a: I was working within a family business which is both a music shop and teaching studio. I was also a part time singer doing gigs on a weekend. At first I did all 3 things, working in the music shop through the day and on Gin Festival at night and gigging on a weekend. As Gin festival got bigger I slowed down the other jobs. When I was 6 months pregnant I retired the singing, stepped out of the music shop and worked on gin festival at home.

Did you use skills from your previous working life or were you going into the unknown? a: I have been brought up in a self employed family, working with my mum in her florist from the age of 8 and with my grandparents in the music shop since the age of 14. After music college I went into partnership with my Brother and mum and bought my grandma’s music shop. These were the years I learnt a lot and risked a lot! We had successes where at one point we had 3 stores, 500 music students and ran one of the north’s biggest battle of the bands. So I guess you can say I took lessons from the events I had run in the past to help create Gin Festival. Most importantly though the core business knowledge I had learnt from my successes and failures in earlier businesses.

What was your motivation for turning the idea into a business, and can you explain the process you went through to bring Gin Festival to life? a: The main motivation was; we love gin, we wanted to try different gin and we couldn’t find anywhere you could go and try gin as it should be served, become educated and be entertained all in one night. We started small and had a lot of help from family and friends who were so passionate and supportive we really couldn’t have got it going without them.

Start up costs can be prohibitive to many new businesses, how did you manage it? a: There is no business without risk, you just have to use your head and be careful but you have to take risk. For me, life is too short to look back and say “I wish I had tried this and that,” just put some basic figures together and if they add up just go for it. But be prepared to lose everything!

As a husband and wife team, how does that work for you? a: Luckily we have very different skill sets so our roles were very natural. Jym has the ideas and I make them happen! Any couple working together and say they can leave work at work are telling lies!

Has working and raising a family been challenging? a: YES!!! It is the hardest thing I have done in my life.

How do you manage it? a: I have an amazing family support network. Growing up I was very close to my grandparents and was often round at their house while Mum and Dad were running their businesses (or I would be in the office/workshop causing havoc) so it was very important for me for my child to be close to his grandparents. The “Grandmas,” as I like to call them, have been there from the start. Watching baby sleep at two weeks old in the office with me on the computer or having him in the mornings from about 7 months old.

As a business mum, what are the pro’s…and con’s? a: It is flexible to an extent so if we have a really bad night I can take the morning off, I don’t have to notify anyone if baby is ill or has an appointment. However this time off usually is counteracted by late night, sat in bed, baby on one side, laptop on other catching up! You can’t really get anything done when baby is awake and in your sole supervision.

How does your son, Dominic feel about you running your own business? a: In the early days I could only catch up on work when he was asleep from home so he was none the wiser, now he often comes into the office with me and greets all the other staff (he is the biggest flirt ever!) and he loves it, he is a very sociable kid.

What stage is your business at now? a: We still feel like we are a new company working hard to keep growing.

Where do you plan to be in 3, 5 or 10 years time? a: We can’t give away all the secrets of our future plans but we plan to continue improving our events and touring as many cities and towns as we can, giving the best customer gin experience ever. The long term vision really is to bring new, rare and amazing gins to the public so they can try them and to offer the best customer experience.

What has been your biggest business achievement? a: Gin Festival, we started just the 2 of us and have grown to 26 of us! I still can’t believe it when I go to the events and see everyone enjoying themselves and what an amazing job our team are doing.

As an entrepreneur, what challenges have you encountered? a: In past businesses I have invested a lot of personal money and lost it all, I got up dusted myself off, had a large gin and started again.

Have you overcome any life challenges whilst growing the business? a: My biggest challenge has always been switching off, I never sit down I am always doing something either business or home related and struggle to relax. I am still learning to delegate, its important to try get people around you who you can trust to pass jobs to as you can’t do everything!!

Everyone has them, but how do you get through your bad days? a: Usually a few tears, some cuddles and a large gin and tonic.

Do you have a support network? a: My mum and husband are amazing, they are my right hand people and put up with me! Also, my oldest friend Rebecca, who I have known since being a toddler, has supported and inspired me and held me up through a lot. She will always tell me how it is, even if its something I don’t want to hear!

What advice would you give another mum considering starting her own business? a: Try and be realistic as to how much time you can dedicate to this and start slow and build it up as little one gets older. Be prepared to have no income until the business can sustain it. Never borrow too much money from the bank! Make sure you have a good support network and a decent gin collection to keep you sane.

How do you decide which Gin’s to include? a: Jym’s job this one, but I do get to try a lot and say whether I like it or not!

Do you personally taste test them Gin’s? a: YES whenever a new brochure comes out (every 2 months) all the staff come to a tasting night to try them all. New gins for the website we often try to quality check as well. I know, it’s a hard job, but someone has to do it!

Do you attend your events personally? a: When I can, I sometimes go for the weekend with baby and grandma in tow and pop in and out of the event.

If you want to pop along to a local Gin Festival and say hello to Marie, you can find your closest event, or actually, book a hotel and get away from it all and make a weekend of it. Now that’s an idea!

Thanks for sharing your story, Marie and good luck to you and Jym!