OUR NEW ADDITION IS ALMOST HERE.

Posted on January 22, 2017 by thelittlelendingco

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Ok, here I am at almost 39 weeks pregnant and feeling like a beached whale (yep, I am now fully one of those people who talks in weeks rather than months about their pregnancy) this picture by Darina Stoda Photography was taken a couple of weeks back now. I’m also one of those people who vowed never to put their baby belly on the internet (!) and will definitely not be filling my IG feed with baby spam….Hmmm. These pesky preggo hormones are really something, I just feel so darn proud of housing and growing a mini human and sometimes you guys may hear about it.

I’m filled with anticipation, anxiety and of course a tonne of excitement for baby B’s arrival but I also know that becoming a mum will take me away from Little Lending for a while.

I adore what I do and have loved building up my little company for the last 3 and a half years, but I need to be realistic too, my life is about to change massively. I’ve always been super active on social media and I really hope to keep posting all the inspo I find but the likeliness is that there are going to be a few gaps while we adjust. Your emails and enquiries may take a bit longer to get back to you on too, but if you’re already pencilled in the diary for styling or hire, please be assured you’ll be Little Lender this summer, or next. If you’re getting in touch for the first time we’re almost fully booked through from May-September now for 2017, but have good availability for this Autumn/Winter and we’re taking 2018 bookings too.

It will be the biggest juggling act of my life, but I will find a way to make it happen and still give all my couples the best service I can this coming season.

So this is just a little post to say, thank you so much for your patience and support. I’ll continue to do my best for you guys while enjoying this little life that’s currently kicking me in the ribs!

I have scheduled some content for the blog and our Facebook page though so be sure to check it out to keep those W-day ideas flowing.

See you on the flip side,
Penny @ The Little Lending Co. x

3 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER.

Posted on August 9, 2016 by thelittlelendingco

When you run a business people want to give you advice. All types of people in all types of businesses. So sometimes you end up smiling politely while thinking ‘Eh?’ while being fed their pearls of wisdom or occasionally you’ll end up stashing away some really valuable nuggets of girl boss gold.

One line I’ve heard more than just a few times is ‘You’ll know if you’ve made it when you get to 3 years.‘ So here I am 3 years into Little Lending, have I made it?!
Ok, I don’t really know about ‘made it’ because I’m really not a pro at anything business; spreadsheets may as well be in japansese and the thought of not writing everything in my paper diary fills me with fear…but there are a few achievements I’m going to celebrate as a home business owner this week.

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CONFIDENCE.
I’ve found it, in my creative abilities and plucked up the courage to add ‘Styling Services’ to our offerings over 18 months ago and haven’t looked back. I feel more alive on wedding day set ups that doing any other aspect of the business. And the fact our couples put their trust in me is well, epic. I also feel I’m now kind of priced right for what I do, too many times on this journey I’ve not made what I should have but I now know I need to charge for the work I do and the creative experience I offer.

DECLINE.
I have learnt to decline offers of collaborations that are not right for me and the LL brand. I feel my brand identity is pretty solid now and have worked out exactly what I like working on and what’s just not right. I feel my couples also know my style too so it’s important to keep true to myself for them too.

RELATIONSHIPS.
I’ve built up some amazing relationships that my business now relies on; with fab talented local suppliers and gorgeous venues across the county and beyond. I feel so blessed to have a support network behind me that I value beyond measure.

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CUSTOMERS.
I’ve had some incredible Lenders the last 3 years, that still today continue to support and encourage me. And that, feels amazing. These guys are the backbone and I love my super fan Little Lenders. Word of mouth is so powerful and when new couples get in touch because they’ve heard about us or seen us first hand at another wedding I know I’m doing my job right.

NETWORKED.
I’ve put myself out there, really out there. On all the social media I can, whenever I can. There isn’t a team here it’s still just me (a couple of cats and a helpful hubby) but I knew getting my name out there in Norfolk and beyond in the wedding world would help me reach people, and I’ve reached far more people than I could ever have imagined. Hitting 5K followers on Instagram was huge!

Yes, our time management is still all over the place and it’s all pretty chaotic back here when it gets to delivery days and I know I have a lot more graft to go to get this business in line but I’m doing it, every day I am doing it. And I always deliver to my awesome couples and that’s all me and I’m totally in charge.

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I was asked where I wanted to be 5 years from now with Little Lending and I couldn’t reply at the time. You’re ‘expected’ to reply with huge goals – a big nationally known company that delivers up and down the country; fleets of drivers and staff that run a warehouse full of stock. But you know what, actually I would still like to be enjoying it, being creative, and at the heart of my business being as personal as I possibly can. I still want to create and challenge myself with newness and I really still want to be based at home.
If this sounds like I’m afraid to grow or loose control, it’s not really that, I just like being a little company that connects and works with brilliantly creative couples and other companies. I never want to loose the passion I have right now.

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Images – Darina Stoda
Venue – Godwick Great Barn
Props and Styling – That’s us
Flowers – Swaffham and Fakenham Florists

Happy 3rd birthday to us, here’s to the next and many more I say.
Penny @ The Little Lending Company X

A WONDERFUL LITTLE YEAR.

Posted on December 22, 2014 by thelittlelendingco

A GREAT BIG THANKYOU

Woah, here we are at the end of the year again. For me it was a total whirlwind of a year. I don’t know about you but as the year draws to a close it’s always a time I think about just how far I’ve come in those 12 little months.

Just yesterday I counted up all the lovely little lenders we’d had during 2014 and there were 92! An incredible bunch of people we got to meet and work with in our first full year of trading. I just loved helping each and everyone of you create your wedding day vision. Our dream of running this company isn’t possible without you, so thankyou for your support of our little company – The kind words, the comments, the likes and shares on social media, they all make you the best bunch of followers a girl could ask for. Your wedding excitement just makes us smile each day, and I know I have definitely found my calling.

Images via http://elizabethloisphotography.co.uk

LOCAL LOVE

To the local, creative ladies in this industry that have supported and believed in us this year, (you know who you are) you’re all wonderful. I love that we all share the same vision for this wedding world we’re in. Let’s make 2015 even more creative, together we can achieve so much and I can’t wait to work with you all again on more stylish ideas.

Images by Tatum Reid Photography.

WE GOT LUCKY

This year I got lucky – Like really, super lucky when I won an unbelievable prize to attend a wedding academy with We are Flourish and Prosper. It was beyond inspirational. I learnt a lot to help my little company grow into something much bigger (not without a lot of hard work of course) but I feel more energised to keep striving to make my dreams a reality. Since the academy I’ve already made some small but significant changes, and got a whopping great big confidence kick that I needed from some amazing women in this industry.

Image source We are Flourish and Propsper.

I was also asked to join the B.Loved contributors network. I’ll be working on some rather exciting collaborations and submissions for the most luxe and lovely blog on the internet. Beyond excited to be a part of their community and such a huge honour to sit along side some of the most creative and exciting companies in the wedding sphere.

FABULOUS FEATURES

Some highlights of the year have to be seeing our styled shoots featured online and in print. Back in April I worked with Tatum Reid Photography on my first collaborative shoot ‘A Modern Fairytale’ that was featured on B.Loved blog. Full of pretty, whimsical details I brought antlers, books, candles and log slices to the table quite literally.

It was in May I had a fantastic ‘Loved by Coco’ feature on Coco Wedding Venues with the first of my own styled shoots. A ‘Beautiful Boudoir’ shoot, that had all the charm of an English rose Garden with a modern twist.

Images by LP Photography.

Festival Brides featured something a little different in July, an Earthy dessert table, modern and fresh succulents and cactus we’re the focus for this concept. And our first full styled shoot hit the internet on Whimsical Wonderland Weddings in August. Country Manor esq and full of intimacy and opulence, I was as proud as punch to have this featured.

Images by DS Photography

Coco Wedding Venues asked us for some top styling tips for styling a Rustic venue and the shoot was featured in September. It was a great opportunity to get out some of our most treasured pieces and show how to use them to make the most of your relaxed spaces.

Images by Summer Love Photography.

And finally, ending the year on a huge high in November we we’re in print with our Rustic Glamour dessert table in a top national magazine, ‘Wedding Magazine.’ That’s the stuff of dreams for a small wedding prop hire company like ours.

We’ve been featured in some fab local press to, Your East Anglian Wedding featured our Rustic Dessert table shoot too and Norfolk Brides shared our Woodland Picnic styled shoot form last year and our ‘To the Manor Born’ shoot just last week.

Pop to our pretty press page to see all the features.

2015 AND BEYOND

We’re going to be developing more skills for our little business in the new year. We’ve enrolled on a digital photography course with Tatum Reid Photography, a modern calligraphy course with Lamplighter London and we’ve booked our spot on the Flourish & Prosper styling workshop too. This is all to work towards bringing more innovation and creativity to the table and to you, our little lenders through our blog posts and styling collaborations. I can’t wait to see the new year in, there will be more big plans for Little Lending range too of course, I think you’re going to like what we’ve got up our sleeves!

We’d like to wish you all a very merry christmas and a wonderful new year ahead!

See you on the other side,
Penny @ The Little Lending Co. x