Necessity is the mother of all invention, it is said.
And that was no doubt the case when Hannah Murphy decided to start her business
Amurelle – selling beautiful, timeless and ethically made bedlinens in 100 percent cotton and certified French flax linen.
Unable to find the kind of bedding she would like for her own home – at a price she was willing to pay – and being more than a little bit passionate about interiors, Hannah figured she couldn't be the only one on the lookout for something like this, and decided to take matters into her own hands.
And with that Amurelle was born – beautiful, breathable, linen and cotton bedding, all made ethically and sustainably in Portugal, Oeko-tex certified which guarantees your sheets are made with respect for the environment and are entirely free of harmful chemicals.
To put it simply, Hannah explains – Amurelle is simply bedding – made better.
"Inspired by the simple fact that we as humans spend one-third of our life in bed, I created Amurelle to simplify how you purchase bedding by bringing it directly to you from the best makers in the industry," she explains.
"These are premium quality bed sheets made close to home in Northern Portugal, with thought out features to ensure making your bed is the easiest it's ever been and gives you the best nights sleep you've ever had."
Sleep is so important – maybe now more than ever, having collectively lived through some very stressful months – and will impact everything from our moods to our immune system. And while other habits and factors matter too, there is no denying that going to bed in beautifully soft bedlinens sure does help when it comes to getting a good night's sleep.
And that is just what Hannah wants to make more accessible to all.
We recently caught up with the young entrepreneur to talk sleep, soft sheets and savvy business advice – and here is what she had to say:
When and why did you start your business?
I launched my business in August 2020 – and started Amurelle because honestly; I couldn’t find the kind of bedding I wanted to buy in Ireland.
I came from a buying background and am also super passionate about my home and surroundings, so I decided I would start my own brand selling the bed linen that I wanted to buy.
What did you do before starting Amurelle?
I began my career as a buyer for an international high street retailer where I primarily bought bedding as part of the Homeware Department for four years. I have always had a love for interiors, so I then went on to be an Interior Stylist & Consultant for a small Irish business, this combined my love for interiors and product perfectly, and both stints have given me an excellent foundation to start my own brand.
I’ve seen how large operations work and experienced all of the moving parts of small businesses – which really helps me now that I’m out on my own.
Why bedlinens though?
I am a real sleep enthusiast – and am also really passionate about my home and interiors. Having bought bedding as a career for four years, combined with not being able to find the bed linen I wanted available here on our shores, I decided to take the leap and create my own brand, selling beautiful quality bedding that is ethically made and that will literally last a lifetime.
Did you always want to run your own business?
I have always been a creative person and I knew from an early age that I wanted to pursue a career that allowed me to be creative as much as possible.
I love bringing a vision to life, I love the process of an idea sparking in my head and then executing this vision and creating something I’m proud of. I get a real sense of satisfaction from this so I suppose this meant that starting my own brand was a natural instinct for me – and also a natural progression once I had gained valuable experience in the early years of my career.
Challenges along the way?
There are always challenges when running your own business and sometimes the challenges seem greater because you don’t have a big team of people to bounce things off or brainstorm solutions with.
My advice, when faced with challenges, is to try to stay as calm as possible while trying to solve the issue. There is always a solution and a lot of the time things are out of your control and you just have to ride the wave!
If there is an occasion where I feel I’ve made a mistake that has led to a challenge, I look at it as a lesson learnt and remind myself that I’ll probably never make that mistake again! Which to me is a positive!
Have there been any memorable highs or lows?
The biggest high has been seeing how well the products I created have been received by customers and having people come back to us again and again for themselves or for a present, that has definitely been the most exciting and rewarding part of this journey so far.
You can have a beautifully curated Instagram, a website that looks the part and perfect branding – but if your products don’t pass the customer test, it will be difficult to make it a successful business.
I feel very lucky to say that there have been very few lows since we launched almost a year ago, but as I said I try not to dwell on the ‘lows’ too much and look at them as learnings and experience well earned.
Going forward – where do you see your business going?
I have lots of plans for Amurelle, and can’t wait to pursue them. My biggest goal is to break into new markets while continuing to deliver the best quality products and customer experience in our existing markets.
Have you got any advice for anyone thinking of starting their own business?
Do your research, know the business you’re going into inside out, whether it’s a product or a service.
Make sure you’re passionate about the business you’re starting and it won’t feel like ‘work’, and this is also what will get you through the tough times!
Stay true to your vision and believe in yourself - it sounds cliché – but if you don’t believe in it nobody will. Lastly, enjoy the process and try to celebrate the wins no matter how big or small they seem!
