Caprice Bourret, former supermodel turned entrepreneur, writes for The Executive Magazine on her success both on and off the catwalk.

I’m a girl who came from a very humble background from a small town in Hacienda Heights, California. I didn’t go to university and I wasn’t bank rolled by anyone. Good old-fashioned hard work, passion, vision and the nerve to get out there and make something of my life is what drove me to the place I am today.

I don’t believe that a successful business is luck, I believe the harder you work the luckier you get. There are no short cuts.

I have been subjected to stereotypes in the past and over the past 11 year of running By Caprice Products I have had to prove myself in business.  Not many people believed in the company’s abilities but slowly I proved the ‘numbers’ and more stockists began to buy into the brand. This is not saying retail is easy. Anyone working in retail knows how tough it can be. ‘By Caprice’ as a brand has continued to flourish and I am extremely proud of our achievements, but in the ever changing business landscape it is important for business owners to constantly analyse the market and strategise how they will grow.

Before I collaborated with Sadaqat I think it’s important to note I had built a business that was actually making money but I didn’t have the infrastructure to grow the business accordingly.

Also, a lot of the time in business the problem is people can become short-sighted, especially if your business is starting to make money, budding entrepreneurs be warned.

Sadaqat are the world’s leading textiles suppliers and enterprises with offices in Manchester UK, London UK, New York and Australia.  The licensing deal with Sadaqat was attractive an prospect for By Caprice Home. The business was going from strength to strength however I was trying to grow the brand to meet growing customer demand and I was trying to figure out an expansion plan/solution.  Sadaqat have years of experience in the bedding world and they look after a host of household names including the licensing for Disney Europe.  After months of meetings we decided to do a deal together.

Meeting the right partner was crucial. I am extremely hands-on with my business and it was so important to me that I have partners who have the same core brand values, integrity and passion as By Caprice.

Inevitably, it is better to have a small piece of an empire rather than owning the whole business on my own. I believe in order for a business to be sustainable their needs to be strong year-on-year growth and from a global infrastructure position, I understood the company limitations.
From a business perceptive the brand will be more lucrative, there will be higher returns and we are able to expand into more territories quicker and grow product offering more seamlessly.

Due to Sadaqat’s global market experience, we are able to cater to different regional tastes.

By Caprice Home are also now in a position to react to growing trends and customer demand more confidently and effectively. This is the next growth phase for the business and we can now really get in line with the brand’s potential.