Tabitha's story

After working in San Francisco, Tabitha was inspired by the get up and go of American self-starters. When she launched MimiMyne on her return to London, she applied this attitude of self-belief and persistence in starting up her own business.

Tabitha noticed a gap in the market when she had difficulty finding eco friendly, organic and sustainable products for her children. So in response, she set up Mimimyne – an eco store for organic toys, baby and kids' clothes and furniture. Filling the niche for green products that had an emphasis on design.

It wasn't just about exploiting this gap, it was also her aim to provide a solution for something she cared passionately about: saving the environment.

In the midst of a big recession, Tabitha decided to give BT Tradespace a go in October 2008 and was immediately impressed by the results. It opened up more sales channels and greatly increased her presence online. It wasn't long – due to this success – that she became a featured BT Tradespacer.

Search optimisation and even more hits has led to a pretty impressive 18,600 page views, not to mention rather a lot of sales, including her popular favourite 'Pint and Half Pint T shirt'.

Ensuring your business is eco friendly and sustainable isn't easy, however, and keeping costs low in this sector is hard too, as creating recycled, recyclable and sustainable designs is hardly a bottom-line friendly activity. The advantage of BT Tradespace is that you can share ideas with others to help find solutions to the challenges your businesses face.Tabitha believes that small businesses need to network and build connections. It can help in all kinds of ways that you can't predict, and BT Tradespace has truly allowed her to make the most of her community.