I’m a designer. My name is Danielle Wathes and I founded Percy Stride Footwear and Discovery Journal. I follow my personal and professional passions by doing what I love designing products that aim to help both physically and mentally across my two businesses.

There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?

With two businesses my “lightbulb moments” were completely motivated at different things and at completely different times in my life. When I began Percy Stride in 2017 by lightbulb moment was more progressive; I couldn’t pinpoint one singular aspect of footwear I favoured over the other I think I always knew I wanted to start my own business, but as I was trekking around London distributing CV’s and working an unpaid internship, one night exhausted and confused I thought…now is the time. 

When I began Discovery Journal in early 2020, it was more of a sudden jolt moment. I saw someone I cared for struggling and I recognised some of their thoughts and symptoms I has experienced myself in that moment, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to try and make it better.

Do you prioritise self-care as an entrepreneur?

I do my very best. I think when you are juggling so much and putting pressure on yourself its unrealistic to say I always make time for me as it’s often difficult to remember that you are a better entrepreneur when you’ve given yourself a rest and I don’t always see the signs that I need a break. I like to stay honest in my life and in my business and I believe that saying I get up at 5am and start my day with yoga and a veggie juice before sitting down to do 8 hours of fully productive work because I’m so energised and well rested would be unrealistic and untrue. Self-care is different for every person, for me it’s taking the occasional nap, treating myself to some tasty treats or having a seriously late lie-in; but no, it doesn’t happen everyday and yes sometimes I forget to prioritise myself but I’m human and I do what I can.

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

I’ve always strived for a sense of independence and been very aware that “if you love what you do you never work a day in your life” so that is the thought that’s driven me to build my businesses; I’m lucky to be inspired by almost everything I come into contact with; I’ve always been that way so I draw on my own experiences and the experiences of others to create my footwear designs and my journals. You know what…I’ve never actually thought of an end “goal” I guess there isn’t one, in the sense that I’ll just keep going doing what I love, trying to help the people I can reach and meet every day as it comes!

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

Patience (and I’m still getting the hang of it) There is a lot of “instant gratification” now and you become used to that kind of speed but that just doesn’t happen when you are starting out. There is a lot of trial and error, sleepless nights and worry that comes with making the decision to be in business regardless of what business it is. Learning the hard lesson that overnight success is not a realistic roadmap is a tricky one.

What are your thoughts on failure?

It’s absolutely essential. Horrible but essential. But I tend to not think of failure as “failure” now, just more of a lesson I needed to learn. You can’t fail if you don’t try but only by trying will you succeed. If I do some stuff and it doesn’t work out and I fail then it will feel horrible, I’ll be embarrassed for a bit and doubt myself for a bit too; but ultimately, I’ll come out of that failure having learnt not to do it again and make better decisions going forward.

Do you have a morning routine or ritual to get your day started on the right foot?

I have a very strict routine with myself. I began implementing my routine to help me recover from my anxiety disorder. I wouldn’t allow myself the time to let anxiety take over and found that once I got going I was far more productive and anxiety didn’t have a choice but to take a back seat and let me lead. I know what kind of things will distract me or keep me from my work (like television) so I make sure I don’t sit down in front of the TV till at least 6pm or whenever I finish. But it all usually starts with a cuppa! 

When did you decide that the DIY approach to building your business wasn’t enough to boost growth?

It probably took me a lot longer than I’d care to admit and even now I still find myself thinking “couldn’t I just do that myself”. I like to know every aspect of my businesses and I’ll make a point of knowing the bare basics at the very least but there comes a time when you are limiting your growth because of your own stubbornness. Someone once told me to be aware of your own shortcomings in business and if you don’t excel at something, find someone who does, it’s the best thing you can do to look after your business in my opinion and I just wish I’d learnt it earlier. 

What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?

Be courageous, relentless and unique. I’d say the first thing is to make sure you aren’t releasing a product into a flooded market and if you if you make sure you highlight what is different about it and sets it apart. It can be soul destroying to keep pushing a new business in front of people only to find you’re being overlooked because the there is so much competition. 

You need to be persistent and accept that some days will be really difficult, you may need to make financial and personal sacrifices you didn’t plan for and didn’t see coming but that simply means when you have a good day it’s even more amazing than you could have imagined. You get a sense of satisfaction and achievement you don’t find elsewhere. 

Is word of mouth working to your advantage?

Absolutely, there will always be a place for word of mouth. I still believe it’s the best and most valuable from of marketing. We might be reliant on social media more than we ever have before but we’ve wised up to it too. We will still be more sceptical of a post than we will be of a recommendation from a friend and that’s why word of mouth is so important and why I focus on it so much in my businesses. 

Does your company help the community that you’re located in?

I try and focus heavily on the “made in Britain” aspect within both my businesses and I’ve put an emphasis on creating a solid customer base within the UK, however I would say when it comes to community support, Discovery Journal contributes more heavily. Due to the mental health nature of Discovery Journal and the tools I create, I work very closely with local charities both for adults and teenagers. We work together to create bespoke journals and resources to best benefit those individual communities and their needs.  

Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?

Constantly and all the time. Running two businesses is incredible, it allows me to follow two different paths and two different passions, its incredibly fulfilling and absolutely worth it but admittedly yes. I have days where I am overwhelmed or run down. I’ll never regret what I decided to do but I think its part and parcel of being an entrepreneur that you need to learn and manage those moments as you go forward.