MOSTLYMANX MAKES FINALS OF THE AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE SMALL ENTERPRISE CATAGORY
MOSTLYMANX FOUNDER DIAN SKELTON COMMENTS ON WHY THE MANX SHOP SHOULD BE NAMED NUMBER ONE
Isle of Man, UK - MostlyManx is dedicated to promoting all things Manx, from food to artisan crafts, it provides a customer-facing forum for its suppliers.
The Awards for Excellence gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to gain recognition for their achievements in building successful businesses from scratch from all walks of life.
When applying for the prestigious Small Enterprise of the Year award, Dian outlined the MostlyManx strategy; “Our strategy is to retail price our goods to be the same as, or less than, other outlets. To help sustain this we do not expect to make profit, we have no ‘big brother’ demands on us to reach unattainable goals.”
For Dian, there is a certain drive to promote tradition rather than profit. “We have a mission statement which describes our values and objectives. These are to help promote the artisans through our shop, website and network leaving the artisans free to do what they do best – create.”
Given that the whole premise behind MostlyManx is to promote pride over profit, there is little desire for competition, but rather, a certain degree of cooperation and coexistence with other organisations. Commenting on similar Isle of Man organisations, Dian said:
“We co-exist with them, given we have the same fundamentals as they do. We also have the woollen mills in Laxey with a number of artisans represented, but that is because it’s part of the family business and we help each other sourcing and stocking similar artisans.”
Dian went on to describe the effort and commitment herself and Kath Birch (shop manager) have put into MostlyManx. “A huge amount of money was invested to refurbish the shop premises. The cabinet-making costs were very expensive, but necessary to display the goods to make them look the best they can be. The street works were crippling to the foot-fall trade but now the street, which used to be nicknamed ‘bin-alley’, is lovely.
“The investment cost in advertising had been massive. Probably the biggest investment cost to date, but necessary to launch this somewhat unique new business.” Such is the popularity of MostlyManx, that is has an extensive customer base that includes celebrities and royalty. During Princess Anne’s recent visit to the Isle of Man she was presented with a MostlyManx hamper. Germaine Greer and Mark Ramprakash each received a Laxey Manx Tartan travel rug and Ainsley Harriot received a gift box of Manx footie goodies on their respective visits to the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man has a rich history of weaving and the earliest evidence of traditional homespun tweed dates back to the Viking era. It wasn’t until the 1970s that Robert Wood introduced the five colour Tartan based on Patricia McQuaid’s original design and Laxey Manx Tartan was born. Since that time Laxey Manx Tartan has been a symbol of the Isle of Man.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Matthew Kaye
PR Manager
0113 246 0183
press@kudos-pr.co.uk
About Dian Skelton
Dian Skelton is a Director at ViewPoint Software Services Limited, Co-owner of the Laxey Woollen Mills and founder of the MostlyManx shop on the Isle of Man.
She has been with the ViewPoint since January 1995 where she started out as a consultant. The highly experienced and professional VSSL team – headed by Dian – offers the full range of ViewPoint services including consultancy, training, system analysis and support.