A young North East jewellery entrepreneur who created her own business with £80 and a laptop has bought out investors two years early, thanks to soaring sales of her designer watches.
As a teenager, Teri Ellington, 24, from Ingleby Barwick, struggled with agoraphobia but after learning coping mechanisms and having counselling, she put all her efforts into creating her own business venture, inspired by her love of watches.
She set up Ellington Timepiece from her bedroom with little more than a computer and £80 in cash, growing the brand’s awareness to make the first first range called the Sheba collection – named after her German Shepherd therapy dog.
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Last year, the brand received a boost when Ms Ellington shared on social media news of a billboard showcasing the second range at Newcastle Airport. In the post she spoke about the struggles of being an entrepreneur, from sleeping on the sofa for six months, to selling her car and belongings.
As well as reaching almost two million people, including thousands on LinkedIn, Ms Ellington’s story also attracted an angel investor, who gave her the funds needed to move Ellington Timepiece into new premises in Stockton.
The investment also allowed her to take on two members of staff, develop her watch collections and to buy glass tower display units to showcase her watches in shops.
Now, on the back of growing sales in the 海角视频 and overseas, Ms Ellington has been able to buy out the investor two years ahead of schedule and launch a third collection.
Her third range of watches, called the Olympus collection, pays homage to Greek mythology with designs named after gods including Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena.
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To give back for all the support she has received, Ms Ellington has also arranged for a percentage of the sales price to be split between three charities; My Sisters Place, an independent specialist domestic violence service for women in Middlesbrough, the RNLI lifeboat services and Mind charity.
She has also brought on board Laurence Brannigan as an non-executive director to help the brand grow internationally. He has previously spearheaded product launches for the likes of Hugo Boss, Scuderia Ferrari and Movado.
Ms Ellington said: “It’s been an amazing journey from starting in my bedroom, to now seeing my products being shipped across the world.
“At the start of Covid I bought out my investors two years ahead of schedule and have continued to grow my brand and help raise awareness for mental health. I have also recently been asked to be involved with universities and share my story around my brand.
“For me, the biggest reward is seeing how my story is inspiring others. Having the opportunity to speak to people about the struggles and rewards of being an entrepreneur and also showing what can be achieved despite having anxiety and struggling with mental health, there is always a life to be lived and that having a mental health illness should not be a life sentence.”