Be The Boss with Jo Ashburner Farr
The Be the Boss workshop with Jo Ashburner Farr was so impressive. To hear the real life solo success story of someone who graduated from my course was inspiring and reminded me that there simply are no limits to what I can achieve with this design course!
Jo is currently self employed after previously graduating with 1st class honours in Surface Pattern Design (the same degree course that I'm currently doing!), she decided to start up her own business during her masters degree with her product for children, called "Noo Noo". She took out a loan and bought machines in the UK, imported fabrics from Italy and rented out a building in Vietnam, hiring single mothers to work for her to create her product because she firmly believed in "people not profit". This method of starting a business came as a shock to me, as she just took a risk and it payed off so well for her. I think we all have worries about whether or not to take the plunge and do something daring, something that might not work but Jo's story of her successes doing just that were incredible to hear. After starting this business she then moved on to further her fathers flag making business back in Wales. She won UK businesswoman of the year, and told us a little anecdote that really stuck with me; as she was walking off stage after collecting the award press were surrounding her asking questions like "who are you wearing?". This is such a common thing to hear from press, they focus on irrelevant things like what you look like and what you wear rather than what really matters, like how you design or what your ethics are! Jo advised us that "image is not everything, substance is everything". It is so easy to get lost and forget your values and as designers we really must keep our integrity.
