Enterprise Nation

Do you recognise the name of this company? Cast your memory back a decade when you may recall seeing lots of TV and press exposure about a dot com company (launched at the height of the dot com boom) from a farmer’s kitchen table, selling lingerie for the ample lady. Many businesses started during that time are no longer but this sturdy business has just kept on growing. 

About Me

On her blog, Sally describes her background and the company as such:

“I founded Ample Bosom in 1999. My entrepreneurial skills and appreciation of the difficulty of finding well fitting lingerie led me to diversify away from the family farm, ValleyView Farm, where I had already established six holiday cottages, to the global world of lingerie. The company prides itself on the ability to provide a comfortable fit for all sizes, large and small.”

What were you doing before becoming your own boss?

I worked in a Delicatessen in Helmsley before the boys were born (they are now 28 and 26) and prior to starting AmpleBosom.com I ran a successful B&B business from the Farmhouse for 20 years and then converted farm barns to holiday cottages. The B&B business is no longer running but the holiday cottages (6) have a 4 star rating and are very popular with families and especially dog lovers as they can bring their pets with them, guests have come with pet ferrets before!

Who helps you out with running the business?

A lady called Sara works from home and deals with the webpages for the holiday cottages, AmpleBosom.com, and the online advertising. I also has a team of small businesses who work for me - Sue Burns who deals with newspaper and magazine advertising, Sandra who deals with designing catalogues and printed flyers, Noel - bookkeeper who comes up to the business every now and again, and a variety of other small business owners who work with me on projects every now and again.

Do you store stock in your own home?

Yes it is a converted piggery!

How have you continued to promote the business?

We send a catalogue out at regular intervals throughout the year,  Newspaper advertising - flyers insert in the  Sunday Telegraph, Magazine advertsing, website, and I’m often asked to give talks to groups of businesses, WI groups etc..

Have you seen an increasing tendency for people to shop online, as opposed to in-store?

Yes we get  a lot of feedback from customers who are unable to get their sizes from the local high street stores and as you will know some of these high street shops are disappearing.

What are your plans for the next 6 to 12 months?

We are about to launch a new upgraded website and a new back office system to support this. I’m always looking at different avenues to promote the business!

• Sally Robinson, Ample Bosom