Tell us about your brand; what inspired you to start your brand? Where did you get the idea for your products?  

Perfect Planner Company are the planning and organisation experts for business, life, and home and is built on the experience and knowledge of its founder. Coming from the theatrical industry as a stage manager where planning was crucial for Monique and the success of her career, it is this basis which enabled her to help other people in a way which hadn't been explored before. When the goal is to get a production ready for an opening night you have a series of steps to take, and you have to do it in a sensible logical way. You must make a plan. It is this personal experience which sets our products apart.  They are designed by parents for parents, by business owners for business owners. That personal connection is invaluable and something which makes our products perfect for our customers.

From the very beginning we wanted to produce products that people were proud to have sat out on a coffee table when they are out and about. We all like to feel professional and classy and why should that feeling stop with our stationery. Turn up to a business meeting, parents evening or simply work in a coffee shop getting organised for the month with our sophisticated, luxurious, and elegant planners.

Business owners have always been the core and focus of our business since its launch in 2017. However, since then our customer base has grown as we have, allowing us to now help busy mums and stationery lovers. Anyone who wants to get organised and achieve their goals are the perfect fit for Perfect Planner Company. Life is stressful enough as it is which is why we take the stress out of getting organised using our tried and tested planning methods. We do all the hard work for you. Our planners take you on a journey from a to z to ensure you achieve success in your business, life, and home. Our ideal client has always reflected the team at Perfect Planner Company. We can design the perfect products for business owners and parents because our founders know first-hand the challenges you face in both roles. Our USP is being able to convert personal experience into a tool which can help others grow, develop, and succeed - whatever this may look like to them.

How long has your brand been operating? Have you been at Home & Gift before?

Perfect Planner Company began back in 2017 with a classic grey business planner. Since then, we have grown in every way possible. Our product range now consists of over 25 products, our team is bigger than ever before with the addition of in-house staff. We have also grown our corporate and bespoke client base which has seen us to date, create over 100,000 planners distributed across the world in multiple languages. We have not exhibited at the Home and Gift Show before but we are really excited to join all of the other amazing brands who will be there as well, and share our products with a larger audience of independent retailers.

What’s your biggest highlight of owning your brand? Why do you love what you do?

From a young age I always had an entrepreneurial side to me, and I knew that one day I would run my own business. The fact that I am now in the position where I can make decisions which help and positively impact our customers through planning drives me to reach as many people as possible. After all, our vision is to change people’s lives through planning. My biggest highlight of being a business owner who is lucky enough to have such a close connection with my customers, is when I receive messages to say that my products have allowed people to achieve the impossible. I have created an amazing online community of women whose opinions and feedback mean a lot to me. I take any product feedback and put it into action, because what would my business be without our customers.

More of a personal highlight for me over the past few years was definitely seeing my products that once were just a series of ideas and sketches, be on display in Harvey Nichols and John Lewis.

Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself when you first started out? 

Resilience is key. As much of a cliché it may seem I cannot tell any business owner who is starting out enough, it is so important to be resilient, setbacks happen, and they are inevitable. What is important is how you learn from them. I am no exception. We have come across and faced probably more challenges than most, but when I look at where we are now as a company, I honestly wouldn’t change any of it (apart from maybe achieving a few more restful nights).

My second piece of advice would be to set realistic goals when you first start out. I’m not saying to not set goals that seem impossible because I once dreamt of my products being on sale in John Lewis and now, I have achieved it. But remember success takes time. Just be patient and don’t lose focus, remember why you are doing what you do and remind yourself of this every single day. I love the quote by Lao Tzu, ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. It reminds me of the difficult days you just have to keep moving towards your goals, no matter how small the step is, just do it.

What can we look forward to seeing from your new collections that you are bringing/launching at Home & Gift? 

Our 2023 product range consists of our yearly Business and Lifestyle Planners and Family Planner. New for 2023 we have a range of journals including our Bedside Book, Health and Wellbeing Planner, Gratitude Book and a Christmas Planner. Our notebook range has expanded this year as well with a range of motivational song lyric notebooks including, Hakuna Matata, Unstoppable and Wild Thing. We are proud to have a selection of products that have become renowned on platforms such as Amazon including our Meal Planner Desk Pads and Social Media Content Planner.

2024 will see even more range available in our current products but we are also introducing a new planner which will appeal to a whole new audience. We are really excited to announce this! Make sure you are following us on social media to be the first to find out!

Do you have any personal favourites from your new collection?

We are launching a brand-new product for 2024 which we cannot wait for everyone to see early September, but you’ll have to follow us on social media to find out more. Being able to help a whole new audience with our unique concept is a significant step in our growth.

My go-to product from our range is our Bedside Book. I created this book as the final step of my evening routine. Do you struggle to switch off? Do you have a million and one things spinning around in your head keeping you awake at night? This book was made for you! It really helps me to unwind before going to sleep, which as a business owner and busy mum used to be impossible.

What are you most excited for when exhibiting at Home & Gift?

We are excited to meet loads of new people and be able to create some amazing new connections in the independent retailer world. We have built an amazing relationship with some independent retailers that we currently work with and would love to expand this side of our business.

How do you operate your brand sustainably?

Perfect Planner Company are truly committed to reducing the environmental impact of our products and packaging. Wherever possible we use recyclable, biodegradable and responsibly sourced materials in our products and packaging, even if this is a more expensive option.

We think this is more important now than ever with global warming and the human impact on the natural habitats around the globe becoming the biggest issue our civilization has faced. We are proud to use responsibly sourced FSC paper in our products and packaging wherever possible. We go to great lengths in finding ways to use packaging and materials that are plastic free and easily recyclable.

This year we have partnered with Sands - the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, to offset our environmental impact. We donate 30% of sales of our Baby Love Collection to help nurture and maintain their memorial garden. This partnership not only helps us give back to a charity which is very close to our hearts but protects our planet too.