By Business & Finance 
Gina Cassidy,Owner and Creative Director, Purcell & Woodcock
Gina Cassidy, Owner and Creative Director, Purcell & Woodcock takes on the Business & Finance 60-second interview challenge.
Q. What was your first job? My first job at 16 was in our local newsagent where I caught the customer experience bug. I learnt early on that if you can be anything, be kind. It’s ok to work hard, fight for space and chase your dreams, but if your customer isn’t happy then you’re doing something wrong. Now, all these years later, we pride ourselves on the customer experience we provide and we work hard to build relationships with our loyal customer and stockist base. Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date? Family aside, I’m incredibly proud of what Morgan and I have created in Purcell & Woodcock. We have quite literally put our heart and soul into building the brand and it’s so special to see a product sitting on a retail shelf that you’ve designed and produced from start to finish and becoming a recognised brand name. Q. In three words or less, how do you define success? For me, it equates to three things 1) Passion, to do what you love to do; 2) Patience, to accept and tolerate that nothing comes easy and 3) Perseverance, to believe in yourself, work hard and not let a difficult situation take you down. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Plan in decades. Think in years. Work in months. Live in days. Q. How do you motivate yourself and your staff? Our brand is built on family values and we run the business in the exact same way. Everyone is a part of the journey and so we collaborate our ideas daily and then divide and conquer! Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why? The list is endless – give me any entrepreneur who has built an international brand and I’d leap into their shoes. I would relish the opportunity to find out what it’s like on the other side, the obstacles they overcame and the lessons I could learn! Q. How do you relax? I don’t get a huge amount of time to relax, but I play tennis once a week with some friends and it’s great to get out in the evening to play, followed by a glass of wine – I’m not sure which I prefer more! Q. What’s your motto? Life is not a dress rehearsal. We only get one chance so play the cards you’ve been dealt, keep the head up and enjoy the little things as we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. From a brand perspective, the motto remains. There’s no point saving a candle for a special occasion, so what we want to achieve is a brand that celebrates everyday life by allowing people to enjoy everyday luxuries. Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business? The home fragrance market is crowded, competitive and cut throat, you need to keep up or go home. With this in mind, we are constantly designing new routes to market. Given the time of year, our current focus is naturally Christmas and in addition, the continued expansion into the corporate gift market based on the traction and success we’ve had to date. Companies are looking for luxury gift ideas for staff and clients and we offer and deliver a product range that is the essence of festive luxury, guaranteed to make you stand out from the crowd.
Our brand is built on family values and we run the business in the exact same way.
