Jobs and Careers with James Caan 2012 - (Page 250)

Jobs & Careers: Liana, can you give us a brief overview of your business and how long you’ve been operating? Liana Vassiliou: Liana-Maria Accessories is an online modern vintage jewellery and accessories site. The main aim is to make both vintage and contemporary accessories available at reasonable prices and we want to emphasise individuality. I graduated in July 2011, and have been working on my business full-time since; so am pretty new to the business world! J&C: Why did you decide on that particular area to focus on? LV: Well, I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with jewellery, but in particular I became very aware that a lot of High Street stores had very similar designs. It became a bit of a struggle to find really good, individual pieces at reasonable prices. And it’s that gap in the market that I’m seeking to fill. I think it’s integral to spot a need that’s not being fulfilled when you start up a business. Beginning business We speak to 22-year-old English graduate, Liana Vassiliou, who has recently created her own online jewellery company (www.liana-maria.co.uk), about business, branding and being her own boss 110 Your business with James Caan J&C: How did you go about getting funding for your start-up? Was this something that you found particularly difficult? LV: I was very lucky in that I had quite a bit of money in a savings account that had been sitting there for years – years' worth of birthday and Christmas gifts as well as a savings fund my parents had started for me as a baby! But, as I found out almost immediately, money runs out extremely quickly when you take on a task like this. I had no idea when I started just how much help I would need and how many people would be involved. In addition to the money I had tucked away, I’ve also been all over the country doing jewellery parties – essentially people hold these in their homes, invite their friends, I come along with my treasure chest of goodies and sell sell sell! The hostess gets to pick up to £25 of jewellery http://www.liana-maria.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jobs and Careers with James Caan 2012

Career bites
What really counts
Weighing it all up
Around the world
Ask the experts
Growth sectors
Train your brain
Homework
Carve a career in care
Here come the girls
Mum’s the word
An apple a day
It’s for you-hoo!
A step forward
His & hers
Bank on it
Risky Business
In the money
3 Specialist medical jobs
The stuff of life
Power on
Engineering heroes
Outside the box
Keeping it clean
Your Business with James Caan
Go Go GadGets
On trend office
Take my advice
Getting Going
The bank job
Make the most of your assets
Back to business
The law and you
HR Matters
Make it work
Into the cloud
Design & shine
Reach out
Gorkana and Gurkhas
Protect and prosper
Making it count
Your business or your life?
Nice supplies
Beginning business
Ship it
Ethical business
Backing business
Standing together
Top 10 hiring tips

Jobs and Careers with James Caan 2012