PURPOSE
Small businesses. Big stories. London made real.
London Made Me is the Mayor of London's flagship retail development programme, part of the Creative Enterprise Zone initiative. Designed to nurture independent small business owners and get them trading on one of London's most iconic streets, it's where business support meets cultural celebration. I led the business development phase of the 2023 programme, working alongside creative consultant Jo Armitage who directed the shop build and visual identity at Carnaby Street.
Client: Mayor of London
My Role: Business development lead — programme design, brand storytelling, entrepreneurship workshops
Partners: Jo Armitage, Alice Mayor
We delivered
1,600+ hours of business support across the programme
£82,000 in participant sales during the trading period — more than double the previous year
4,000+ individual items sold, with 80–100 purchases daily
20+ creative activations including workshops and evening events
Coverage on BBC, City AM, Visit London and The Wick Culture
The business development programme I designed gave independent London makers and retailers the tools, confidence, and connections to trade at scale. Over two intensive weeks, participants worked through everything from brand identity and storytelling to pricing strategy, customer profiling, social media, and how to pitch to major stockists.
The sessions balanced practical training with expert input — bringing in voices like Preena Patel, Senior Buyer at the Design Museum, and social media specialist Daisy from The Selfhood. Wellbeing was woven through the programme too, because building a sustainable business means building a sustainable founder.
The programme culminated in a pop-up shop on Carnaby Street — and the results spoke for themselves. Participants didn't just learn. They traded, connected, and grew.
