Published on July 9th, 2018 | by Guest Contributor

Your Sustainability Story: Rachel Watkyn of Tiny Box Company

We’ve launched a new feature here at Important Media that encourages our readers to share their personal sustainability story. You can send in your story to have it featured on one of our sites by filling out the form here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Tell us about your company
	Tiny Box Company was set up in 2007 after I noticed an opportunity for a new green business. I had just set up an ethical jewelry company and I was on the look out for eco friendly jewelry boxes. Unfortunately, I searched high and low but to no avail. It gave me the idea of starting an eco friendly gift packaging company as I thought there must be other jewelry companies in the same position I was in. One year later, I went on Dragon’s Den and successfully gained investment from Peter Jones and Theo Pathitis and the company has gone from strength to strength.
Tell us about your background
	When I originally set up my ethical jewellery company, I wanted to make a difference. In fact, I even called the company Tiny Difference. When I realised that gift packaging was a even larger environmental issue that needed to be changed, I saw this as not only a business opportunity but an ethical obligation. This theme has carried through the past 10 years and it is something I feel strongly about. Our customers provide a lot of inspiration for me as they are small businesses with an ethical purpose, which is so inspiring.
Tell us about your future
	I would like to expand our product range even further to ensure that we are offering the utmost extensive eco friendly product range. We are a constantly evolving company, making sure that they we are doing the best we can for the environment. With many new ideas for products and where to take the company, it’s an exciting time. With more and more consumer awareness due to the media on the environment, it’s more important than ever that we are giving our customers what they are looking for and staying ahead of the game.
What strategies were most helpful for you as you grew your green business?
	Without doubt, the biggest achievement was gaining investment on Dragon’s Den. It was a daunting experience but an extremely valuable one not only in terms of a successful outcome. I think also staying true to your business and green ethics is extremely important. It if often the case that the easier and cheaper option would be to do things without considering the impact on the environment but I think it’s very important to stick to your green policy. Even if it takes a little longer to get to where you need to be, it’ll be worth it that you stayed true to yourself.
What are your favorite tools for success?
	You never stop learning and so reading a wealth of different personal development and business books is definitely beneficial. Staying abreast of current news and affairs is also very important. You can certainly call yourself an expert in your field but never assume you know everything. Keep learning and keep your mind receptacle to change.
What do you wish you had been told before starting your business?
	Not all businesses, whether it is suppliers or other service providers will share the same genuine green vision as you. There is a great deal of green labelling that if you scratch below the service, isn’t all that green. Green washing is a massive issue and I think it can be very difficult to find genuine green suppliers that share the same ethical vision as yourself.
Where can People Learn more about you?
	Our Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Tags: ecopreneurs, entrepreneurs, ethical jewelry, green business, jewelry, packaging, Rachel Watkyn, Sustainabilty Story, Tiny Box Company

About the Author

Guest Contributor is many, many people. We publish a number of guest posts from experts in a large variety of fields. This is our contributor account for those special people. :D