It’s nearly time for the 2026 Season Opening for Suspense..!
Before looking forwards, I am keen to share some learnings one year on from launching a business:
- Not advised without childcare (in case you naively planned on having a baby and launching a business within the same month..)! I have been limited to working hours around my daughters’ nap and sleep schedules which has resulted in much less time spent working on the business that I had envisaged.
- Be ready to pivot / be open to change. Many examples I could note down next to this one. A couple of examples; 1) I didn’t forecast expo sales to be such a success; so I shifted my time/effort/resources to focus more on this channel vs the original plan. Sales from this channel accounted for nearly 40% of the businesses revenue in 2025. 2) Based on some customer feedback, we also introduced a second size of Suspense laces which led to higher outgoings mid season vs plan. The expense was worth it (customers are always right!) but I really had hoped for a one-size-fits-all product to keep costs down.
- Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there - email potential distributors and local stockists - the worst they can say is no (or just not reply!). If you don’t ask, you don’t get!
- Ask for help. Rarely, are businesses a success as a true 1-man-band. I already wish I had employed a part time freelancer sooner as the to do list can be split and achieved MUCH easier than attacking it solo. To date, Suspense has 850 email subscribers but I hadn’t sent a single email prior to employing a freelancer (due to prioritising other channels and the general day to day management of the business). There is more opportunity for growth with additional hands on deck now!
- Ignore the daily sales figures; look at the weeks/months sales instead. Some days there weren’t any orders placed and it’s safe to say it affected me - thoughts quickly spiralling to ‘it’s the beginning of the end of Suspense’ etc… but of course this isn’t the case. Taking a longer term view of sales (and the business in general) has really helped keep my mindset focused on the positives with regards to the sales figures and future of the business. One bad day doesn’t mean it’s the end of the company.
How did the launch of the Suspense laces go?
We launched the laces in May 2025; later than I had hoped but it was worth the wait to get everything right from the start.
A few areas were evolved along the way:
Sizing: We launched with a one-size-fits-all approach but received feedback from around 5 customers (not many but they’re the ones that spoke up!) saying they would have liked some longer laces. Based on this feedback, we introduced longer length laces and split the offering to a S/M and M/L size offering in September. Since then we have yet to receive any negative feedback about the sizing not working for someone.
Packaging: We launched with test tube packaging due to its stand out appearance. However, for online shipments, this almost doubled the cost of shipping as packages wider than 1.5cm needed to pay a premium. We pivoted on the packaging to continue to sell the test tube packaged Suspense laces at expos, but for all online orders we switched to branded zip-lock packages. This saved the product margins and made the business model more viable again!
Colours: We launched with 5 colours (white, pink, yellow, orange & blue/green gradient). These were definitely the right colours to launch but white was the clear best seller (not something I anticipated!). I learnt as I went along with stock management and re-ordering as the larger the order the cheaper the individual laces cost but of course the larger the hit to the overall cashflow! We then launched 3 additional colours (black, purple & pink/orange gradient) to which I had anticipated a good boost in sales but in all honesty didn’t affect the volume of sales; it just gave customers more choice.
Overall, I am really pleased with the awareness the brand received from 5 months of sales. I didn't forecast huge volumes based on the fact that the money I have invested into the business is my own (I am naturally a saver so spending is hard for me!) but I am proud to be heading into year 2 in a much stronger place vs 1 year ago!
Why did we take a short break?
Mainly for personal reasons. My family and I moved from the UK (where the business is set up and registered) to Norway. Moving countries comes with a lot of stress, so by temporarily closing the online store, it allowed me to have one less stress to worry about. The plan was always to reopen the online store in time with a freelancer on board to continue the day to day management of the business; including the all important shipment of online orders from the UK.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to prioritise the business around all the admin that comes with moving countries and I didn’t want to experience a low volume of sales orders trickling through (to be expected if no money is allocated to marketing the product!) as my mindset would have shifted regarding the future of Suspense. This time off has allowed me to refocus and reenergise myself and am now ready and raring to go for the 2026 season!
Would I do it all again?
Yes!
What would I have done differently?
I would have employed a part time freelancer earlier in the process to support me on the day to day management of the brand whilst I could then spend my time focusing on growth areas of the business. Where my hours of work have been limited I have had to prioritise my time on the packaging and fulfilment side to ensure our paying customers receive their orders as expected.
We have some REALLY exciting plans for the 2026 season and I can’t wait to share them with you all! Stay tuned for more on these updates soon!
Jess x