We discuss the creative process and scaling a brand to success with the co-founder of Heavenly London, Maddy Sangster.
What do your first 30 minutes of the day look like, your morning routine?
Well, I have two small children aged one and three, so if I can get 10 minutes before their day startsI make a coffee, attempt one or two minutes of yoga, andcheck my emails. I know it’s so bad to look at your screenstraight away but at the moment there’s so much going on.
How did you know it was the right time to launch Heavenly London and what made you finally take the leap of faith?
My mum started Heavenly London in 2005 and I worked under her for years and then bought it from her in 2020. She saw there was a gap in the market for a jewellery range that offered exceptional glamour but at a reasonable price – something special between the high-end De Beers’ of the market and high-street offers of Swarovski-type crystals. I’ve pivoted the business as I’ve seen a growing demand for sustainable, glamourous jewellery that doesn’t cost the earth. Many people, for example, no longer want to wear mined diamonds, either for ethical or security reasons – but they still want to look fabulous. We aim to meet that need. It is a leap of faith with a marketplace that’s nowadays much more saturated than in 2005, so we have to ensure we constantly keep ahead of our competitors. I sometimes find I wake dreaming of the business.
What were the key pillars/the DNA of brand was founded on and how have these evolved since you launched?
Our values have always been to provide beautiful diamond alternatives that are more budget-friendly than the real thing. In the last four years, though, with the introduction of moissanite and lab-grown diamonds to our jewellery collections, our focus has been much more towards the sustainability and customer-centricity aspect of it all. On the sustainability side, our stones are man-made. We’re also working on a trackable carbon footprint and getting B Corp status with a view to becoming net zero by 2031. Our suppliers have rules that follow government regulations and fair-trade ethics are in place and we only order in small batches so there’s no waste. One of our goals by the end of 2026 is to create an ‘end of life’ scheme so that costume jewellery can be repurposed and re-worn forever. We’re intending to use only recycled metals in our jewellery as well. We’re also looking into lab-grown diamonds that are entirely made from natural elements. These are big and exciting ambitions! As I say, our DNA is also being customer centric. We’ve developed a wonderful, supportive and growing community of purchasers of our jewellery. We look after them and them us – our customers are the ones that keep us going and stuck by us through Covid.
Do you feel more drawn to the creative or the business side of your brand and how have you grown the team to support this?
Since our team is small, I’ve always taken on both the creative and business side of Heavenly London. And I hugely enjoy both. I do know, though, I need to delegate more as we grow. The creative part takes up much more of my bandwidth. Nothing compares to the buzz I get from customers loving designs that have been dreamt up in my head. It’s totally exhilarating. I do struggle with the ever-changing landscape of social media and maintaining a consistent presence with it. I also want to spend more time with my children so our first hire in the new year is for a social media and communication position.
You have clients the globe over – which products drive sales consistently?
The most popular pieces are the ones that could pass for real diamonds. The classics. This year tennis bracelets have made a huge comeback and with that so have their matching eternity necklaces. Anything with moissanite in it also sells very well internationally. For those that don’t know, moissanite is harder than a cubic zirconia and is rated a 9.25 on the Mohs scale which means it’s really durable (A diamond is 10). Plus, it has a rainbow reflection when light passes through it which I think is beautiful. I’ve seen a lot of jewellers now using moissanite in solid gold jewellery and we’re trialing it too. The answer really doesn’t have to be diamonds!
Your pieces are perfect for gifting – which piece suits everyone?
Thank you and yes, I agree, our pieces are perfect for gifting both to friends and family but also to yourself! We definitely have a division between the trendled and the more classic pieces. For me you can’t go wrong with the classics. A tennis bracelet, an eternity ring (so long as you know their size), a little ‘diamond’ heart on a chain to someone you love. We double-plate our gold with 24 then 14k gold so that it has a pale hue and is never orange like a lot of the jewellery we see that’s shipped from places like India. The tone is really and truly the most flattering gold you can wear against your skin so even people that usually shy away from it really enjoy wearing our gold-pieces.
In terms of scaling a brand – what would your advice be to young designers without large marketing budgets?
You don’t need them to begin with! We never had large marketing budgets and when my mum started the business, she never used to spend anything on marketing other than to place ads in the back of Tatler and Vogue. The business model was based on attending pop-ups and fairs. The key for me is to be genuinely kind and consistent. Create relationships with journalists and people who have opinions or styles that align with your values. And I can’t stress this enough don’t forget the customer. One of Jeff Bezos’ Amazon principles is “focus on customers, not competitors”, and he’s right. You may want to approach that influencer you’ve had your eye on, but the customers are the ones that will keep coming back to you. Being a small business, we have the capacity to remember our clients’ birthdays, tastes, personalities and it’s something I am immensely proud of. If your customers think highly of you, then the orders will follow. The other thing to remember is that one of your greatest assets is your product. The rise of social media meant the fall of huge advertising spend. You can have your pieces worn by content creators for the cost of one unit of your product if that’s the route you want to go down. And if not, funnel your marketing budget into digital marketing – Google ads, affiliate programmes, SEO.
How important is branding and brand positioning to sales?
Immensely. When we started, we also offered colourful semi-precious stones in our designs which were good sellers. It was only when did our rebrand with our fabulous team at Luxe & CO (a division of Sheerluxe) that we really nailed down our key brand offering, fabulous and sustainable diamond alternatives. From that point we really saw our sales increase and it helped with the creative process too. It’s especially important in an industry as saturated as ours to have your key message in place and stick with it. As Georgie from Sheerluxe told me, you need to differentiate yourself from being ‘just another jewellery brand that sells gold hoops.’
What have been the biggest challenges to date and how did you overcome them?
Covid, as it was for many people. I was also pregnant at the time and had just bought my mum out of a business that literally saw sales drop overnight. So, with the few orders that did come in, I would send them with a little personal note, a message of encouragement or a gift. In a time when personal connection was at its lowest, we did what we could to nurture our relationships and show our customers how much their support meant. I’m also completing the Goldman Sachs 10,0000 Small Businesses Programme in December; these last few months have been the most challenging of my life. Not only have I had to run my business, care for my family but also concentrate on looking at every aspect of Heavenly London. The programme absolutely pulls apart every element of the business – from analysing our customer segments, looking at our leadership and management practices, clarifying sustainability practices, how we intend using AI and tech in our business, and much more. It’s a fabulous programme but, my goodness, I’ve never felt so much pressure. But I know my business is now much stronger than it was – and I’m a much more knowledgeable and confident businesswoman.
How do you scale without compromising on quality?
Slowly, considerately, consistently. Someone once said that most small businesses run into issues when they scale too quickly, and it’s been in my mind ever since. For me it starts at the top of the chain with your suppliers. You have to ensure they are on board with growth and have your organisations foundations in place before you expand. We are also looking at tech to help with fulfilment and customer service. Our customer service is as important as the suppliers and should be at the forefront of the growth process. Once we lose the personal touch, for me, we lose.
What advice would you give to your younger self starting out?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s something I still struggle with. I can be a bit of a control freak with Heavenly London and sometimes we joke it’s like my third child. So much of my self is within this business and I only want it to be its best. Also, find good people who can do what you can’t. I couldn’t run this show without my amazing right-hand woman Nancy. She’s the best thing that has happened to Heavenly London and if you’ve ever emailed or phoned us, the chances are you’d have spoken to her. She excels in my areas of weakness (detail, patience, organisation) and we’re a brilliant team. Finally, I don’t need to tell any woman juggling raising a career and a family how hard it is. My advice is that ‘me’ time is often overlooked and it’s as important for the soul as our business successes and it really makes a difference for the people around us.
Have you had any mentors to date and if so, what advice did they impart?
Yes, I have beenfortunate enough to have more than one. Georgie Coleridge-Cole from Sheerluxe took me on as a small business as she saw growth potential and held my hand through the process of a rebrand. It’s easy for a powerhouse like Sheerluxe to overlook a smaller brand with lower budgets but she has been central in the journey to where we are today. My cousin Anton, the most intelligent man I know. He deals with mergers and acquisitions on a huge scale and is kind enough to humour me when I ask him questions like how to calculate our taxes! Penny Daly who is my growth expert on the Goldman Sachs business course. An incredible economist and entrepreneur who’s been involved with government agencies and charities. She brings a wealth of experience from mentoring other small businesses and is my go-to for what’s happening economically. Finally, my biggest mentor is my mum. A creative genius who spotted the niche in the market at the beginning and still gives me advice on everything from design to marketing.
This is The Winter Escape Issue – where will you be escaping to this winter?
Ooh great question. My family and I will be in St Paul de Vince for a few days this Christmas and then we are taking the babies to Asia in January. A reward for pushing myself in ways that I never thought possible.
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