We recently collaborated with fellow founders Sophie Platts (Floks) and Gem Boner (Restaries) to create The Ultimate Retreat.
As female entrepreneurs and parents, we all agreed on the importance of rest, and the fact that this actually makes us more productive in the long run. But we rarely give ourselves permission to pause and focus on ourselves.
Getting together like this was a brilliant opportunity to share our experiences and reflect on our individual journeys through motherhood and growing a business at the same time. As well as getting some much needed rest we talked about what we’ve learned thus far, the roots we’ve put down and what younger us would think of what we’ve done.
While Sophie's obsession with sleep began at the age of 10, Amy started at around the same age with her ritual of the 'bedside journal' — a place to download the day and clear her mind ready for a peaceful night's sleep. And as female founders with primary-aged children, they both agreed that they desperately craved a night away by themselves to get a really great night's sleep. Enter Gem, founder of Restaries who offered to host us on Paradise Farm in Suffolk to 'test run' the Ultimate Retreat, before offering the opportunity for one lucky member of our community to win this experience for themselves.
The Ultimate Retreat consists of:
- A space to rest and recharge, away from the bustle of everyday life (a 2-night stay at Restaries)
- 100% wool bedding to promote a great night's sleep (£500 to spend on Floks duvets, pillows and mattresses)
- Great quality journals to download your thoughts and clear your mind ready to rest and recharge (a 12-month Mark+Fold stationery subscription)
For a chance to win The Ultimate Retreat, click here. And to meet the founders, read on...
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Sophie Platts, founder of Floks
What was your journey to becoming a Founder/ entrepreneur?
I’ve always had an overwhelming desire to create something special, which is meaningful to me and to others. There was a moment mid-lockdown, after my second child where I had the idea that felt like my ‘dharma’ (Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk)... Merging sleep, UK-made and supporting local, British farming, which is close to my heart being the granddaughter of a Yorkshire farmer and a Huddersfield textile worker.
Where did your obsession with sleep start?
I’ve loved sleep ever since I was a child. I’d be the only one to take my own bedding to sleepovers (and the first to fall asleep!) I was taken ill on a French exchange when I was 10 years old and my homecoming present was some bedding from Laura Ashley - it was brightly checked on one side and floral on the other. I think my Mum was a big influence as she’s also bedding-obsessed. We also joke about having a ‘sleepy gene’ and our family are known for falling asleep at dinner parties.
Why is supporting other female founders important to you?
For me, it’s about women supporting women, not just female founders. I am lucky to be surrounded by inspiring, independent women. I also know that what makes Floks is the all-female team who each bring something unique to the table. I admire all female founders for their courage and bravery as I know it takes a lot… it’s a ride!
Did you always know you wanted to set up your own business?
Yes, I think it was always in my blood, however, as both my parents were business owners and entrepreneurs, they actively discouraged it as they know how tough it can be… but ultimately, I could not wrestle with the urge and desire to give it a go any longer.
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to day one of Floks?
It will be hard and require extreme tenacity, but if you stick to your core beliefs and do what you believe in, others will see what you are trying to do and join your movement.
The building is on fire, what 3 things do you grab from your desk?
Laptop, picture of my boys and my diary/planner (with all those lovely ‘to do’ lists).
Do you have a favourite workspace smell?
I love 100% natural, essential oil products, anything awakening with eucalyptus gets my vote. We’ve recently discovered Ash & Ember which we love and sell in the shop.
The Ultimate Retreat is about resting and resetting so that you can be at your best. How does Floks help people do that?
We do sleep, the ultimate reset. Wool bedding and mattresses are naturally temperature regulating and temperature is a huge factor for quality sleep… this is why sleeping on and under wool is scientifically proven to help send you into deeper periods of restorative sleep by up to 25%. This is helping you maximise your rest period and wake up feeling more restored and refreshed.
What aspect of your work do you feel most proud of?
I am most proud of the team we have built and the passion they all have for Floks and the mission we are on. We have overcome some hugely challenging hurdles and come out of the other side stronger….this and the feeling every time we get a 5-star review of people saying how their sleep has improved… nothing ever beats this!
You’re off for the Ultimate Retreat. What’s in your overnight bag? (And what do you intentionally leave behind?)
My lightest Honna cotton pyjamas, Sweet Bee Sweet Sleep magnesium butter and a good escapism read… and ideally my Floks pillow as you never know what you’re going to get when you go away! The dream would be to leave my phone behind.
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Gem Boner, co-founder of Restaries
Did you always know you wanted to start your own business? Or when did this idea start?
Yes, it’s always been in my mind. I always thought it would be in PR, events, or marketing, but then my love for hosting grew and grew. Suddenly, it became clear that it was actually a combination of all I had learned over the past 20 years.
Lots of people flirt with the idea of upping sticks and moving to the country. What was the moment when you and Thom decided to definitely go for it?
After the birth of our first child, things started to change. We realised the life we had before children suited the hectic London pace, but what we enjoyed most as a family was the outdoors. As thoughts of schools and another sibling came into play, we thought it was now or never.
What has been the most unexpected joy (and the most unexpected challenge) of running Restaries?
Every day is a learning curve. When people say you have to wear all the hats as a business owner, they are not wrong. Everything from learning how to code the website, to managing social media, to handling booking systems, brand collaborations, and organizing cleaning schedules – there isn’t one thing I don’t have to know about. It’s madness!
Where do you find inspiration for your stunning interiors?
I love Instagram for interiors and take lots of inspiration from the places we’ve visited over the years. This can be everything from a shop interior to a hotel, or even a hairdresser’s. There are always places to be inspired by. Now, most of the inspiration comes from Mother Nature herself. All our colour palettes are based on our surroundings. And we couldn't do it without the amazing support of Emma and Mimi from Design & That Studio.
Name three things that help you get in the zone and feel productive.
Coffee, good music, and the sun shining through the window.
Do you have a favourite workspace smell?
Yes – Jardin by Earl of East.
Is there a soundtrack to your workspace?
Currently addicted to country music. Zac Bryan is on repeat in our household.
The 'Ultimate Retreat' is about resting and resetting so that you can be at your best. How does Restaries help people do that?
Hopefully every touchpoint, from calming colours, the best (obviously) bedding, to the animals nestled outside your windows. Little additional treats, like in-room massages and facials, help too. But also just the simple things, like listening to the bird songs here, which are amazing, or sitting by the fires at night and looking at the majestic stars – they are unlike any I’ve ever seen.
What aspect of your work do you feel most proud of?
That we have tried, and are continuing to try. Every waking minute, I think about ways to improve and keep going with this dream. It is immensely hard. I can’t even begin to tell you how tough these last 12 months have been, but the fact that I’m still standing is a winning moment for me.
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Amy Cooper-Wright, founder of Mark+Fold
Can you remember the time that you came up with the idea for your businesses, tell us about what spurred you on to make that idea a reality?
I have always been obsessed with stationery and I used to daydream about setting up my own stationery brand, probably from about the age of 12! I would always look at notebooks in shops and think ‘I would change that detail there and make it better.’ Then when I worked for other people the itch to set up my own thing just grew and grew.
Running a business is so rewarding but at the same time can be incredibly challenging and requires a huge amount of resilience, how do you navigate those ups and downs?
I kind of love the adventure to be honest. I tend get restless, and running a business means there’s a new challenge every single day. But one of the perks of being your own boss is that you can design your own schedule, so twice a week I drop my kids at school and then go for a long walk in Highgate Woods. I have the occasional guilty pang that I'm not doing proper work in proper work hours, but I know that overall these ‘breaks’ make me more productive, they are hugely important for my mental health and I often have my most creative ideas when I'm out 'tree-bathing'!
Who do you admire, who has inspired you on your journey to get to the place in life that you are at right now?
I’ve met a lot of brilliant people through Mark+Fold. There seems to be a nice correlation between smart, independent-minded people doing very cool things, and those who value good quality stationery!
What was your journey to becoming a Founder/ entrepreneur?
I’ve always been really entrepreneurial — I love a project and when I get an idea in my head I won’t rest until I’ve made it happen. Mark+Fold is the ultimate project.
What would the young you think of where you have ended up?
She would absolutely love it! … She might be surprised that it's a bit more hard work than the 80s film montage! Though I’m not sure about the term ‘ended up’ — I have just turned 40, Mark+Fold is about to turn 10, and I am only just getting started!
Why are you so passionate about your field?
I’ve been colour-coding my pencils since I was about 4 years old! And I had a little toy Post Office when I was a kid which just brought me so much joy. Through Mark+Fold I have embraced this side of my personality and it’s been an absolute joy to discover just how many other stationery nerds there are out there!
The paper side comes from belonging to a family of makers. A love of materials and a fascination with how things are made is deep in my veins, and I always pursued that in my career before setting up the business. Still now I get such joy from spending time with paper, selecting materials, learning about how they’re made, seeing them transform into our products.
Did you always want sustainability to be at the core?
For me sustainability is implicit when you are making physical products in the 21st century. But it’s particularly important to talk about it in the paper industry because of the dialogue I grew up with in the 90s around ‘chopping down the rainforest.’ Things are different now:
Firstly, we consume less paper thanks to functional day-to-day communications happening digitally. And this means that the paper we do use is reserved for situations where the material is really important — like the fountain-open friendly paper we use in our notebooks, or nice wedding invitations.
Secondly, paper is made more sustainably and it’s better-regulated. We only ever use sustainably sourced papers where three trees are planted for every one used in paper-making, and there is a fully-traceable chain of custody from raw material to finished product. Lots of our papers are also made from fast-growing species where you chop the tops off (a bit like cutting the lawn!) and then the plant keeps on growing.
There’s so much more I could say about sustainability...
Why is supporting other female founders important to you?
Of all the UK businesses that have received venture capital, just 3% are run by women. I found this statistic astonishing, especially when women have been shown to build more successful and more sustainable businesses. So I am proud to be part of this group and would really like to see us encouraging more women with brilliant ideas to take that step, and for us as a society to help them as much as we possibly can.
What makes your brand stand out from the crowd?
There are so many cheap notebooks in the world, we set out to create something different. For those of us who appreciate the finer details and really value time at our desks, and who are looking for better quality materials and a better-made product — that’s what Mark+Fold is here for.
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