The vegan soap brand born on the day Britain went into lockdown

"From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home."

Those were the words of prime minister Boris Johnson on 23 March as he announced that Britain was going into lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

That was also the day that Katrina Borissova incorporated her new vegan and natural soap bar business, Little Danube.

Being made redundant in 2019 and struggling to find another job sparked creativity in Katrina and she went from a hobby to running a company that is already selling on Amazon's online store and in several boutiques in London.

Katrina tells the story of her lockdown adventure and how the Amazon Small Business Accelerator has helped.

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in 218 bitesize videos.  
 
If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log-in to your learning dashboard to access the e-learning. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.

How did you come up with your idea for your business?

In September I started making soaps. My first soaps were terrible but I did it because I realised I wasn't doing anything with my hands. I wanted to be a more creative. I was never really satisfied and there wasn't anything I was doing for myself.

I was made redundant in November 2019 and I took the time to think about my next role. I had 20 interviews and I always got to the last stage but then no offer of a job. During that time, I continued my soap making and in February I had another corporate saying no to giving me a job.

Then the lockdown came, and I thought "that's it. It's now or never". I registered my company and on 23 March, the start of the UK lockdown, I received an email to say Little Danube had been incorporated.

I spent my time looking at recipes, packaging, branding and understanding why I was doing what I was doing. It was an interesting journey of understanding myself. There was a lot of soul searching in terms of why I was making soaps and why I want to do something that I love.

I wanted to be authentic and tell my story with the business. I called it Little Danube because of inspiration from the River Danube and the fact I was born in Bulgaria, raised in France and came to the UK. It crystalises my journey from the east to the west.

You got an offer of funding but you turned it down. Why did you do that?

I launched on 1 August and on 23 August I was featured in The Times. I was approached by some investors saying they wanted to invest. I'm a former accountant. Anything that is budget and numbers, I've got it. But when it comes to investment, I don't know anything about it.

I spoke to a few friends who are entrepreneurs and the phrase "desperate times, desperate measures" hit me. I thought I was desperate for investment. That kind of moment is where you show your leadership skills, you show your values and you really show your true self.

I decided that I didn't need investors and I would be making a huge mistake by accepting the offer. My start-up would be valued quite low and if I were to dilute my equity, I would be losing a lot.

How did you start to make sales?

I hired a PR and digital marketer and I put all my energy into the launch. I remember going to markets and saying to business owners that  I liked their products and asking if I could have a business card and website address. They would say "it's still a work in progress". As a customer I would feel you're not complete and it comes across. I thought if I contacted someone to sell to, I need a website and I need the story.

My husband created the website and I got a photographer to take some pictures. I launched on 1 August. Within a few days I had some sales but they were just from neighbours and family. I searched on Google for the best boutiques in London to be stocked in. I drew up a list of 50 and contacted them. The first boutique in East Dulwich came back within two days and said yes. Then I contacted Wolf and Badger and they agreed to stock my products.

Why did you decide to apply for the Amazon Bootcamp?

I first heard about it was when I attended the Amazon Academy in June. Some entrepreneurs spoke at the event and their main tips were it's all about your product, your story and understanding your finances. I thought I wanted to sign up to the Bootcamp. I applied and got accepted.

I was excited because it gave me a timeline. When you start working on a project, you can easily put things off, but I was set on 1 August for my launch and on 3 August, I attended the Bootcamp.

It gave me a good overview of how to sell on Amazon. It helped me to understand the competition and operational excellence. How do I make sure that I've got the right resources and ensure my model is correct? I didn't have a barcode. I signed up for the barcode offer and added it to the products which made them look so professional.

I'm now selling one of my soap bar products on Amazon. My next plan is to sign up to Fulfilment by Amazon.

Before I started there was an apprehension that Amazon is a big machine. I wondered how I was going to break it down but the fact you've got customer service that is available pretty much 24 hours is great. It's very helpful.

What tips have you picked up from the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme?

I really like the tips on social media management. When I started, I didn't have an Instagram account. I now run my business through Instagram. This is how I discover other people and how other people discover me. I think the videos helped me to get a more comfortable managing social media.

The start modules have been useful as it's a good overview in areas such as operating a budget. This helped me to shape the product. The videos about pricing and market analysis were helpful too.

For anyone who has an idea, the Amazon Small Business Accelerator offers great advice. You can search for advice through Google but there's way too much information and you don't know when people are just trying to sell you something. Enterprise Nation is a trusted partner. It's like the search engine for small businesses.

What are your tips for business success?

You need drive and confidence in your product, but also in yourself. You need the resilience to come back very quickly from knockbacks. I've had disappointments such as when I would sell at markets and get no sales. But then I realised I got so much great feedback. It was the best market analysis I could have done.

You also need to look after yourself and remember why you're doing it. You've got only one way, keep going.

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in 218 bitesize videos.  
 
If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log-in to your learning dashboard to access the e-learning. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.