Newbie publisher caps fabulous first year with inaugural licensing deal
Celebrating its first birthday, Brilliantly Brave has much to crow about as the newbie publisher has also landed its first licensing deal.
And that’s in addition to six Henries nominations plus a finalists’ spot, getting Gold and Silver tickets – and a licensing agent – at PG Live, being presented to The Princess Royal, a BLE showcase, securing government funding for a website, co-founder Jean Pryde becoming an f:Entrepreneur, a trip to Westminster next week plus their story being shared in the Scottish parliament.
Of course, there’s also the minor point that the whole Brilliantly Brave enterprise funds multiple mental health coaching sessions, free at the point of delivery, from the profits on its greeting card sales as well as the new licensed stickers, along with the costs of launching community support groups!
“We’re blooming delighted to announce our first licensing partnership is all signed, sealed, done and dusted,” co-founder Stuart Cox told PG Buzz. “We’re incredibly honoured to be working with Stickers4 on a range of sticky things.
“Peelable/repositionable window film, wall decals, laptop stickers, stickers for your water bottle. If it’s got a surface, you can stick a sticker on it. We know this for a fact as they’ve already produced stickers for us!
“We caught up with Dan and Alex Rye from Stickers4 at Brand Licensing Europe through our brilliant licensing agent Sarah Lawrence at This Is Iris – who we met thanks to PG Live!
“They are just the loveliest of people and really got behind our vision of transforming well wishes into wellbeing – or, in this case, turning stickers into support. We can’t wait to really get to work on putting together a collection that brings a smile to people’s faces and funds mental wellbeing in the community.”
Having worked with Stuart before on his inspiring I Like Birds brand, Dan said Stickers4 is “absolutely delighted” to be collaborating with Brilliantly Brave.
He added: “The concept is truly amazing, and we’re thrilled to support such a worthwhile cause. Knowing that every sticker we sell will help those with mental health issues is deeply rewarding, and we’re proud to play a part in amplifying their mission to transform well-wishes into tangible wellbeing.”
A thrilled Jean, who is due to visit the House Of Lords on Friday, 7 March, with her fellow f:Entrepreneurs, is very excited about extending the brand beyond cards: “The impact is tangible – for example, every 1,000 cards sold funds mental health first aid training for 16 people. Every licensed product will contribute to these community mental health initiatives, creating an even greater ripple effect of positive change.”
It’s been a whirlwind for Jean and Stuart, receiving the royal seal of approval for their cards during Princess Anne’s visit to their hometown of Moray just two weeks after their launch last January, followed by their trade show debut at PG Live in June, being showcased by This Is Iris at Brand Licensing Europe in September, the excitement of The Henries in October, the f:entrepreneurs’ announcement on 7 January, as well as the money from Business Gateway and a UK government Digital Development Grant.
Explaining that the new direct-to-consumer website wouldn’t have been possible without the funding as all Brilliantly Brave’s profits go to the mental health initiatives, Stuart said it also covers a complete suite of hardware keeping everything synchronised across Shopify, Faire, in-person sales and trade shows – and it’s “pretty cool” being asked to put the Funded By UK Government logo on every page
And he laughed: “It’s a great way to cap off what has been a highly productive first year. I’m not sure, but it doesn’t strike me as that normal for a brand to go from zero to all this in just 12 months.
“Add to that the advanced conversations Sarah’s having with High Street retailers and top-tier licensees, both in the UK and abroad, and it’s actually been a good start.
“Oh! and there might just be a Royal Garden Party invitation in the offing too…!”
