Through the course of Tring Buzz I’ve become aware of a fairly large and growing type of freelancers in our local area — the creative businesses. With more routes to market such as Etsy and Not on the High Street than ever before and with social media making it easier for businesses to reach the individual, this really is the time for the creative independent business to flourish. It’s also a type of business that I particularly admire, not only for their dynamic entrepreneurialism but also for the colour and variety they add to our world. What could be better than buying direct from the individual who lovingly designed and created a product? There are so many talented creative business people locally that this series is seriously the tip of the iceberg. I feel sure that we will back to meet more of this fabulous bunch and there may even be the possibility of some collaborations…watch this space!
Ruth at the Not on the High Street HQ
So — Ruth! I met this lovely lady fairly early on in the Tring Buzz journey, out in the wonderful supportive world that is Instagram. Being a visual, collaborative and engaging form of social media it really is the perfect place for the creative businesses to hang out. They’re generally a friendly bunch out there and Ruth was definitely no exception. We struck up a social media friendship straight away and have even met IRL (that’s in real life, terrestrial folk). There was therefore no contest who would be first on the list for my Creative blog series.
Meet Ruth.
Tell us about Hello Ruth — what do you do?
I create bespoke words and maps from customer photographs. I offer a unique way to get your photographs off your phone and on to your walls as a piece of photo art. I have a wide range of anniversary gifts, birthday presents, family mementos and wedding gifts. Customers simply send me their favourite photographs and I do the rest!
How long have you run your business & what did you do prior to that?
I started my business on 10/10/2010 at 10am! Before Hello Ruth, I worked in the film industry as a Graphic Artist and Draughtsperson. My credits include Children of Men, Kingdom of Heaven, The Golden Compass and the first four Harry Potter films.
Where can we find your products?
I have my own website www.helloruth.co.uk. I am also a partner on notonthehighstreet.com. I also have an online store on Etsy.com
What are the best and the worst things about running your own business?
Hello Ruth is such a great platform for my ideas. I have the freedom to create anything I like. If a product sells, that’s great but if it doesn’t, I can come up with something else. I also love the fact that my business allows me to work around my children and their busy after school sporting activities. This is a mostly a happy job, working with customer’s photo memories. I hate doing my accounts, but I do like spending my profits!
What do you see in the future for Hello Ruth?
I hope to continue to create unique products that delight my customers. My mission is to come up with original ideas that do not exist already. ‘New’ is my word for the future of Hello Ruth!
