Some would say we were cray-zee 🙈

So, for those that have followed our journey from our first business, thank you - it’s the best feeling to know we have you over here with us. Like a comfort blanket but not as smelly 🤣

But for those who have no idea what I’m babbling about, Chips & Fish is our second business venture. We were once the proud owners of a business-come-brand called Love Layla. It was a wonderful business, creating all those Greeting Cards & Stationery covered in rude, sweary and hilarious captions. We started the business by default, having £30/$60 AUD in the bank and a near one year old baby, called Layla. Jay injured his back and we had no cash - I took to designing greeting cards and it blew up!

And when I say it blew, it bloody blew hard and fast. We turned over £1mil in our first year and grew a social media powerhouse consisting of over 1mil followers. It was a massive whirlwind that lasted over 9 years, but we closed our 7 figure business last September.

Read more about our story here.

Why? Are we really that crazy-zee? In a word, no.

In a bit more detail, it was a combination of all the things that were happening in the UK, the cost of living - people were evidently tightening their purse strings. The cost of materials were rising, it was inevitable we had to raise our prices.

Did we want to raise those prices to the point where they were just silly for people to buy - no. That was never in our growth strategy, we were always the best quality but the cheapest price.

Did we see an opportunity for a business sale? Yes. But we had built a brand based on our personalities, we could have sold, but morally, that would be like giving them our soul. The business was built from our hard work and personalities. Plus, I wanted to keep my soul.

So what did we do?

We closed the doors on the business, we held onto our mammoth Social Media Accounts and we sold everything at rock bottom prices to allow our loyal fans to scoop up a catalogue of goodies to treasure forever.

A culmination of surviving the covid episodes, being parents while owning a business, re-inventing the wheel every few months, creeping overheads, Royal Mail strikes through one of the years biggest seasons, daily nationwide updates of people losing jobs and the country heading into a recession; we staged an exit strategy of our own. Fuck off to Australia.

It was a sort of given, Jay is Australian and we met here 14 years ago, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when we announced to our friends and family.

But as an outsider looking in, it probably was. We had never aired these issues publicly, it wasn’t that type of business, we kept people going through lots of life’s experiences, we were very aware of that. We were the funny bastards, swearing and making people feel good.

But the business didn’t owe us anything, we built it from £30, Love Layla didn't owe us anything other than a shit ton of really hilarious memories.

So why this big speech, Stace?

Well, I just wanted to let you know that business is really fucking hard. We do charge for our advice and services, we do still have a living to earn and a kid to feed.

But after a recent session with my client, something she said really stuck with me. “No-one helped me when I was setting it up, and I want to help others.” That got me in the feels, because Jay and I are completely self-taught in the world of business. I mean, we weren’t even setting up a business, we were simply trying to earn some cash to pay the bills.

So that’s how Chips & Fish was born - from our first business, but also because it’s the worst feeling when you don’t know what to do, where to go or how to do things next in your business.

We’re here to help your business grow - we have put all our marketing, social media and e-commerce expertise and methods into our own businesses, we’re not a quick fix, but we can definitely let you know that it’s possible. Anything is possible - you have just got to do it, do to right and be consistent.

Hit our inboxes up with any questions you may have, or just simply let us know that you see us and feel our “fuck this hard” vibes… we see all you small businesses out there, and we’re cheering you on 💪🏼

I finish with my Love Layla signature sign-off,

Love Ya, Bye.

Stacey 🍟🐟

💕