Meet the Maker: Don't Sweat it Betty

We’re so excited to introduce one of our amazing Welsh makers in this Meet the Maker series. Meet Lucy from Don’t Sweat It Betty! Lucy is one of the talented business owners behind our collection of handmade gifts and products made in Wales, proudly designing her Welsh inspired pieces from her hometown of Pontycymer.

At Byw, we love sharing the stories behind the Welsh gifts and locally made products you’ll find on our site. By choosing to shop small and support local businesses in Wales, you’re helping talented makers like Lucy continue doing what they love, and we couldn’t be happier about that.

We caught up with Lucy to hear more about her creative journey and what inspires her designs.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm Lucy James. 40 year old mother, wife and passionate Cymraes living in Pontycymer in Bridgend, South Wales. My background is firmly in the corporate world and I've had a career in the fields of Human Resources, Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Engagement but I've always had a passion for making things which I hadn't really explored until I had my daughter, Luna, three years ago. I love Wales, our language and our culture and I am always looking for opportunities to promote and share our language.

What inspired you to set up Don't Sweat it Betty? 

Don't Sweat it Betty was started when Luna was about seven months old and I was about to return full time to my corporate job. I have to admit that I'd lost a bit of my sparkle and motivation while being on Maternity Leave and I really wanted to find more of a work/life balance than I had before having a baby. I also had a lot of time to think about what I wanted more long-term while I was off, and I realised that it wasn't the rat race anymore. I had struggled to find quality Welsh baby products, so, coupled with wanting to do something different, I decided that I would make my own....and Don't Sweat it Betty was born!

What’s your favourite part about running your business?

Firstly, running a business in addition to working full time, being a mother, a wife and looking after myself is TOUGH! But, it is also really rewarding. I still get so excited and nervous when I receive orders, because I'm really passionate about customer service and about providing quality products, but mostly because I'm very grateful that someone has chosen to spend their hard earned money with my little business. There are lots of positives about running my business but my favourite part is receiving positive feedback from happy customers. It really does make it all worthwhile!

Do you have a favourite product you’ve created or one with a special story?

All our printed and embroidered products are made to order and I Iove the process of creating something unique for each customer, based on their selection of a design, size and colour. However, my absolute favourite product is our signature children's 'Tywydd' umbrella. I just absolutely adore the design, which features different Welsh weather idioms, plus not only is it practical (because, as you know...we get a lot of rain in Wales!) but it's also educational and such a lovely way to introduce Welsh to children. 

It's always so exciting seeing your new products, what exciting plans have you got in the pipeline?

I'm really excited that we've just launched our 'Lliwiau Cymru' insulated cups, which are available now and come in four colours. They are a complimentary product to our extremely popular insulated bottles and also have a limited edition 'Nadolig Cymreig' version too! Looking ahead, I'm working on some clothing designs for keen sports fans to be able to show their Welsh pride while supporting Cymru at football or rugby. These will include new sweatshirts, hoodie and t-shirt designs and will be a mixture of purely welsh-language products but also some which are in English but firmly rooted in Welsh sporting culture. These will be ready in the coming weeks.