Home and Haven
Marcia Ying
Recognised Spark Business
During her MBA at the University of Leeds, Marcia had the idea for a home soft furnishing business, with a focus on individuality and sustainability. When Marcia was young, she had to move a lot because of job instability. Sometimes the environment of the apartments weren’t great and with a limited budget, Marcia found that lot of soft home furnishings made a huge improvement without breaking the bank.
Home and Haven’s home furnishing goods will be produced in China and sold B2B in the UK and other European countries with the majority of products being made from recycled and natural fibres to keep the environment sustainable and eco-friendly. Each article is unique, offering different collections and containing different types of bespoke products.
“I felt very fulfilled after the re-decoration with a very limited budget, I realised it’s not about how much money you need to spend on it, but a way you express yourself and define yourself who you are.”
Marcia Ying
Founder
Home and Haven
Spark supported Marcia in getting the required visa to allow her to start a business in the UK. Spark also supported Marcia with business, local tax, legal and regulatory advice. Home and Haven is also based in the Spark Enterprise Incubator, allowing Marcia to network with other Spark businesses.
Marcia received a ‘Proof of Concept’ grant to help in creating a professional website and perform essential market research, visiting local trade fairs like Home & Gift Trade Show in Harrogate.
“Currently, we have finished the stage of opening the company, website and market research, developed part of the sample products after comparing the trade fairs, we will be booking to host our own stand. We have connected some potential clients from LinkedIn and will do some digital marketing to connect more potential customers and arrange business visiting trips along with samples.”
