From Thinking You’re Not Good Enough To Being Selected For Small Business Saturday

Interview with Becky Davies-Downes (see photo below), owner and founder of William and Tilda.

How Did Your Career Start?

I left school and went to art college at 16.  I was severely dyslexic and wasn’t interested in the academic routes so did fashion design.  At the time, I was keen on a life roaming around in a camper van with a Singer sewing machine in the back.  I left college and realised that wasn’t going to happen.  I moved to Leeds, did a year in street theatre festivals then somehow fell into working in TV.

I ended up at Yorkshire TV.  From there I got into the costume department and started off as a dresser looking after all the actors.  Eventually I progressed, worked at the BBC and various independent companies where I worked my way up to supervisor, deputising for the designer, organising everything on set and the day to day running of the department.

From Period Dramas To Nutritional Therapy – How Did That Change Happen?

Then got pregnant and at the time I was doing a lot of period drama.  I was starting work at 4.30 in the morning and I’d still be there at 10pm and thought this isn’t going to work with a baby.

It wasn’t what I wanted either.  My husband was a designer.  We felt we needed one of us at home offering a stable environment so I gave up my career basically which at the time sounded great as I had fallen out of love with costumer design.

Period dramas are hard going as working so closely with the actors was almost like having lots of children.  It wore me down.

The first few years after my daughter was born were great and then reality kicked in.  What am I going to do now?  It was difficult trying to find a job.  My husband is off working here, there and everywhere and I have to do all the school runs, parents evenings etc.  Someone needed to be there for our daughter.

Trying to find something that worked around her was really difficult.

I had gone back to university just after Tilda was born.  I ended up doing a nutritional therapy degree.  After 3 years, I qualified, set up my own practice and then thought, ‘I don’t think this is for me!’

Tell Us About Your Decision To Set Up Your Own Business

I decided that I knew sewing best and should do something in that area.  There was no chance of going back to TV and I didn’t want to really.  I scouted around for a bit, dabbled with making soft toys.  Eventually a few things came together at the same time.

I was looking at some family photos and 2 photos in particular – the wedding photo of my Grandma got me thinking.  I have an interest in vintage clothing and weddings, the war years – what they wore, how they coped etc.  At the same time, was given my Great Grandmother’s old button tin which was full of old buttons.

I had also just been to see my Godmother who was a big part of my life. She was a couture seamstress.  She spent all of my childhood working in the evenings sewing wedding dresses etc.  It’s big memory from childhood.

We had been going through old fabrics that she had, off cuts, wedding stuff.  Somehow it all came together and I decided to make bridesmaid dresses based on the 40’s and 50’s.

I’ve taken everything from childhood, the skills I learnt at college (pattern cutting for example) and mixed all of that together.  Plus, all the people skills from working with actors.

My business is called William And Tilda.  Tilda is my daughter’s name and William is her trusty companion (her teddy).   I call myself a vintage seamstress as when I make dresses I try to use vintage techniques.

Fantastic That You Have Been Selected For Small Business Saturday – Tell Us More 

Becky has been chosen as one of the 100 businesses in Small Business Saturday. 

This is one of most successful business campaigns in the UK.  It culminates each year in Small Business Saturday on December 2^nd.  The team choose 100 small businesses that they are going to champion up until that day; each business is promoted in the press, media etc.  Last year the top 100 went to Downing Street.

On the day, businesses all over the country get involved and do special events.  It’s a massive day to celebrate small independent businesses. It’s quite nice to be involved in a national campaign where we’re all working together.

You Didn’t Think You Were Good Enough Though? 

It’s all quite exciting but didn’t think I’d get through.  Quite a lot of women think like that.  We don’t expect to get things, to get through.  I never thought they’d be interested or think I was good enough.  And apparently, I am which is a quite nice thought really.

Has Your Confidence Changed Over The Years?

As I’ve got older, it has changed and more so since I left TV.  I’m not the most confident person in the world and never have been.  I was quite an unlikely person to work in TV as it’s full of very big personalities and overly confident people.

I used to find it difficult especially when I became a supervisor.  It was hard to go on set and say, ‘actually no you can’t do that’ and be talking to the Producer or Exec Producer and say no.  Actually, I didn’t enjoy it and that’s probably why I fell out of love with TV.

The combination of having a child, of re-training and then having the confidence to walk away from it, has given me the things I need to start a new business.

And being older helps too.  I’m not just Tilda’s mum any more.   I’m now somebody who runs a business.  I love being her mum but want to be someone else as well.

What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?

I’ve always thought that I would take every opportunity and I think I actually have.  I don’t regret having done anything and I don’t regret not having done anything.   Part of the fact was that my mum died when I was 29.  She was very career-minded, quite a formidable woman but in a lovely way.  She had such a successful career and kept saying, ‘when I retire I’m going to do this’.

She died at 55 before she retired and it made me realise that you can’t live for when you retire; you just have to get on with it.  My knee jerk reaction was to travel around the world for a year and do absolutely everything I wanted to do.

How Did The Accident When You Were Little Affect Your Outlook On Life?

When I was 18 months old, I had an accident.  I managed to climb out of my cot and somehow managed to get myself into the twin tub washing machine on a boil wash. It was pretty awful for my family but the consequences of that accident have given me a deep, hidden determination to get on with things.

What Are Your Tips For Other Women Starting Their Own Business? 

Just give it a go!  There is nothing else you can say.  It has been scary and there were things I wish I had known along the way but I think everyone’s journey is different.  You have to just get on with it, do it and see where it takes you.

Do what makes you happy.  And don’t over think things!