Local artist and businesswoman Aly Harte has been delighting art-lovers for years with her instantly recognisable style in prints and gifts (find them online here). Not content with conquering just the art world, Aly has also a great love and admiration for all things fitness and wellbeing, so you can also see her in action with workouts and recipes on her Facebook and Instagram pages.

We spoke to Aly to get her own story on how she got started, where she learnt her skills and how digital marketing has helped to grow her business and reach new customers.

How did you get started in this business?

I am an artist by trade and I learned quickly that I had to find a way to get my art in front of my audience. It was vital for me to become business minded in order to flourish. Art was first, business came second and I have learned to fall in love with it.

How did you get the background and skills necessary to run this type of business?

I have learned on my feet! Mentoring from successful business owners and other creative folk keeps me moving forward with my business. Also I recognised early into the game that business constantly evolves and the landscape changes as you grow. This allows me to be innovative and to shift my focus early and often to make sure I am always expanding.

How do you market your business?

Social media has been my biggest tool. I have grown my business organically around my three children. Starting out with my blog, Darling Edna, and using that platform as my voice was the perfect way to reach my audience. Equally, I am a big believer in networking offline and belonging to communities where there is always a natural progression into sales from building trust and brand awareness over time through face to face contact.

Where do you see your business in the next year?

I see my business with even more structure and growth. Now that my youngest child is almost two I see the time that I invest in my business as even more fruitful and solid than ever before.

How has technology, such as computers and the internet, impacted on how you conduct business?

I am a big believer in systemising business so online platforms for scheduling posts and re posting old posts works well for me. The ability to have live videos at my fingertips is vital and powerful for me impacting my audience and showing authenticity even when I am behind a computer screen.

Thank you so much to Aly for sharing her story with us, and for those of you who haven’t checked out her collections yet – what are you waiting for?! Find them all here.