Episode #490 - Reignite Your Creativity and Build a Beautiful Business from Fabric and Focus - with Alice Garrett

Hi, I’m Granger Forson – you can find me at www.bizsmart-gloucestershire.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn. In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I’m joined by the inspiring Alice Garrett, founder of Alice Caroline, a business built around the joyful art of quilting, Liberty Fabrics, and empowering creativity. What began as a desire to make Liberty Fabric more accessible to fellow enthusiasts has grown into a thriving enterprise with 34 staff, global reach, and over 700 fabrics curated for quilters, makers, and creatives. Alice’s story is not just about fabric – it’s about passion, purpose, and reconnecting people with creativity through beautifully designed sewing kits, workshops, and books. We talk about how Alice evolved from PhD chemist to entrepreneur, learning every day on the job, and growing a business that now runs five distinct yet interconnected operations – from e-commerce to manufacturing, and from subscription clubs to workshops. It’s a perfect example of “embrace problems” turning into a life’s mission. Culture is key in the Alice Caroline team, and Alice shares how she’s cultivated open communication, safe learning spaces, and the importance of transparency and trust – even when scaling. Her reflections on overcoming her own conflict aversion and learning to love leadership will resonate with any founder navigating growth. If you’re curious about creativity, passionate about purpose, or simply love hearing how businesses evolve through experimentation and joy in the workplace – this is an episode you’ll treasure 💡. To ensure you don’t miss any inspirational future episodes do subscribe to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. So, let’s now dive into the inspiring journey of creativity, culture and focus with Alice Garrett.   Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.   If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here: https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin   You can get in touch with Granger here: grangerf@biz-smart.co.uk   Book a call with Granger - 30 minutes value add conversation for Business owners with Staff. https://api.goexela.com/widget/bookings/catchupgra   Kevin's Latest Book Is Available! Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.   More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/   Alice can be found here: https://alicecaroline.com/ https://www.instagram.com/alicecarolinefabrics/   Resources: Never Eat Alone by Tahl Raz - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/never-eat-alone-expanded-and-updated-and-other-secrets-to-success-one-relationship-at-a-time-keith-ferrazzi/3834952?ean=9780241004951 The Code Of The Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-code-of-the-extraordinary-mind-10-unconventional-laws-to-redefine-your-life-and-succeed-on-your-own-terms-vishen-lakhiani/998624?ean=9780593135822 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-4-hour-work-week-escape-the-9-5-live-anywhere-and-join-the-new-rich-timothy-ferriss/3785269?ean=9780091929114 Alex Hormozi The Game podcast - https://www.acquisition.com/podcast Notion app - https://www.notion.com/ The Mind Valley app - https://www.mindvalley.com/apps Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/