Bristol-based artist starts her own business amidst lockdown
Rosie Reiter is a Bristol based artist who has started her own business creating vibrant nature themed art, prints, greeting cards and bespoke murals
Rosie’s rich designs feature exotic plants, gorgeous landscapes and jewel-like birds, inspired by her travels through the desert and jungle landscapes of South, Central and North America as well as Asia and Australia.
Rosie made the decision to try and start her own business following the first lockdown in 2020, and came to North and East Bristol Enterprise Support (NEBES) looking for support to get started. She had started her art career in London, 23 years ago working in TV and film department on large productions like Harry Potter, Batman Begins and James Bond. After five years she decided to change careers to teach art in a secondary school before making the move to Bristol to continue teaching art as well as having two children.
Explaining her reason for starting her own business, Rosie said,”I wanted to facilitate my own creativity and see if there was a market for it – I’ve had an amazing start so far and received some great feedback.”
Since August, Rosie has attended a number of workshops and completed modules on the e-learning platform, Outset Online.
“The workshops I found most useful were the Introduction to Enterprise, Costing and Marketing for Start-ups. They have been very relevant to me and my new business. I have found them very helpful because I’ve never started up my own business before or had any training in marketing, so I didn’t know any of the business side of it.”
Since enrolling onto the NEBES programme, Rosie now has her products in nine retail stores, as well as selling her products online via Etsy. She has also built up a social media following on Instagram. She explained that “It’s taken a bit of time to build it up and learn about what tone of voice to use for my business, but the online resources on Outset Online really helped.”
“Obviously I knew how to be creative, but didn’t necessarily have the marketing skills that are required. The support I received from NEBES gave me insight into my business and how to promote myself, as well as developing customer personas, finance, pricing and much more.”
Rosie has also recently incorporated sustainable practices into the core of her business. She has implemented this through a switch to eco-friendly, biodegradable and compostable packaging. “Sustainability is an important issue for me, considering my main inspiration for this artwork comes from nature itself and it is at the heart of my business.” She also uses local printers and ethical suppliers for her cards.
Find out more about Rosie and her business here and follow her on Instagram
Whether you need help with your business strategy or just want to be part of a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, visit our website to find out more and enrol on our programme. You can also get in touch with the team to tell us about your business plans: nebes@ytko.com
North and East Bristol Enterprise Support is fully funded by Bristol City Council and West of England Combined Authority under Universal Business Support. Running until March 2023, the programme is offering workshops in marketing, finance, branding, business planning and strategy and much more, as well as providing free access to e-learning platforms, 1:1 advisory support and networking groups.
