The Storm Flowers team cultivate sustainability and community through their florist business and garden shop. Gardeners have a natural love of the environment. They take joy from watching things grow. They’re also more mindful of climate, noticing when the garden is dry or the frost has affected plants. It was only natural that the owners […]
Nafisi Studio is a British luxury bespoke art furniture and sculpture studio in Horsham run by an innovative husband and wife team. All pieces are handmade, incorporating progressive concepts with heritage craftsmanship. Kate and Abdollah became inspired to be artists who work together in their studio, combining concepts between furniture and art while exploring innovative […]
Last year, in September, we celebrated the 5th anniversary of our launch. In business years (and dog years), 5 years is significant. We’ve had some great successes and also have had to navigate some huge learning curves along the way. Our goal has always been to be a platform where British sustainable businesses can come […]
Now closed! Awards 2020. These awards are now closed. See who won. To register for the 2021 Awards please sign up to our newsletter. SMEs across the UK and Ireland are invited to come forward and nominate themselves for one or more of the following categories: New Business Award: For new businesses creating products or […]
We’ve compiled a roundup of advice and resources that we’ve seen for businesses and business owners over the past couple of weeks. 1. HM Govt Business Support: Here you’ll find all the support and information put together by the government. 2. ICAEW has a huge selection of resources and advice around tax, audit, financial reporting […]
Stocking fillers are a wonderful extra little surprise. Yeah there’s a gift or three under the tree for you, prettily wrapped. Still, it’s fun reaching into a stocking to pull out tiny little treasures.If you’re racking your brains for stuff to put into stockings, here are some ideas from us. 1. Squeaky clean and smells […]
Have you started playing Christmas music yet? I haven’t. For me, Christmas begins with the advent season and leads up to a day spent with family, good food, drinks, full spirits and lots of fun. I love a good advent calendar. Mind you, my favourites are the ones with adult beverages but I do like […]
Have we reached boiling point? Today’s hyper-competitive economy makes running a business stressful and risky. Cost cutting to ‘remain in the game’ means the quality of products and services may be compromised and environmental negligence, long work hours and financial risk affect wellbeing – we’re burning out! Time for a new approach to business […]
It’s important to have a good night’s sleep. A good night’s sleep will often fix most problems. You’ll wake up relaxed, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Plus it’s great for your skin. The key to a good night’s sleep isn’t just one thing. We recommend creating a comfortable and beautiful environment that will […]
It’s spring! Or so we hope… I’ve been transitioning in between clothing types this week, moving away from my warm wool coat to lighter garb. It’s delightful to not be weighted down by 20 layers of fabric. Spring is synonymous with the shedding of layers (unless we’re talking about trees), and part of that includes […]
We’ve written a guest blog for the RSA on problems facing the high street and a new ethical shopping oriented solution. “When on the high street, it feels as though poor quality products are sold everywhere for high prices. Online shopping seems like a better deal since we’ve been trained to think of purchasing online as […]
Do you love a good pair of shoes? Take a look behind the scenes of a shoemaking company that is quintessentially English, preserving old traditions in manufacturing while adding that modern touch. As one of the last remaining active shoe factories in England, our brand, Crown Northampton has a deep understanding of English made and […]
I’ve been away in sunny India for about 6 months (yes, a bit longer than expected), and I completely missed the British summer. Traded it in for the original Indian summer followed by monsoon which made for hot hot hot weather with torrential rain. The weather here is conflicted. Some days it’s autumn with those longer sleeves, […]
We’re delighted to announce the Blue Patch Sustainable Business Awards 2018 results are available here. The People’s Prize will be announced by the 2017 winner Anna Jacobs. Meet the talented artist-designer at #BStore18 as she hands the award to the winner for 2018! Thank you to the applicants for such wonderful submissions – every one was […]
This week, the eyes of the ethical and sustainable world have been fixed on Fashion Revolution Week, a campaign and a movement created in order to promote greater transparency within the fashion industry. It brings awareness about the appalling conditions that fast fashion is made in, the poor compensation that is paid to workers and […]
Now that Easter’s been and gone, it might as well be spring. This weekend has been so very springlike. A bit of sun, a bit of rain. Has anyone seen any Daffodils yet? Those are my favourite sign of spring. Last year we wrote this blog about garden products. To add to that list, and in honour […]
Did anyone get engaged recently? Whether you are frantically planning your wedding, or simply keeping an eye out for ideas, here are a few ways in which you can incorporate some of your family history into your wedding dress. Intrigued? Read on. We live in an age of mass production, surrounded by a throw-away society. […]
Does you remember hearing about the 5 languages of love? It was something I heard about in university, that people understand love in 5 primary ways. That the way one person expresses love may not be how the other understands it. You may do something that you consider to be tiny for your significant other and it may […]
Do you have an idea that could change the world? Maybe you’ve been toying with the thought of starting your own business and this might just be the year that you finally take the leap and go for it. We asked some of our small businesses for advice that they would give people starting out. Reading through their replies, I […]
Welcome to 2018, a new year, a new start, an exciting new sales plan? When you run your own small business you wear multiple hats. There is barely time to reflect or think about the direction you’re headed and if it’s right for you. Statistics show that small businesses with sales or business plans in place are more […]
It has come to my attention that Monday, the 15th of January is Blue Monday. Incase you didn’t know what Blue Monday was, it’s supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. Apparently there’s a mathematical formula behind it with several contributing factors including motivation levels, time since christmas and the weather! I’ve […]
One of the conversations we have had multiple times in the last year is the effect of Brexit on small businesses. It’s a complex issue with many facets to consider, and with many unintended consequences stemming from it. Today we’re featuring a guest blog by What Daisy Did who shed a light on the effect of Brexit on their business, […]
Did you know that January is named after Janus, the god of gateways and that Janus could look in both directions, back at the old year and forward towards the new year at the same time? Hindsight and foresight both 20/20 for this guy, right? However, as far as we’re concerned, December is as cold as January, […]
Fresh starts in January With Maxine leaving us at the end of last year, we were lucky enough to be joined by the amazing Natalia Komis. Serial entrepreneur and brilliant business strategist for social businesses and creatives, she rolled up her sleeves and got straight to work on her very first day. Love in February Sometimes we […]
Back to top
