Winners!

Those of you who follow us on Twitter will know that recently our Managing Director and founder, Jane, has been recognised by British businesswoman, Jacqueline Gold CBE, for her success as a female entrepreneur. We’re delighted!

Jane and Jonny’s Sister were one of three winners selected by Jacqueline after she entered ‘Women on Wednesday’ – a competition launched by Jacqueline in 2011 to celebrate the growing number of UK female entrepreneurs and businesswomen.

Jacqueline said ‘Jonny’s Sister has a handmade, authentic feel to the company and the extensiveness of the product range caters for a wide range of occasions. Personalised products are becoming increasingly more popular and all of the products on Jonny’s Sister website make for a brilliant gift idea!’

When selecting the winners, Jacqueline looks for businesses that are interesting, that have strong brand values and that she thinks have potential to grow and succeed in their industry. She looks for quality products and services, well designed websites and entrepreneurs who demonstrate good business acumen and who have spotted a gap in the market.

We’re a proud bunch at Jonny’s Sister and everyone here is beyond excited about the accolade, just check out the photo below!

Pet Christmas Sacks

Do you ever think that maybe pets get forgotten at Christmas? Well we say 'no more!'

This year we have introduced a new Christmas sack to our festive range; with the choice of a cat or a dog symbol, with a rudolph-esque nose sewn on, your pet is sure to feel just as included as you. Imagine your pets delight when they wake up on Christmas morning to find their very own personalised sack filled with fluffy, squeaky and edible treats!

Whether they're a Buster, Barney, Sissy or Sooty, your pet will love their own personalised Christmas sack. Just send us the names and the animals that you would like sacks for and we will do the rest. 

You can find them in the Christmas section of our site, here.

Jonny’s Sister have been getting ‘Pretty Muddy’!

A few weeks ago Leanne and Lisa took part in Cancer Research UK’s Pretty Muddy 5K run in Bristol. You may have heard of the standard Race for Life, but how about doing it up and down hills, over obstacles, and covered in mud!? Completing the run in just under an hour, they did us proud!

Hundreds of ladies dressed in pink ran, skipped and jumped around the course- some of us sadly weren’t up to the challenge! Here are some pictures of the eventful day; Leanne managed to whip out her camera just before they got caked in mud!

Did anybody else take part in Pretty Muddy this year? The JS team would definitely recommend it, getting down and dirty whilst raising money for charity- what’s a better way to spend your afternoon!?

Summer Sale

What’s better than a summer sale on a Friday afternoon?

We have now launched our summer sale, with reductions of up to 65% off of our top selling products! From cushions to cake tins, grab yourself a real ‘summer steal’. 

We are clearing our warehouse to make room for lots of exciting new products, so watch out!

From all of us at Jonny’s Sister HQ, have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine.

ESPRESSO MUGS

Is it just us, or can a kitchen just never have enough enamelware!? To celebrate our 10^th Birthday, we have brought out a new range of colourful Personalised Espresso Mugs, which we think are fab – even if we do say so ourselves!

These Personalised Espresso Mugs make a fun and funky accessory for any kitchen or dining area; coming in a range of 4 colours with 2 brand new & exclusive fonts. They can be personalised with a wording of your choice, although don’t make it too long otherwise it will be too teeny-tiny to read!

  

As it’s the wedding season, these would be a perfect gift for a Mr & Mrs-To-Be or for a housewarming gift. But don’t feel limited by our ideas; nicknames and catch lines work equally as well.

We’d love to know what you think of our new Personalised Espresso Mugs? Head on over to our websitefor more information! 

Father's Day is on it's Way!

A big hello from the Jonny’s Sister team! Before you know it, Father’s Day will be just around the corner, and boy have we been busy. For the past month we have been working non-stop on creating a new range of products for our customers and their Daddy’s; head on over to our website for more details.

These ‘Best At’ tins are perfect for little ones who think that their daddy is the best; you can include their greatest talent, or simply that they are the best at everything!

We love these personalised ‘Checklist’ tins too! Here you can list everything that your daddy is good at, from cleaning Hammy’s cage to making the yummiest pancakes; you name it!

But that’s not all, we have a whole range of Father’s Day gift ideas, so why not head over to our Father’s Day section now? 

Easter is Coming

Move over Bunny, Easter is coming and we’re ready!

Here at Jonny’s Sister we have a new range of products just in time for the chocolate-y season; nothing says Easter like a good, old fashioned Easter Egg Hunt- bunny ears and all! We’ve come up with some essentials, including a directional sign and a bucket to fill with goodies.

We know what we’ll be doing over the Easter weekend, how about you!?

Shop the full collection over on the JS website. Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Apprenticeship Week

As this week is National Apprenticeship Week, we thought that we’d chat to Jane about the pro’s and con’s (if there are any!) of having apprentices working at Jonny’s Sister and apprenticeships in general.

As 2015 is Jonny’s Sister’s 10^th birthday, we have decided to fire Jane 10 questions, to be answered in 10 minutes, about apprentices within the business... 

What made you want to employ an apprentice, back in 2012?

Hannah came to work on a temporary basis when she decided that college wasn’t for her in 2012; she wanted to achieve a further qualification, which then made me look into apprentices. A friend of mine had previously employed apprentices, who then explained the benefits. Hannah started her business apprenticeship, and then soon after Shannon came along!

What have been the benefits?

There are too many to list! It’s what they bring to the table; they bring a can-do approach to the work place, with a desire to learn. My experience with apprentices has always been that they are enthusiastic, inquisitive and tend to ask a lot of questions.

Do you think that having apprentices has had an impact upon the running of Jonny’s Sister today? Would it be different if you hadn’t had any apprentices?

Definitely! Jonny’s Sister has a very youthful feel about it. The day to day running is always fun and having younger staff alerts me to themes and trends that otherwise I may not have been aware of.

What does an apprentice bring to Jonny’s Sister that somebody otherwise qualified may not?

Apprentices come with zero baggage. They have a can-do approach and a desire to learn; they also have a fresh pair of eyes which is always good.

How do you know if somebody is right for the job - Are they ‘JS material’?

Jonny’s Sister is a small, family run business, which means there is no option other than to fit in. There’s no room for cliques or hiding, everybody must be 100% open with one another. Passion is very important too; they must enjoy their job and come in with a smile on their face in the morning!

What would you say to an employer considering hiring an apprentice?

Treat everybody the same. If you get the right apprentice in the right job it’s a win-win situation. Apprentices have come a long way since the ‘tinkering under cars’ type; there are so many more opportunities today.

When somebody is an apprentice, do you think about future job roles? Do you consider an area they can move into rather than a general position?

At Jonny’s Sister we try and expose each person to all areas of the business; it soon becomes apparent which areas they excel in and those are the areas that they tend to end up in. I am a strong believer in enhancing strengths opposed to improving upon weaknesses.

When referring to not only apprentices, but employees in general, how do you know when it’s time for them to move on?

We have a rule here at Jonny’s Sister; when you’ve stopped learning, it’s time to move on - this applies to me too! Although I’m always sad to see people go, I always feel proud to see them move on to pastures new taking with them all the things that they have learnt here.

If you could use one word to describe your feelings towards your apprentices, what would it be?

Proud.

And finally, what has been your most memorable apprentice moment? Think wisely!

Each apprentice has given me their own memorable moment so I could not possibly list them all!

Pizza Friday

The beginning of 2015 saw new targets, meaning another year of hard work!

This year is our 10^th Birthday, so we’ve decided to do something special each month- cue the brainstorming. Here at Jonny’s Sister we love any excuse to indulge, so we thought that pizza Friday was the perfect reason to have our monthly meet and celebrate January’s big success!

With ideas flying around the table, we have come up with a selection of treats for our customers, thanking them for their loyalty over the years. Since 2005 Jane and all of us have worked hard to provide you with affordable and beautifully British made products. As well as discounts and new products, keep your eyes peeled for some returning ‘classics’ from the past 10 years!

What would you like to see at Jonny’s Sister this year?

BIRTHDAY!

The Good Web Guide Awards

Good web guide awards

As most of you know, we are located in a really rural situation. Gone are the heady days of high heels and shoulder pads when we lived and worked in London, dressing up for me now means a recently hosed down pair of wellies.

So, it was not without a little trepidation, that I ventured up to London with my husband  in tow to attend the Good Web Guide Awards Reception as we had been shortlisted for Best of British Website.  I am not even going to mention where my little black dress and smart court shoes came from….but suffice it to say that they were not mine.

A long term friend of mine lent us her pied a terre on Wimpole Mews (dead posh) and it was from there that I hobbled in my size 4 shoes (I have size 5 feet) gasping for air in my size 8 dress (I am a ‘good’ in fact ‘really good’ size 10) to the venue in Albermarle Street.

The reception was great fun where we caught up with old friends, made some new ones and were finally able to put faces to some virtual friends.  The drums rolled and sure enough Jonny’s Sister was crowned Best British Website 2013 (I am hardly going to blog about an awards ceremony if we did not win am I?!). I breathed in even harder,  lifted my poor bruised feet and collected a rather lovely  inscribed glass award.

After a late supper,  we headed back to  Wimpole Mews. I could take it no longer so ……carried my shoes and unzipped my dress under my coat……what bliss!

Note to self: I must remember to make some slightly rounder and larger footed friends for next year.