Let’s talk about babes in business…

Being an entrepreneur myself I’m a HUGE cheerleader for any girl that’s running her own show when it comes to her life and career. I love nothing more than seeing fellow females kick ass and make their dreams become reality and I want to use my blog to showcase girls that inspire me when it comes to business in the hope that it inspires you too.

In my line of work I meet a lot of inspiring females and I’m lucky enough to call one of them my best Friend- Introducing Bethany Moore. Just like me, Beth is a creator, creative and influencer and has a following of 250k+ On instagram, but that’s not her only focus. Beth is also the owner and now designer of an online store called ‘Newer Than Now’ that stocks minimal and on trend looks inspired by Beth effortless style.

Check out this interview she gave recently, where she dives into the finer details of her business.

What was it that put you off university?

Going to university would only have delayed starting my business. I was too inalienable to spend 3 or 4 years – a business can develop alot in that time!

How would you describe Newer Than Now as a company? What makes it unique?

Like every diffrerent store, each has its own vibe/feeling.  Each is led by a different person with different & unique styles and ideas. I started NTN because I had more and more people ask me where I got my clothes from on social media. I realised people were following my style and I thought, Instead of blogging and promoting other stores, why not have my own store & sell pieces I love & stock the unique brands that I was buying personally from…Amongst online retailers I certainly try to give a personal service as far as that’s possible for an online store.

Where did the initial idea come from and when? And how long did it take until Newer Than Now came to fruition after that?

I can’t really put my finger on when NTN came about initially.. Clothing was definitely my biggest interest for a long time before I had thought to set up my own business & I knew I had an eye for what sells through being on social media platforms like Instagram. When I left school, I had to work for a year to build up enough funding & then everything came together to launch on my 19th birthday.
How did you put together your business model?
The honest answer is, I didn’t. I funded myself so I didn’t need to sell my vision to anyone, which I think can be very off-putting. I certainly treated it like a project and always had whiteboards covered in to do lists and budgets but I never tried to write a business case. I would recommend anyone who is starting out to at least do this and, try to predict cash flow to make sure you have something viable.  And keep updating your plans with everything you learn. Now, I maintain plans for at least a year ahead, which I can track against target on s daily basis, which is really motivating.

What help (if any) did you seek along the way?
In the first year of business rarely a week would go by where I didn’t find out something important from someone. It’s really important (and easy) to try to find out as much as possible from the people around you. This might be close friends or family or even going to lectures or talks about anything to do with business. Jersey Business’ hold breakfast meetings and conferences, which I really recommend going to.

Any facts/figures to compliment this: for example, what client numbers did you grow from and where are you now? What locations do you ship to?
The beauty of being online is that you can sell every second of the day to everywhere in the world. An early ambition was to sell to every continent. We are still waiting for our first order to Antarctica but we are selling to every other corner of the world. Our predominant markets are North America, UK and then Europe.

Do you operate from an office or from home?
I don’t need an office because all software and data I use is 100% mobile so I can work from anywhere, which is great! When I first started I had stock in every nook and cranny of the house, I now have a warehouse and obviously that needs a bit of technology to run so it has an office set up in there.

What does a working day in your life entail? 
Each day is different. There is a basic routine I follow each morning, which consists of dealing with customer emails & reviewing orders. The main discipline is that customer service comes first. Once everything has been taken care of I take photos, plan promotions and review lookbooks from the brands I carry. Check stock levels, buy stock & manage the website.  Most evenings I spend doing more emails – when you work for yourself there is no such thing as 9-5.

How do you self-manage?


It’s really important that I set goals, daily or even weekly. I sometimes take the afternoon or morning off but I work very long days and every waking hour I live and breathe my business – I wouldn’t have it any other way
What has been the biggest challenge for you in running your own business?
The biggest challenge would definitely be accounts and the book keeping that you have to stay on top of daily and monthly returns. There is a lot more to running a business than I had ever imagined.

What is it that draws you to the world of fashion?
I think everyone gravitates towards things they are encouraged in. Things they do well in.  I decided to make my passion my career & knew that I would hate going to work each day if I wasn’t something I absolutely loved doing

What have you learned from the experience of setting up your own business? And what advice would you give to anyone looking to launch a business in the fashion retail sector?
I have learnt to just take risks, compete only with myself & stay focused and positive always.  My advice to anyone thinking they would rather be doing something they love than working where they do is to just go for it and see what happens. I have so many people asking me, how did you just start a business? They say they could never do it … I tell them the the only thing stopping them from doing what they would love to do is themselves! You have to take risks to get anywhere in life. Make mistakes, learn from them, you have no idea where you could be in 5 years time if you just step out of your comfort zone.I suppose doing it when you are young is a massive advantage as you are not burdened with big outgoings like a mortgage, school fees, etc. You will always struggle if you put a financial millstone around the company’s neck before it is established.

How do you decide which brands/items to source and sell?
Probably my favourite thing about having NTN is sourcing each piece we sell. Who knew clothes shopping was a full time job! For years I have found brands which I love and wear myself. Now I have to take a slightly more professional approach, ensuring the quality is up to standard and the shipping and taxes don’t erode margins too far.

What are the benefits of working for yourself?
The best thing about working for yourself is being your own boss, you can pretty much choose what you do in your day ..   my instagram tag line is ‘build your own dreams or someone will hire you to build theirs”. This is one of my favourite quotes from the inspirational US businessman  Farrah Gray.