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!

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! 

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!

Mother’s Day

Here at Jonny’s Sister we have launched our new garden range just in time for Mother’s Day! The pastel coloured watering cans and little planters are the perfect personalised gift from both children and adults to give to their Mums! Whether it’s a joke between mother and daughter, or a little message telling them just how much they love them, we have the perfect prezzie...

As spring is on its way, lets pray for sunshine and head outside this Mother’s Day!

How are you spending Sunday the 15^th?

Spread the love today!

With Random Acts of Kindness week coming to an end, why not send somebody special a little bit of love?

As tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect excuse to treat your friends, family and loved ones to some TLC. Whether that be something as little as giving somebody a big ol’ cheesy smile, or something as delicious as baking some goodies for everybody in the office- we know which we at Jonny's Sister would prefer!

So go on, take a moment and make somebody smile!

Take a look at the RAK website here, to find out how other people are spreading the love.

H e l l o !

Ooh hello there! Welcome to our very first blog post (hopefully the first of many)! We just thought that we should introduce ourselves so that you can get to know us a little better. We are an online company based in Somerset, specialising in luxury, bespoke, personalised gifts. If you're looking for something a little different or are trying to find an extra special gift without breaking the bank then you've come to the right place! Our products are handmade here in the South West by our very talented team of local crafts men and women. 

Why not come and check us out at www.jonnyssister.co.uk ?

Jonny's Sister HQ, Closworth, Somerset