Independent Ad Break Winner- The Monkey Puzzle Tree! Conversations of Inspiration with Holly Tucker
Starting a new business is really tough, and we have found Holly Tucker's podcasts supporting new creative businesses to be incredibly inspirational and motivational. So we were ecstatic to find out that our advert (recorded under a duvet for best sound quality!) was to be featured in this week's podcast. Listen here...We're 29 minutes in but we recommend listening to the whole thing:
Here's our ad written down (actually this is the two minute version which we think was more interesting but was a bit long!):
We all know that many artists struggle to make a living from their work, and with so much creativity never leaving the studio this is a real waste of talent.
My name is Charlotte Raffo and I am the founder of The Monkey Puzzle Tree. We collaborate with artists to create beautiful and innovative luxury fabrics, wallpapers, and cushions. We pay a generous royalty back to our artists and use only British manufacturers to make our products.
In 2016, I was made redundant from the job I had put my heart into for ten years. An artist friend and I discussed our different career problems. I didn’t want to move away from Yorkshire for work and my friend spoke with passion of the ideas she had but without the skills to scale up. This planted a tiny seed that would soon grow to become The Monkey Puzzle Tree.
I realised I could use my skills in textile and product development alongside my personal passion for interiors and colour to turn artwork into stunning interior products.
The name for the business came from the Monkey Puzzle Tree my parents planted when I was born. This incredible spiky but beautiful tree, incongruous in its suburban surroundings grew with me - until it had cones for the first time in the year I was married, and those seeds germinated into baby trees in the year I had my first child. It was the perfect name for my new business.
At The Monkey Puzzle Tree every design starts from an original piece of art. I work closely with the artists, creating repeat patterns using a printer, tape and scissors so that we can see the designs come to life away from a screen in their true scale. Both modern and ancient techniques are chosen to reproduce the designs, to keep the essence and soul of the original work whilst ensuring that we create something truly innovative.
With no previous experience in sales, marketing or PR it’s been a real challenge to spread the word about my brand, so very I’m proud to say that we have been featured in a number of glossy magazines and also in this year’s prestigious Decorex luxury interiors trend report.
Our designs are original and authentic and sometimes not for the faint hearted. A couple are really quite naughty!
So if you would love to give your home or business a touch of unique beauty whilst supporting artists and British manufacturing, please get in touch on social media @the_monkeypuzzletree or take a look at our website at themonkeypuzzletree.com