Spruce
“Business Gateway helped give me the confidence and reassurance to launch the business. Their support has, and will continue to, develop brand awareness and accelerate business growth.” 

RACHEL SIM, FOUNDER

Spruce Homeware is an online retailer selling home décor and soft furnishings. Owner Rachel Sim handpicks the items with the aim that they will help customers spruce up any room in their house. 

The website’s stock comes from a range of small businesses, but unlike Etsy or Not on the High Street, it is all stored and dispatched from Spruce HQ so that customers only have to pay one small delivery fee while supporting multiple small suppliers.  

Rachel launched the business in October 2020 after graduating from Robert Gordon University with a first-class BA (Hons) degree in Management with Marketing. She decided to create her own opportunity after the pandemic led to a decrease in job opportunities and graduate schemes. 

Launching a business for the first time amongst the challenges of COVID-19 was no mean feat, but bolstered by support from Business Gateway Tayside, Spruce Homeware has already gone from strength-to-strength.  

Rachel commented: “Business Gateway helped give me the confidence and reassurance to launch the business. They have been on hand with advice about opportunities available to me, and they offer a great range of free courses. Their support has, and will continue to, develop brand awareness and accelerate business growth.” 

Rachel’s success has already gained industry recognition in the form of a Judges’ Special Award from the Scottish Institute for Enterprise in March. At just 23 years old, it looks like this is only the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey.  

If you think you could benefit from business support, contact our team today. 

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