‘Putting a heart into our art’
Focus On... Belly Button Designs
Rachel Hare, creative director and boss lady at publisher Belly Button Designs, takes us on a tour of her business I set up Belly Button Designs over 25 years ago, working from home (before WFH was a thing!). I do have my own office, but mainly as a place to shut the doors and focus.
Plate spinning - a skill everyone who runs their own business needs to have! But it can only work if you have a really great team around you. I try as much as possible to be fully immersed in every aspect of the business, but I also recognise that I can’t (and shouldn’t!) do everything. It is important to have an overall strategic view, but one you can share with others in the team. They’re the ones who will help you achieve it.
Lucy, Kimberley and Michelle, lead the team in Belly Button HQ in Manchester. Their organisational, financial and sales skills are second to none! We are all part of the team with a simple goal, which we say is at the heart of our Art! Creating smiles, great partnerships and products, while aiming to help preserve our planet, our people and our brand for the next generation.
The first two Henries Awards we won were very special - we now have nine! That first win really made me stop and think. It was humbling and gratifying that we had created something judged to be a winner. But we never take it for granted.
Sustainability is a key part of who we are at Belly Button. We believe we were the first greeting card manufacturer to use board made from recycled coffee cups, making it an affordable proposition by working with the supplier.
We have come such a long way from our early years of focusing solely on cards, and now our portfolio covers wrap, gift bags, stationery and giftware. The overriding element though is it all has to complement. I didn’t want us to expand into product areas without a real reason. It has been such fun watching the business - and the categories we are involved in - grow. I’m so excited about future plans too - there’s a lot in the pipeline and I can’t wait to show you.
0161 902 0200 enquiries@bellybuttondesigns.com www.bellybutton.cards www.bellybutton.gifts www.greetingstoday.co.uk 33
