Amy Irving - Darling Manor; A Dream Come True Amy Irving is a recent graduate of UoC however, in her short time out of education, the 23 year old sure has made her mark on the children of Carlisle and Cumbria.
For those of you who don’t know the name already, Amy and her business partner Rachelle are the co-founders of Darling Manor, a company providing princess parties throughout Cumbria and is an ever growing success for pair.
Three weeks shy of finishing her degree in BA (Hons) Photography, Amy came up with the concept of starting her own princess entertainment company business Storybook Entertainment which, after merging with Rachelle’s catering company Sweet Disposition, slowly turned into the first venue of its kind in the North West.
“We have a venue based in Whitehaven where we host our princess parties for children, though when we’re not hosting, we open as a fairy-tale themed café…we also have a boutique section where we sell toys, dresses and Disney Couture jewellery, as well as re-launching our Princess home visits.”
For £250, your child can have the full package of a princess party including everything from invites, to party favours. There is also smaller princess packages available and home visits starting from just £50.
While studying at University, she didn’t discuss her plans for the business with anyone for fear she would never follow up however, after building her confidence levels in public speaking, the Workington based post-grad thanks her tutors for all their help.
As well as her tutors, Amy gives her own thoughts on just who to turn to for help and funding, “much of the business is funded by myself, Rachelle and our families, but we have also received funding from Britain’s Energy Coast and Ways into Successful Enterprise, whose business training and advice is invaluable.”
Although the business brings in high custom on most weekdays, Amy is the first to admit that there is still loads more to learn about how business is ran and how important it is to learn from the everyday mistakes. This doesn’t stop her from wanting to expand though.
“We’re always thinking of ways to expand. In fact, a lot of the time, Rachelle and I have to hold each other back and make sure we pace ourselves.”
“We have a lot of ideas, but first of all we want to make Darling Manor a household name, somewhere that people come to Whitehaven to visit. That’s something that has to happen with a lot of hard work and spreading the word.”
If you want your little prince or princess to have the party they’ll always remember, visit the Darling Manor facebook page.
TOP TIP I think that the “best” route is something that is different for everyone but I would always say that its always easier with help! There are lots of local organisations who are there to help people starting up in business and i learned so much from Britain’s Energy Coast! My only other important advice is to make sure that it is something you are passionate about! Starting a business is hard work and it can be a slow start.. you need to believe in yourself and your idea in order to push through that! Make sure you are doing something that makes you happy and you can’t go too far wrong! - Amy Irving