‘Flicking through a celebrity magazine gave me a brilliantly simple idea’

Hayley Smith, 36, spotted a gap in the market and now runs her own business, Celebrity Castoffs. Hayley lives in Wokingham with her fiancé Neil, 38, a watch dealer, and their son Ben, 6. 

OLD JOB General Manager of family-owned transport business

NEW JOB Founder of Celebrity Castoffs (celebritycastoffs.co.uk)

START-UP COSTS £6,000

FUTURE TURNOVER Expects to make profit within 18 months

MY ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN “You must be sure that there’s a market for what you’re doing. Research your competitors and always get a number of quotes, don’t rely on recommendations”.

  “Six years ago, I was flicking through a celebrity magazine when I spotted a picture of Victoria Beckham in a striking white Dolce & Gabbana corset-style dress. It must have been worth a small fortune, but I couldn’t help thinking that she’d never be able to wear it in public again, for fear of being photographed in the same dress twice! So what would she do with it? And that’s when my novel business idea struck me. 

  “Wouldn’t it be a great idea to encourage celebrities to donate their high-profile clothes to be sold via an internet auction – much like eBay – with 70 per cent of the proceeds being donated to the charity of their choice? I was so excited, I was trembling. That evening, I logged onto the internet and registered the domain name of Celebrity Castoffs. My gut instinct told me this idea could really fly, not only because of the Popularity of celebrity magazines, but also the idea of donating to charities. I suffer with Spasmodic Dysphonia, a rare and largely incurable condition that affects the vocal cords and prevents me from pronouncing my words properly. And when a close friend was diagnosed with cancer, I thought how fulfilling it would be to raise money for the deserving charities who help these – and other – medical conditions.

  “However, at the time I was heavily pregnant with my son. I knew I wouldn’t be able to give the venture my undivided attention for some time and so once the domain name was registered, I put the idea to one side until I was ready. Only last year, when Ben started school, did I finally launch the business.

  “Until that point, I’d worked for my father’s coach transport business for 14 years. Straight after school, I worked with a marketing and advertising agency for three years, before joining the family firm at 22. I’ve dabbled in property too, but none of that satisfied my yearning to run a business of my own.

  “I funded the majority of the set-up costs from savings and offset my budget of £15,000 against my property. My bank helped me create a business plan and I’ve learned how to operate my website myself. I’ve also had to master the art of cold calling; ringing celebrities’ managers to tell them about the website. It’s been tough, but hopefully it will be easier once more celebrities are on board. I remember the feeling of exhilaration when I landed my first item for auction – a top worn by Footballers’ Wives actress Susie Amy. It was such an adrenaline rush. Since then, I’ve signed up more celebrities to donate clothes, including Max Beesley, Dame Kelly Holmes, David Gest and most recently Stefan Booth from The Bill and Dancing on Ice.

  “The past 12 months have been so frantic – trying to establish my business and raising Ben. Goodness knows when Neil and I will have time to get married! I know that I’ve got a tough road ahead, but I just love being busy. What keeps me going is the enormous sense of achievement from helping charities and knowing I’ve created my own business from a simple idea”.