INTERNATIONAL: from kitchen table to the world

Rachel Jones, Totseat

After Rachel Jones became a mother for the first time in her late thirties, she was determined to still enjoy her café lifestyle. ‘My husband and I wanted to hang out in the sorts of places we’d always been to, but there were never any high chairs,’ says Jones, now 45. ‘I used to take my jumper off and use it to strap our baby into a chair, but thought, “There must be a better way”.’ And so Totseat was born.The fabric harness, that fits chairs of any shape, was dreamt up by Jones at her kitchen table, and is now sold in 29 countries.

For the first three years of business, Jones kept her day job and worked on Totseat at night. ‘I had no experience of manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing or international expansion,’ she says. It didn’t stop her. ‘We’ve always had a global outlook, and that’s made a huge difference,’ says Jones.

Her advice for other kitchen-table ‘entrepreneurs’? ‘People give up because they’re working 100 hours a week and they’ve got a full-time job and a child and a life,’ she says. ‘Accept that a lot has to go on hold, like hanging out with your friends. But if you know there’s a market for your product, go for it.’totseat.com

What the judges said:
Laura Wade-Gery: ‘I liked the way that Rachel’s story went from her kitchen table to an international business. She developed it and tested it in a very DIY way and then took it worldwide.’

Liz Garrett: ‘Rachel’s story will inspire Red readers. She started it at home and yet she’s grown it far beyond these shores. She’s done incredibly well.’