The Business of Art: Why one Co Down teacher gave up a job to follow her dream

Jacqueline Rooney discusses her path into entrepreneurialism...

Hello and welcome to Entrepreneur NI – a weekly newsletter brought to you every Sunday morning, showcasing how founders created some of the best businesses in Northern Ireland – big, small and everything in between. This week we have the infectious Jacqueline Rooney…enjoy! If you haven’t already subscribed, you can do so here..

Jacqueline Rooney is a business owner firmly on the passion end of the entrepreneurial spectrum. She is driven by an unfettered love of art and you can tell that in her work. She’s an entrepreneur without any formal business background and certainly someone who didn’t care for the numbers. She knew what she wanted to do and went for it, eventually. 

For years, Jacqueline toyed with the idea of opening up her own business. The foundations and courage to do so were laid nearly 20 years ago, just before she took up a full-time teaching gig – which she thoroughly enjoyed – in St Joseph’s High School in Crossmaglen. However, like some foundations, they lay waiting primed to be built upon; it took 12 years – and family heartache – to finally open that door of opportunity.

But before that, we have to go back to 2006 to discover what lit the touch paper. 

“I took a year out to go to Australia by myself,” Jacqueline explained. “I was in a bad relationship. I had my house, my car, my permanent job, everything set in stone, but I knew I wasn't happy, so I decided I would take a year out by myself. That was the turning point for me, in terms of taking risks. 

“I had £250 with me. When I got to Australia I had to make money. It was a real eye-opener in the sense that you can make things happen if you really want to. And they did happen. I knew at that point that taking risks can really pay off.” 

That experience stuck with Jacqueline but life often gets in the way and it wasn’t until 2018 that Jacqueline took the biggest decision of her career. 

It wasn’t that she was miserable in her job; the fact she enjoyed it so much clouded that ambition to go it alone at times. 

It’s often said that you should just trust your instinct and not let anything get in your way. Two unexpected family deaths and welcoming two children into the world don’t tend to be the catalysts for such bravery – but they were for Jacqueline and her husband, Scott. Scott had lost both his parents to cancer all the while adjusting to life as a Father of two young sons in the space of 18 months. 

“We sat down one night and asked ourselves, ‘what are we doing?’ Life was too short and we both handed in our notice. That was the turning point for us. It took something really, really tough to kind of make us stop and really assess everything.

“Scott opened up a coffee business in the heart of Rostrevor and I went on to do my art full-time. We kept each other going.”

Covid came and went. People rushed to get coffee and some social interaction while others were keen to spruce up their homes and Zoom backdrops with art.

“Suddenly all these things started, it was nearly like the doors started to open. It might sound airy fairy but it was like signs from the universe that we were doing the right thing, finally.”

There were moments of doubt, as there are with most entrepreneurs. Money is often the biggest stumbling block. 

“I remember saying when I went on my first business course, ‘if I can make what I'm making as a teacher every month, that would be my aim’. I have surpassed that now, but it wasn't about money, it wasn't about any of those things, it was just about being happy. 

“My eldest son, he's just turned seven, he's autistic. All he wants to do is be an artist and I think what better sort of influence are we on our children when we are doing what we absolutely love. What sort of misery would we bestow on our children and what would they see growing up if we didn’t do that?”

Handing in her notice was difficult – starting and running a business was another step altogether. Where do you start? Well, for Jacqueline, she simply researched what sort of business help there was available because she knew her own limitations.

She contacted Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, who offer up a “fantastic” mentoring programme through Go For It. She had a meeting, put together a business plan, which made her really think about the rudimental elements of running a business like: What do you need a month to cover you? Your income, your bills, how to make in financially viable?

From there, there was the Grow Your Business programme and then the digital business programme, which helped Jacqueline really up her game on social media. If you follow Jacqueline at all, you’ll know she currently updates four platforms every single day, religiously. And it was all free help and guidance. 

Jacqueline is now also part of several networks, including the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Women in Business. The latter, she says, really helped bring her out of her shell and helped her become more confident in what she was doing. 

“I've been at networking events where you'll get a very patronising sort of bravado sometimes and I think it's because of my profession, maybe if it's a different job they'd take me more seriously but I remember being at an awards and this man beside me asked me what I did and I said, ‘I'm an artist’, and he replied, ‘good luck with your wee paintings’. I would be like to myself, I'm gonna go to the next awards, and when I win it was two fingers up to your man who was putting me down.

“I got that a lot at the start and I wasn’t very confident. I found Women in Business was a more comfortable fit for me. It wasn’t about what I earned; there are some fabulous networks out there, you just need to find the right ones for you.”

Through networking, Jacqueline now has friends in all areas of business, which comes in handy from time to time. 

“As your business grows, you will find there's more opportunities that are open to you. I think if you're not networking, you're not going to hear about all these things that you can avail of, very often for free. It is also important that it gets you out of your comfort zone. We've got to go into a room of strangers and start talking to them.”

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has been another great support, in particular with HR advice. 

“Until you come up against a problem you don't really know how to solve it unless you ask for help. So, it's knowing that there is support out there, that there are experts in the areas that you're not comfortable with. I know what I do well and what I don’t.”

Jacqueline says her business was really thrown into the limelight thanks to an opportunistic collaboration with TV personality and furniture restorer, Jay Blades. It eventually led to the opening of her new store in the heart of Rostrevor, which was a real test of her business credentials. 

Jacqueline explained: “Jay found me on Instagram and rang me up out of the blue and said ‘we need to collaborate, your art is making the hairs in the back of my neck stand up’. We collaborated and it turned my business around because he put my art on furniture and showcased it to his 100,000+ followers on social media. The orders started flooding in from England.

“I was then on UTV Live with Pamela Ballantine. That programme went out and the owner of this beautiful building in Rostrevor saw it and came to our house and knocked the door and asked if I’d like to use it to open up a store. Before that, I had my name down on a waiting list for storage facilities in the area, because my business had grown in a really good way but I'd taken over our house and my husband was ready to divorce me at this stage if another canvas or box, or frame arrived. 

“I always dreamt of opening a place but didn't really know how or where to start.”

Previously, a restaurant occupied the building, which is a four-storey period property. Jacqueline was handed the keys and in less than two months was opened and trading.

The landlord was very supportive with low rent in the first year, coupled with Covid rates relief. 

“I was selling more but my overheads were higher than ever. I had to really understand the figures, analyse them and become more accountable, which is something I wasn’t before.

“There are times where the footfall is quiet and you really have to push the online and overseas sales and things that aren't just local based; that's where the business courses have really helped me, looking at the likes of export and constantly educating and keeping one step ahead.”

Jacqueline says 70% of her sales come locally with 30% through online, but she’s working on making that split more even.

“My goal is to grow the brand beyond local for sure but to keep the gallery going too. It’s an absolutely gorgeous enclave here in Rostrevor. In the tourist season it’s booming; Christmas is great but in between it’s quiet, you've got to be thinking all the time.

“I opened the gallery thinking that the beauty of art is, if you're going to buy an investment, in the shape of an expensive piece of art, you want to see it in person. So I think it was really paramount that I did open the gallery. I do also sell my art in other galleries all over Ireland, so that's been lovely.”

For Jacqueline, her art is the “finishing touch of an entire room”. She has a passion for interior design; her art is “only one piece of a big puzzle and I love putting it all together… interior design would be like a natural progression for my business”.

Jacqueline says her only regret is not jumping into self employment sooner. Her granny – who she adored – knew. She was Jacqueline’s keenest supporter!

“My granny was my biggest fan and she had kept saying to me to ‘give up that aul teaching and do your art’. She always told me I’d get by and not to worry about money.”

Ultimately, Jacqueline heeded her granny’s advice.

“Now, I would tell anyone thinking about it to just absolutely trust your heart, trust your gut and go for it and get all of the help and advice you can for free. It's knowing how to access it but once you start you'll begin to see more opportunities out there that will help your business grow. 

“Do what lights you up - do what you love. If you can bring into business the things that make you happy in your life, it’ll make you more resilient. And it’s never too late!”

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