National Women’s Small Business Month

Three images featuring multiple Spacemask pouches, a March Muse Christmas decoration and a sewing kit from Cotton Cara.

(Image credit: Spacemasks, March Muse, Cotton Cara)

published 24 October 2024

This month, I’m celebrating National Women’s Small Business Month with some of my favourite female entrepreneurs. These are the women who have started successful businesses from scratch, often alongside existing careers and family life. It’s the ultimate in multitasking and is no mean feat. Hard work and dedication have led to incredible products, creativity, and huge achievements. I love supporting small businesses, and knowing that these businesses have inspirational and, let's face it, badass women at the helm makes shopping with them a joy.

I discovered Spacemasks about 2 years ago via Instagram. Known as the ultimate ‘interstellar relaxation’ these handy single-use eye masks are dreamy! Each mask is individually packaged and contains a self-heating eye mask infused with four gorgeous fragrances. The original mask is infused with Jasmine, others include rose, orange & grapefruit (my personal favourite) and chamomile. The chamomile masks include a donation to Little Lifts, a brilliant charity that supports women with breast cancer. Spacemasks are wonderful for general relaxation and pampering but I find them especially useful for winding down before bed or stopping a headache in its tracks.

The founder and owner behind Spacemasks is Harriet Ingis. As a busy mum of four who’d experienced depression, anxiety and panic attacks in the past, Harriet came up with a genius idea that could help others in a similar situation. Harriet said “I created Spacemasks so that we could all take a break from our hectic lifestyles with something ludicrously relaxing and calming. They’re also the perfect thing to send to a pal in need.”

I, like many, can’t think of anything better than an afternoon of crafting. Over the last year, I’ve taught myself embroidery, and I’ve managed to create beautiful handmade items whilst enjoying this mindful hobby. I’ve done this with the help of Cotton Clara. Cotton Clara is a treasure trove of embroidery, cross-stitch and craft supplies. I’m a member of the ‘Hoop Club’ which is a subscription box service. Every three months I receive a beautiful kit that allows you to complete an embroidery piece from start to finish. Subscription boxes are sent out every 3 months and each kit is unique, so you never have to worry about a repetitive project. And each kit teaches you new techniques to add to your repertoire.

Perla Coco has revolutionised the way I buy and wear jewellery. Gone are the days of me heading to general brands for fashion jewellery, I now wear unique handcrafted pieces made with recycled materials. From smaller everyday pieces to unusual statement pieces, I get compliments whenever I wear Perla Coco Designs. My most loved treasure is a gold necklace with an oversized golden swallow, it’s always a talking point and, as yet, I’ve never seen anyone else wear anything else like it. The jewellery I wear from Perla Coco makes me feel special and unique.

The founder and creator of Perla Coco Designs is Helen Watkins. Jewellery-making started as a hobby. Helen said she ‘liked to rework existing jewellery to suit her own personal style’. This led to making pieces for friends and family, which they adored. As a former owner of a beauty salon, Helen found her role stressful, which led to devastating miscarriages. It was then that Helen realised her hobby could become a business. Helen said that

March Muse is a female-led brand that I’ve never been happier to discover. As a mum of mixed-heritage children, I’ve found it incredibly challenging to find gifts that represent my family. During the Christmas of 2023, whilst shopping in Tesco I was delighted to find gift wrap and Christmas cards that represented my family. The beautiful artwork featured Black Santas and mixed-heritage angels, it was an emotional discovery. Since then, I’ve purchased an angel tree topper that looks just like my daughter - she is seen! I plan to buy more Christmas decorations this year, and finally, Christmas is a reflection of what a mixed-heritage family looks like.

Natalie Duvall is the founder of March Muse. Natalie told me how March Muse began, and it was a relatable story. Natalie said ‘the idea for March Muses came when I was decorating the Christmas tree with my daughter Sophia and she asked me if Christmas angels could have brown skin. We were hanging up white angels and Santas at the time.’ But starting her business was a challenge. Natalie went on to explain that

As a qualified makeup artist, I love great quality makeup tools. I discovered Spectrum makeup brushes in 2016 on a local photoshoot. I was impressed with the performance of the brushes, so did some research online. At that time the range of brushes was fairly small, I purchased a set and I’ve never looked back. The performance and longevity of these brushes are second to none. Over the last 8 years, I’ve purchased several makeup brush kits for myself and as gifts. Spectrum now has Disney-themed sets but my current favourite is the Emily in Paris collection. Spectrum brushes are vegan and of a professional standard, so you can be your own MUA.

I recently discovered Bookbar on a trip to London. As an avid reader, bookshops are my happy place. I’m always on the lookout for an independent bookseller too, so I wandered into Bookbar and wasn’t disappointed. What better combination can there be than a good book with a glass of wine or a delicious cup of coffee? There is a real sense of escapism at Bookbar, I didn’t look at my phone once! I could take my time choosing a new book and even got chatting with other book lovers whilst having a drink. It seemed they loved it there too and we happily shared book recommendations. I don’t live in London and felt quite sad that I won’t be able to visit every week, but I’ve recently become aware of the Bookbar Bookclub which provides you with a book and a virtual event with the author. If you do live nearby you can attend an in-person monthly meetup too. If you are stuck in a rut you can also subscribe to the Shelf Medicate subscription. Simply sign up and one of the Bookbar experts will provide you will a consultation that will get you back on your reading journey. All you need to do is sit back and wait for your monthly book ‘prescription’ to arrive - genius.

Hi, I’m SJ. I’m the Beauty Editor and PR Executive here at MyVoucherCodes. As a qualified make-up artist, I've been able to share my knowledge on all things beauty and skincare with our readers so they not only look good and feel great, but save money. As a mum of three, I understand the challenges that families face, and making budgets go further is something I feel passionately about. My research and recommendations help families of all sizes shop better allowing them to enjoy the little luxuries in life. My work has been featured in many publications including The Sun, The Mirror, Netmums, and The Telegraph.

Outside of MyVoucherCodes, I'm a writer and interviewer for pop culture magazines like Buzz Magazine. I've chatted to celebrities such as Strictly's Johannes Redebe and poet Kae Tempest. It's certainly one of the best parts of my job. Over the years I've built a portfolio of work that shows the diversity of my writing, which gives me a breadth of knowledge and experience that I apply to my work every day.