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In Conversation with Laura Jackson
Interview Phadria Prendergast
Laura Jackson is a DAUGHTER, SISTER, MOTHER, WIFE, FRIEND, ENTREPRENEUR AND BROADCASTER. I first discovered Jackson a few years prior on what would have been a random Saturday evening whilst aimlessly flicking through the channels. It was the kind of unusually quiet Saturday you aren’t used to when you consider yourself somewhat of a social butterfly. So, as we sat down to talk via Zoom -— Laura awaiting the arrival of her children and me, pretending not to be flustered having quite literally just bolted out of a black cab and into my home minutes before, I admired her growth. As humans, we naturally didn’t gravitate towards change, so when the pandemic forced the entire world to move with the times or get left behind, Jackson chose the former, and Glassette, her newest baby, was born.
Phadria: So, broadcaster to businesswoman, how did that happen?
Laura: I was on maternity leave, it was COVID. And I was shopping for homeware online. It just felt like there wasn't a platform that aggregated all of the different places to buy homeware — in one place. There were many people that you could DM to buy from, many pop-up markets, many neighbourhood shops, many high street stores, but there wasn't a platform that put them all in one place. COVID had really changed the way that people thought about their homes. Everyone used to express their personality through an outfit and actually, it was becoming quite apparent that people wanted to dress up their home. 99% of us have a home. It may look very different to everybody else's, but we are surrounded by four walls that we want to make as joyful as possible. It’s also an industry that I've always felt was really stuffy and a tad exclusive at times. It almost felt like it was an expensive club to be in so I very much wanted to make ripples within the industry and make it a place that involved everyone. Just because you're ‘not into interiors,’ doesn't mean you don't want a lovely sofa or to buy a nice scatter cushion, right? So we're [Glassette] are very content-driven and editorially led. There are so many reasons — democratising an industry and aggregating all of these places to buy homeware, and just building something that I love! So many small makers, artisans and brands just didn't have the platform so it's been amazing to see these small brands grow, build community, have higher engagement and make great money. It’s brilliant!
“Everyone used to express their personality through an outfit and actually, it was becoming quite apparent that people wanted to dress up their home.”
Phadria: Absolutely! And let’s talk about the community side of things. I think what you've just said is the key! You don’t need to have a passion or an eye for interior design. You've created an amazing community, where other women just like you and even men can come together and bond because maybe you just want a nice painting or a new sofa.
Laura: Yes, absolutely. You don't have to be an interior designer to give a shit about your house, [laughs]. We've seen so many people come in at the entry price level because they just want to buy a really great mug or they have a bare shelf. If you put a beautiful little vase on there with some flowers, it can change your whole look. So we're very much about those entry-level people enjoying getting into interiors. Maybe they're renting or they're moving in with a boyfriend, or they have a flatshare, versus the people that maybe have their own homes, or are getting married and creating a wedding list. So yes, it’s building a community of like-minded people. What's been really amazing is that many of the brands have made friends. You'll see them all talking on Instagram, and they'll tell me that they've got WhatsApp groups. It feels like a really exciting place to be.
“You don't have to be an interior designer to give a shit about your house.”
Phadria: I love that. And what do you think your home says about you?
Laura: Oh gosh! I'm a bit messy. My husband's really tidy. He's always like “I know exactly which room you're in, because there's just a trail,” [laughs]. I think it's a really eclectic mix of both of our personalities. It says that I like a homely space. I'm a creature of comfort and really collect things. And I'm not into Marie Kondo where it's really minimal, I really like to have things that remind me of places I've been, so I'll always buy bits and pieces on my travels. I put it in my house as a memory bank.
Phadria: That’s special. What’s one piece of advice someone has given you that you’ve never been able to forget?
Laura: My friend always used to say, "it's content for the book." So whenever anything good or bad happened, she would always be like, “it's fine, it's content for the book.” Basically, everything is a life lesson, and you can't erase it, you can just learn from it.
“My friend always used to say, ‘it's content for the book.’"
Phadria: Sounds like a great friend. What has the transformation from broadcaster; which you still are, to entrepreneur been like for you?
Laura: It's really interesting. I love presenting, broadcasting, and TV. I watch so much of it. It's just something that I've always watched. It's my favourite medium of all time, so I have this very strong gravitational pull towards television but starting a business from the ground up is very, very, very different. Sometimes it's really hard because people love to box tick, so you're either one or the other. People can't always get their head around the fact that you own a business, and you actually do everything from the HR, to the administration, to the brand payout to the merchandising, to the tech development calls to the hires. So they're like, “oh, but you present a show.” Some people don't quite understand that it's possible to do both. I've always worked really closely with a team who has empowered me to break that mould of 'you can just do you.'
“Sometimes it's really hard because people love to box tick, so you're either one or the other.”
Phadria: I agree. And did you always want to start a business?
Laura: I've always loved the thought of a legacy.. of actually doing something that makes a difference. So it's not so much that I wanted to start a business, I really wanted to make an impact. The only way you can make change is by mobilising people and together we can change culture, which is a really empowering place to be. We've got one life and I really want to do something with it by empowering other people and brands, giving them support, mentorship and money. I was just trying to democratise an industry that I always never really felt a part of, and I'm sure people felt the same, so it was never about starting a business. It was always about just making a change and doing something for the greater good.
Phadria: That’s inspiring! And I can imagine that you would have had a lot of contact, especially from people that have followed your career and have maybe asked for tips, advice, and mentorship? Has that been the case and what has been your response?
“It was never about starting a business. It was always about just making a change and doing something for the greater good.”
Laura: I try to get back to as many people as possible. I get a lot of people reaching out for jobs and we're quite generous with our time. We love meeting people and giving people a chance. There are so many people that took a chance on me that they really didn't need to, and through people believing in me, I've managed to carve out a life that I'm really proud of. I want to be able to do that to other people. I don't know what it was like for you at school, but up North, career chats aren't very exciting. I really want to make sure that I can give people from the same background as me opportunities, who aren’t well connected or living in London. I never really knew what I wanted to do.
Phadria: I had a similar upbringing growing up. I didn't know that being an editor in chief was a thing. Growing up, quite frankly, you just don't know what opportunities are out there for you when you come from a disadvantaged background. At most, I saw myself being a teacher, you know.
Laura: Exactly, and you’re like ‘oh food, chef.’ You don't even know that if you like art, you could be a makeup artist, or if you're really organised, you could work in production, or if you like food, you could actually write about it or a recipe test. I literally thought that the only job in food was to be a chef.
Phadria: Definitely! And how do you juggle it all?
Laura: That’s the million dollar question. It's really hard. It's really hard. And I'm struggling to manage my time accordingly at the moment, because I love my business and I want to be across everything. But then balancing that with my other work and I've got a TV show coming out in March, so the press for that, my podcast, and having the kids — it's really hard. I'm just trying to figure it all out at the moment and I'm probably not doing a couple of things very well as I figure it all out, but I just don't look down. I just keep going. I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing.
Phadria: That’s definitely a good thing! And what would you say to a younger you?
Laura: I was dyslexic in school. I fitted in socially and had a really great group of friends, but I felt like everyone else was smarter than me. So, I guess I would say “It will be okay. Just follow your instinct, even if it really goes against the grain of what everybody else is doing.” I mean, everyone else went to college and studied serious subjects, and I did a BTEC in dance, [laughs].
Phadria: Can you dance?
Laura: No! [Laughs]
Phadria: I love that! And it’s like your friend says right? Content for the books.