Brandon
Brandon, 23, from Plymouth, is the proud owner of All Things Dotty – making home products, books for growing minds, crochet designs, book bands and wax businesses – an umbrella business to promote creative, colourful books and art work.
Prior to support from The King’s Trust, the business owner had applied for over a stack of roles in retail and sales, experiencing long job line knock-backs.
“I was a constantly looking-for-a-job, applying every single day and spending all my time either emailing, or heart-sinking that I didn’t even get an answer or seemed to be ghosted. One time, the feedback was ‘too old for warehouse’ and then the other company said I was ‘too young for admin’. It was so exhausting because I’m still human, just like anybody else. I just need a 9–5 that helps my hobbies. I began to lose hope. I had been unemployed for so long and wasn’t sure what I was good at or what I was. Sometimes I just didn’t see the point, but I’m human, just don’t see the point right? Still here, still got to get on with it…”
A long run of hardship and breakdowns grew despairing the knock-on in daily life and even friendships. Brandon’s journey began by writing his own short books. Then creating wax melts. And realising he could make his own income!
“My idea was to create a business model that helps me to help myself – through creative work – that I could scale and support with new experiences like running market stalls, selling to children’s shops, and expanding the idea to parents and homeware!”
Brandon joined a free programme and attended free enterprise training to help him understand pricing, branding, and marketing. The King’s Trust supported with funding for professional photographs and his stock, plus a test trading opportunity at a summer market stall in Plymouth.
“Being able to take part in the programme just like any other young person would, meant so much to me. I don’t want people to feel the same pressure I went through. There’s always people out there to help you get back on track. The programmes helped me feel less ashamed about what happened, and more confident about what I’ve achieved. I didn’t realise the emotional impact of not being believed or of being out of work for so long.”
“Every single day, I write down something I’ve done that’s moved me forward.”
