It was just before Christmas 2020 and Sarah Louise Fairburn took a phone call that changed her life.
She’d just launched her business – IMP & MAKER – a few months earlier during Covid to disrupt the world of corporate gifting.
The award-winning entrepreneur had recently become a single mum and was busy packing hampers with the help of her four children.
“A corporate client phoned me up wanting £15,000 of hampers in one order in time for Christmas because Fortnum & Mason couldn’t do it and I thought ‘we could be on to something here’,” she explained.
The 41-year-old delivered the order in time for Christmas and the client was so happy they’ve been one of IMP & MAKER’s biggest customers ever since.
In the five years that have followed, Fairburn has rarely taken the easy road but her Lincolnshire-based business is on track to post its first profit and she’s never been more confident for the future.
Fairburn’s own career started as a business improvement driver at Yorkshire & Clydesdale Bank.
She then went to work at Fairburn’s Eggs, initially as sales and brand director before becoming commercial and sustainability director.
During that time, she helped grow the company’s turnover from £12m to more than £100m and establish it as one of the UK’s largest independent egg packers.
Together with her then husband, she won the scale up category in the 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year for the North but at 36, and with four children under the age of 10, the couple separated.
Fairburn also sat on a number of boards and quickly decided to launch her own business.
“I had a lot of amazing contacts and knew I wanted to do something food-related,” she said.
“I’d received a number of corporate gifts during my time at Fairburn’s Eggs and we’d keep the wicker basket and the bottle of fizz but loads of stuff would end up in the back of the cupboard.
“I wanted to create a brand that was centred around modern food and drink and would be remembered and enjoyed in the now – and so IMP & MAKER was born.
“I chose the name IMP because it was a cheeky nod to my disruptive intent to shake up how food and drink is gifted.”
By her own admission, Fairburn prioritised growth over margin in the early days as she looked to build a loyal customer base through a quality product and unbeatable service.
Fast growth
“We grew really quickly and beat several established brands by getting the only five-star rating in the Daily Mail a year after we launched,” she said.
“We knew the brand and the products looked great and I was laser-focused on delivering high quality gifts to customers.
Sarah Louise Fairburn, CEO, IMP & MAKER
“We’ve now got the right infrastructure and team in place and we’re getting the margins to a much more sustainable place. We sell just over 100 different food and drink gifts, only souring from the best makers.
“If we’d done anything differently would we still be the same business we are today? I’m not sure we would but I believe the key is learning quickly from your experiences and adapting.
“We’ve acquired a lot of loyal customers and we’re now in a position to scale sustainably.”
The majority of IMP & MAKER’s business comes through its eCommerce platform, alongside an impressive list of corporate clients.
“We also work with other retailers like Costco and Not On The High Street,” said Fairburn. “We invested heavily in technology and if someone places an order before 4pm they’ll have it the next day.
“We can now create gifts in-house that can include anyone’s personal branding.
“We have a 4.93 star rating on REVIEWS.io and customers consistently praise the service and the attention to detail we give to every single order.”
IMP & MAKER is on track to make its first profit this year, which will be reinvested back into the business.
“We’ve got an amazing team and we make amazing stand out gifts,” said the CEO. “It’s about growing our brand and maintaining the quality and wow factor.
“I want IMP & MAKER to be everyone’s go-to for gifting. What do you buy for people now? To be able to gift someone the food they love or their favourite cheese and wine combination, beautifully packaged and personalised is something they’re going to remember.”
September will mark the fifth anniversary of the launch of IMP & MAKER and Fairburn said she also wants to set a good example to her four children.
Role model
“I want my children to appreciate that things don’t come easily but if you work hard and are persistent, things do come good,” she said.
“That’s the biggest thing I’ve taught my children. As with any startup, there have been dark days but we’ve changed things really quickly.
“Every day you need grit and determination. If things have gone wrong, we’ve got back up and I’m lucky to have people around me who I trust.
“We’ve built a really good team and a great brand and the children are really proud of me and how the business has evolved. They know they can achieve anything if they work hard.
“After five years IMP & MAKER is a significant player now – but it feels like we’ve only just got started.
“We are the brand for people who work hard, play hard. It feels different to receive a gift from us and we love making people happy.”