Ettington schoolgirls come up with Berry good business plan

While many young people spent lockdown staring at screens in their bedrooms, three enterprising schoolgirls from Ettington have used the time to launch their own business.

Three Hollies: Hollie Moseley, 13, Holly Page, 12, and Holly Clifford, 11, who all met at the village school, were out on a walk when they came up with the idea for an online shop selling customised keyrings, tie-dye scrunchies, facemasks and other products.

Holly C explained: “We chatted on zoom calls and agreed the business name which is BerryBuy. We decided on the products after looking at trends and things we liked.”

With the help of parents, the trio looked at similar websites and learned about profit and loss accounts. The girls then decided they would like to donate a ten per cent share of their profits to the British Heart Foundation.

Each Holly has an area of the business that they look after. Holly C is in charge of setting up their shop on Etsy, the online platform for artists and craft-makers, and does all the photography and product descriptions for the lines.

Hollie M makes all the keyrings to order. Customers can place a bespoke order for a keyring of any colour and initial and add on extras such as glitter and soon to be beads and dried flowers.

Meanwhile Holly P set up the social media accounts, including Instagram and TikTok, and ensures that posts and photos are regularly updated.

Together they tie-dye a large selection of masks and scrunchies together.

Their best-selling product is currently the End of Year Treat Box for girls and teachers.

Describing it, Hollie M said: “It is a letterbox gift comprising of a keyring, a scrunchie and sweets for £7. It is boxed and packaged beautifully to arrive on your doorstep. We are hoping to sell a lot of these to help us with our BHF. Once we get to £100 we will present them with a cheque.”

With an eye on future success, the girls say they are hopping to add new lines and are considering phone holders to tap into a slightly older market of teens.

Holly P said: “The business is doing well but has slowed down a bit now so we need to push the new lines which we will do before the end of term.

“We would love for this to continue and grow have fun seeing what will sell.”

See the girls’ shop at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/berrybuy