Two heads are proving better than one for two North-East female entrepreneurs.
Middlesbrough-based handbag creator, Judith Healey, has joined forces with party plan organiser, Lisa Green, from County Durham, to bring her distinctive Simply Dorrie bags to a bigger market. And the pair say that working together is benefiting both businesses.
Judith, who designed her award-winning handbags as a tribute to her late mother, Dorrie, is now selling the eye-catching designer bags using Lisa's website and her Girls Night Inn parties.
"This is where women come into their own," she says. "They see an opportunity to collaborate and rather than compete, they work together. Lisa's area of expertise is colours so she's helping me with next season's designs and selling the bags online as well.
"The bags are inspired by some 1950s fashion designs that my mother did while she was at art college. She died when I was 16 years old and she never really got to use her talents. A friend who knew mum said I had to do something with her artwork. When I took them to an exhibition in London they were flying off the tables - people are buying them to send abroad."
Judith also runs marketing company, Talk Marketing in Middlesbrough, and doesn't operate a retail outlet, so she looked for other avenues for selling her product.
Lisa says: "I started buying merchandise with a view to having a shop but realised that it was going to be very expensive, so I decided to take the stock into people's homes and run parties selling shoes, bags and accessories. As soon as I saw the bags I knew I would be able to sell them. They have been proving popular and because I've been attending wedding fairs I found the bags can be used for mothers of the brides and people who want something a bit special.
"It's really great that two businesswomen in the North-East can join up and help each other out - I'm raising the profile of Judith's brand name and I get to add a great product to my range."
