WHEN five sisters found out their beloved mum Jane Peters had two brain tumours – one of which was the size of an orange – they were devastated.
The tumours came to light after Jane, 71, collapsed unexpectedly while working as a cook at a care home in 2011.
Jane's daughter Sophie Morris, 39, said: "We were all in bits when mum got the results from her MRI scan. The word brain tumour is pretty scary.
"One of my sisters, Lucy, was on maternity leave and the rest of us were working. We all rushed down to Cornwall, where mum was at that time, to be with her."
During that difficult time, when Jane was going through her gruelling treatment and after her operation had been cancelled five times due to a lack of hospital beds and staff, the sisters realised how difficult it was to send thoughtful gifts when they couldn’t always be there in person.
By 2016, three of the siblings, Lucy Ambler, 42, Anna Peters, 41, and Sophie, joined forces to launch Box of Hugs, an online gift company.
It was a big risk as none of them had ever run a small business before and two of the sisters were pregnant at the time.
But it’s paid off as their turnover so far this year is £150k.
Running a family business has, Sophie says, brought them much closer together but there have been a few obstacles along the way.
She said: "It’s not always been easy and I do sometimes find myself answering emails at 1am in the morning but we’re all really supportive of each other.
"We sometimes get our partners and children involved too and our kids have helped out wrapping the boxes."
The sisters, who have five children between them, have pooled their resources and skills to run Box of Hugs – which they originally funded themselves.
Sophie’s background is in marketing, Anna’s is in retail and e-commerce and Lucy’s in commercial projects.
Eight years on from her diagnosis, Jane has made great progress.
She has been seizure free for the last 18 months thanks to being on the right medication but she has had to give up driving and can be a little forgetful at times.
Sophie says: “We’re completely in awe of our mum. She’s made an amazing recovery, despite being left with epilepsy and other side effects.
"These problems have certainly not got in the way of her enjoying life.
"She now runs every morning, walks twice a day, volunteers in a charity shop, and is always there to help neighbours, whether it’s painting walls or tackling overgrown wisteria!"
- Jane's Brain Box – Me Time Hug in a Box, £29 from Box of Hugs – buy now
They have helped grow the business by using Instagram and Etsy and try and include traditional treats, such as tea and biscuits as well as more topical, on trend products such as gin and Spacemasks.
The sisters are planning on launching a Box of Hugs for men next.
They have also just joined forces with the Brain Tumour Charity which was, says Sophie, the natural next step and helps give them and their customers "the feel good factor."
“We always knew we wanted to do something to show our appreciation to the surgeon and medical staff that saved mum,” she notes. ‘It was just a matter of time. Now we have this platform we want to use it to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity to thank everyone who helped our mum, and help more people affected by the illness. We’re lucky, we’ve still got our mum. We want to make sure others get to keep theirs too!”
The donations will come from two new gifts under the ‘Jane’s Brain Box’ range (named in honour of their mum) and £2 will be donated to the charity for every Jane’s box sold.
Sophie's tips for women wanting to start their own business:
- Find something that’s different and go for it. It can be scary, but the more time you think about it the more time you’re giving someone else to launch your business idea
- Don’t worry about everything being perfect. The beauty of having a start-up business is you’re agile enough to make changes as you go. Launch with what you think is right and then review the results.
- Be prepared to learn new skills. Invest in courses, listen to podcasts and attend networking events.
The Brain Boxes include a Gardeners Delight Hug in a Box, £40.50 which features a garden birds water bottle, garden birds notebook, Julie Dodsworth Honey Bee Hand Cream, Bay and Rosemary St Eval Candle, Cotswold Fudge Company fudge, and 100 Hugs book.
The second is a Me time Box of Hugs, £40.50 which includes an Always Be Awesome mug, Cartwright and Butler Oat Crumbles, Teapigs tea temples, Seascape sleep oil, Spacemask, and 100 Hugs book.
For more inspiring Bossing It stories, Fabulous Digital spoke to the founder of Envy shoes on how she founded her £350k business from her childhood bedroom.
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