Entrepreneur: Assumpta Conneely Keogh 

Business Name: Stitched up gifts 

Business Location: Mountbellew, Ballinasloe

Website: www.stitchedupgifts.ie 

Established in: November 2019

Famous for: Creating beautiful personalised gifts for special occasions 

Tell us about your business and what you do….

I create personalised embroidered gifts for special occasions. A personalised gift says I thought of you and went to the effort of getting a present that is exclusively yours. I embroider items from baby blankets, teddy bears, comforters to Occassion bears for birthdays, Christening, Communion Confirmation, Weddings etc

What can you tell us about the early days and how it all started?

The early days were probably easier than if I was setting up now because Covid kicked in not long after I established. People were hugely focused on shopping local so that helped. 

What were the high points and low points when you were a start-up?

The high point was launching my website with the help of the local enterprise. It really boosted sales and people were more trust worthy of a business with a Website. Low points was seeing the fall off on people's focus on shopping small and local after the pandemic. 

 What was your big ‘break-through’ moment?

 I reintroduced myself on social media recently to my followers and that really helped. Also the launch of the Hug for you bear has been a huge boost for me. 

Local Enterprise Office Galway has supported your business. Tell us about these supports and what impact they have had?

Firstly the website through the Trading online voucher and the training that went with it.  A 1 to 1 meeting with Caroline Mc Donagh has really focused me and I have also received mentoring from Ian which was excellent. 

What’s next on the business agenda for your company?

To get my products into retail stores and hospital shops

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about running a business?

Rome wasn't built in a day. It's hard get a business off the ground. Be patient and resilient. 

I am a mum of 4, Morgan 15, 

Elliot 12, Grayson 8 and Freya 5. Married to Ciarán for 21 years. 

I launched my business after a health scare in 2018 resulting in major surgery in Tallaght. 

I left my permanent job in Bank of Ireland after 17 years to give Stitched up gifts a go.