Personalised jewellery company Merci Maman has grown from a kitchen table business to a team of 55 with workshops in London, Paris and Berlin. Founded in 2007 by mother of 4 Beatrice de Montille, the brand, which celebrates the bond between mother and child, is loved by celebrities like The Duchess of Cambridge, Isabella Branson and Charlotte Tilbury.

The C Word sat down to talk with Beatrice about her Merci Mama journey, including the work rejection that kick-started it all.

Can you tell us about Merci Maman’s inception? What were you doing before you launched your jewellery business?

When I started a family, I wanted to go part-time in my marketing job, but this wasn’t possible.

The idea behind Merci Maman was created when I was looking for some personalised engraved jewellery after having my second child and struggled to find any in the UK that was affordable. I took a huge risk, and with just £5,000 investment, bought an engraving machine and started selling my pieces at local fairs and through word of mouth. The rest is history!

What motivated you to create a jewellery business with hand-engraved designs at its heart?

Having meaning behind the brand was so important to me. I realised there was a gap in the market, not only for hand-engraved jewellery, but jewellery celebrating motherhood. We have an amazing team of artists who hand engrave the pieces in a French-cursive style, making each Merci Maman piece unique and special.

Our jewellery is made for mums, by mums, to cherish those moments you value as a family: this is at the core of our brand.

What were the challenges you faced in the brand’s early years? How did you overcome them? 

In the first few years, cash flow was low, and I invested in machinery and stock. I had to be creative with marketing as Instagram didn’t exist at the time. Instead, we looked after our customers to ensure repeat business and word of mouth. We also used to do embroidery but stopped after wanting to niche down our product offering to just jewellery.

Can you describe your design process and where you draw inspiration from?

We have an in-house designer and brand team. Everything we do is based around family and motherhood, and our pieces are designed to be cherished. When launching a new product, we look at our data and trends in the industry and go from there. 

I am inspired in so many ways – from my family, magazines, Instagram…. Often the best ideas come to me when I least expect it!

As a female business owner, what have been your biggest challenges since starting Merci Maman?

I have been incredibly lucky that Merci Maman has been successful and has grown year on year since I started the business, allowing me to delegate and hire new team members so I can focus on other areas of the company.

So far, one of our biggest challenges has been the recent shift of the UK leaving the EU. Overnight, we had to change a lot of our production over to our Paris office without much warning.

Your policy on flexible working is very progressive. How has this approach impacted the work output and culture at Merci Maman? 

Thank you! This policy was based on my own experience after being rejected for part-time work after my second child. When I started Merci Maman, I wanted to allow all mums to see their children at the school play, on sports day or, if their little one was ill, to be able to go pick them up with no worries. This approach creates a happier workplace, and our low staff turnover reflects this.

What does a typical day look like for you now? How do you juggle family life and work?

A few years ago, I took a step back from Merci Maman to focus on my charity work and other projects, but I still remain the Founder and President of Merci Maman. I have four children, so family life is incredibly busy!

I still regularly run meetings with the company board, which helps us make the best strategic decisions for the company and support its growth but taking a step back has allowed me to be a mother and wife.

Style icon Kate Middleton wore one of your necklaces in 2014. Which other women would you love to wear your jewellery and why?

The Duchess of Cambridge wearing our Duchess necklace has had a profound impact on the business and is one of the highlights of the Merci Maman journey.

For me, it’s really important that Merci Maman is worn by anyone that wishes to wear it. I want to embrace all motherhood journeys and be a brand that champions all women, no matter what their story.

For those women looking to launch their own brands in 2022, what one piece of advice would you give them?

Don’t give up on your dreams – as cheesy as that sounds - because persistence and hard work are key to success. Also, remember the choices you make will structure your business and life. I think the best piece of advice I can give is to surround yourself with friends and family and to delegate where you can to avoid burning out.

What are your ambitions for Merci Maman in 2022 and beyond?

Although our goal over the next few years is to grow Merci Maman rapidly, we remain a family business. We hope to open more offices worldwide, looking at Madrid and Milan next. We’re working on improving our products by innovating and differentiating ourselves even more. Finally, next year, a point of focus is working on our Corporate Social Responsibility and looking at ways to improve this as we grow. The best is yet to come…

Find out more about Merci Maman by visiting their website here.

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Scarlett Hirst