“A good foundation of understanding your market would be a good starting point when thinking about starting a business ” – Farah Qureshi

Founder@ Interview

Interview with Farah Qureshi

“A good foundation of understanding your market would be a good starting point when thinking about starting a business.” – Farah Qureshi

Today we feature Farah Qureshi, the founder at Farah Qureshi. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.

Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
I am a designer-maker specialising in creating collections of jewellery in ethical and sustainable materials including recycled metals and Fairtrade gold. I create new collections each year on a variety of different themes. I am based in London and have a studio/showroom by a canal in the borough of Brent.

A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?

I have always been interested in art since I was a small child and discovered jewellery making in my late teens after participating in a short jewellery making course. Learning about jewellery opened up a new and exciting world filled with new processes and techniques. I studied at art college and specialised in three dimensional design and metalwork.

After I finished studying I started to sell my jewellery collections, this was primarily on a part time basis, as I also worked part time. This was mainly teaching jewellery making. I have focused on developing the jewellery business from 2009 and am now working full time on the business and this has been for the last two years. It has always been a dream to have a business in the creative field.

Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?

My business is focused on ethics and sustainability. I run a SME in the United Kingdom and use precious materials such as silver, gold and platinum. I have a Fairtrade gold licence, which means that all the items made primarily in this material can be hallmarked with a special hallmark. My jewellery is made in-house in London. Local specialists help with certain techniques such as engraving.

I produce fine jewellery and the inspirations behind the pieces comes from sources such as botany, traveling to different places, found objects in the home and more. Life is an inspiration. Some of the pieces are also embellished with gemstones and ethically sourced gemstones can be incorporated on request. New collections are made on a regular basis and I also work on creative commissions. Making one of a kind pieces which can be handed down the generations.

What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?

I think that being consistent and making small steps towards my goals has led me and my business to where it is now. I keep up to date with the latest business practice and this had been through taking courses on the subject.

I have also received mentoring which has helped me to achieve my goals. I think that having all round skills and combining the business skills with the creative skills has helped me achieve a full time business. Going through the pandemic has given me the time to reflect and has given me clarity in terms of the business and how to progress.

Networking and meeting like minded entrepreneurs has also been very positive as they have an in depth understanding of what it is truly like to be a business owner.

I also thing that being focused and having attainable goals has also been important to staying on track and making progress.

Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?

I think that there are lots of challenges running a business. Sometimes decisions are made, which do not run to plan. For example running a jewellery business requires investment and if there is not enough investment in place, it can limit what can be achieved.

I have taken part in events and other activities and have not been able to continue with those, due to a lack of funding. I think that if I were to approach this again, I would not try to do too many different things and would think more carefully about which events and activities to take part in.

I think that over time I have built a strong base of resilience and I wish I had known the value of this when I was younger. In business there are many hurdles which have to be overcome. I think that running a business is less challenging the more resilience we have.

If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

I come from a very traditional background where being an entrepreneur was not considered to be safe or reliable job. However as a creative it can be a very rewarding career. It does take time to develop a business and people who are not entrepreneurs may not understand the concept of running a business.

I decided to create a business and in the beginning this was on a part time basis. However I had no doubts about wanting to build a jewellery business and have never been worried about the risks involved. This is one area of my life that I have no regrets about. I think that having faith in yourself and being happy about being a bit different and wanting a particular lifestyle would be what I would have liked my younger self to have known.

We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?

My business is definitely hands on. I utilise my design skills along with making skills. In terms of business tools. I recently have joined Quickbooks to help with my accountancy which is helpful. Before I would do my bookkeeping by hand.

I think that social media apps are great for quick updates and social media tools such as Canva are very helpful for creating content and presentations. Before using Canva I would spend time creating presentations on my computer which is more labour intensive. The content for social media, created using Canva, is also quite effective and would be more challenging to create myself.
I also really enjoy using Inshot to create short video content. This is a new skill which I was not able to do before.

What do you know now that you wished you had known before?

I think that over time I have built a strong base of resilience and I wish I had known the value of this when I was younger. In business there are many hurdles which have to be overcome. I think that running a business is less challenging the more resilience we have.

What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?

There have been several proud moments. I currently carry out my own PR. This is a skill that I have learnt over time. I think that achieving editorial coverage has been a proud moment and seeing my jewellery on the front cover of a national magazine was great.

What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?

I aim to continue to grow my business further. It would be amazing to have one or two permanent retail outlets, where customers could come to commission jewellery. It would also be amazing to have my jewellery be featured in more magazines and to sell more internationally.

To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?

I think that having a good foundation of understanding your market would be a good starting point when thinking about starting a business or speaking to another founder. I also think that learning about the different areas of running a business, is also a good skill to have. For example understanding how to create a business plan and cashflow forecast.

“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and Farah Qureshi”

To learn more about Farah Qureshi Visit www.farahqureshi.co.uk

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