Having founded Chroma Stationery in 2014 using only £300, Instagram and an influencer marketing strategy, Gabi Cox has established a successful stationery brand that has been featured in the likes of The Telegraph, has been supplied to Boots and is a go-to favourite of influential vlogger Zoella!

Gabi Cox

Gabi Cox

In light of recent research from Kaspersky Lab showing that risk taking can help people to reap rewards whether it’s career focused or in their personal life, Gabi has spoken to Female First to share her business journey and tell us how she took Chroma Stationery from a university project to a thriving small business – and explain the challenges she faced along the way.

How old were you when you started your company?

I was 22 and in my final year of university when I first launched Chroma Stationery. I studied Fashion Promotion and Imaging University for the Creative Arts at Epsom. Whilst on my degree I focused on PR and marketing modules and completed internships and work experience placements at the likes of Glamour, Easy Living, British Vogue and Rain PR at John Lewis.

Can you tell us more about Chroma Stationary?

It provides colour-loving, bespoke branded and personalised stationery to individuals and businesses, from 1 to 1,000+ units - that truly represents the personality of the individual or organisation.

How did you come up with the idea?

Creating Chroma Stationery was my final university project; I’ve always been a stationery addict and have had a fascination with colour. I was very interested in people’s relationships with colour, why people have their favourites and what colours can say about a person - which is what Chroma was based on.

What inspired you to get into business?

After graduating I still had requests from people wanting to buy personalised notebooks, so I decided to pursue the business. The job market was really limited at the time and I wasn’t living in London, so I was struggling to find a suitable role. I realised that working for myself could be the answer.

What was your breakthrough moment?

The way I promote my business is entirely online, and two months after launching my Kickstarter campaign, I sent products to various influencers - including Lily Pebbles, who posted about her notebook for 10 seconds. My orders went from a handful a week to 60 per day, for the three weeks in the run-up to Christmas - that was my first surge.

My first big bulk order customer was American Airlines - we provided them with 3,000 notebooks for an event. In Christmas 2016, Zoella mentioned her 2017 Chroma Diary to her 11 million followers - this was a huge turning point and really helped raise Chroma’s profile.

How did you fund the business? How much finance have you raised (if any)?

I initially funded the business with an online crowdfunding Kickstarter campaign. I also purchased a piece of equipment with a 2 year no-interest credit card, which I paid off before the two-year period.

Looking back, I’ve come a long way in the last four years, but I’ve also become more aware of the risks involved with having a purely online business – if it fails I have no physical back-up, and with malware attacks on the rise I need to keep myself and my business protected. Therefore, I’ve invested in IT support, antivirus programmes and back-ups, such as those from Kaspersky Lab, to stay safe online and keep my business protected.

What are the benefits of being a young entrepreneur?

The main benefits I enjoy are being my own boss and being in charge of my own time and schedule. I wake up every day and love what I do, which I am hugely grateful for; I am proud to be building something successful and meaningful.

What are the challenges of being a young entrepreneur?

The main challenge I find is that I can sometimes be underestimated or not taken seriously; there are some people who are surprised by my age or what Chroma Stationery has achieved and assume that I work for my parents or that I can’t be making an income from my business. It’s not a conventional or expected route to take, and it can be lonely, so it’s taken me a while to build a community and support system of fellow independent business owners and young entrepreneurs.

Another challenge is the danger to my business. The role that the online world has played in making my business a success is substantial, and whilst taking the risk has paid off, I will never let my guard down online - it’s vital that I secure my digital activities as I look to grow the business.

Where do you see yourself in the next five-ten years?

I still see Chroma Stationery remaining as an online business. Its core values of providing both a personalised product and service will continue to be crucial and as I look to expand, I will have a larger team of brilliant people working on the brand.

As I continue to use online channels to build and develop the brand, it has become increasingly important that I understand and manage any potential risks to the business - especially as I move towards suppling branded and personalised stationary internationally.

If a hacker was able to get in and steal content or funds, or wipe content from my computer, channel or feeds, it would severely disrupt – if not close - my business.

What advice would you offer to other entrepreneurs looking to set up their own business?

My biggest piece of advice would be to build a network of people who will cheer for you when you succeed and be there when things get tough. Having fellow business owners you can reach out to and chat through things with can be vital; especially if you're starting out on your own. As a business owner, don’t be afraid to take risks - sometimes you have to take some chances in order to move forward in life. Whilst taking risks is good, this is not the same thing as being reckless and no one should let their guard down – it’s vital to secure the moves you make online in the pursuit of success.