Competition: Win £500 to spend on shoes! (closed 30 November 2015)

agnes & norman is a collection of shoes, designed for men and women with a discerning eye for classic style and a love of all things vintage.
 
Bold, rich colours in leather and suede are married with delicate stitching, metallics, flattering straps and cute bows to create vintage-stle shoes for work, rest and play. From cute brogues to retro-style peep toes for her, and dapper brogues, loafers and boots for him.

The shoes are created by the well-established bridal shoe designer Rachel Simpson, and are designed to be as comfortable as they are stylish, with carefully selected heel heights and full leather linings.

Every shoe is exclusively designed in the UK and beautifully hand-stitched by skilled craftsmen and women. Emphasis is on quality and comfort, with full leather linings and high-grade leather and suede uppers. 

Each pair is designed to fit perfectly, feel indulgent and exclude unique character and good old-fashioned quality. 

Visit agnesandnorman.co.uk to view the full collection

Details and how to enter

l Two readers will receive £500 to spend with agnes & norman.
l The whole prize must be ordered in one go. If you choose items that total more than £500, you will need to pay the balance. If you do not reach the £500 limit, no cash or vouchers will be provided for the balance. No cash alternative and not to be used in conjunction with any offers. Prize is for full price products only and subject to availability. Should products need exchanging for a different size, the first exchange’s delivery is free, but delivery for future exchanges will be charged. Prize must be chosen within 30 days of winner being notified. 
l Enter by 30 November 2015. You can see Iceberg Press’ full terms and conditions on page 129 of the November issue and at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

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3 tips for small business success

You'll never guess number 3… Nick Cooper, the creative force behind successful small business Stamp Shoes, shares the top 3 things he's learned from setting up his own bespoke shoe workshop.

NICK COOPER, founder of Stamp Shoes, lives in Northampton and creates beautiful bespoke footwear from his own designs.

After my religious studies degree I tried admin at a charity in London but didn’t last long! I ended up moving back to my parents in Shropshire and shelf filling at a supermarket. At this point I asked myself, “What do I really want to do?” I arrived at ‘craft’. I ended up moving to the 'shoe capital' of Britain, Northampton, to learn about shoes. I wanted to create my own set-up as soon as I could, make the designs that I wanted to make and then work out how to generate money from it! Nothing happened for about a year, but then I found a workshop space at the Innovation Centre in Northampton University. I bought a little bit of machinery and some materials and started experimenting. It's all taken off from there.

3 THINGS SETTING UP STAMP SHOES HAS TAUGHT ME

1. Don’t give up your day job until you’re established. Go part-time if you can and develop your passion alongside your other work, or at the weekends. Start your business gradually and slowly scale back your hours of employment when you know you can.

2. I never set a goal of making even a single penny. It was daunting setting up a business so I set my goals fairly low. I just wanted to have a complete shoemaking workshop and create a collection of shoes I was happy with, with designs that I’d wear myself.

3. If you’ve never done it, go and stay in a monastery for at least a week, even if you’re sceptical of religious belief. Every summer I go and stay with some monks in the Burgundy countryside. It’s perhaps the only time when I feel completely safe and fully myself. The monks do ‘simple’ on a daily basis and in a way that enables people to experience a complete and lasting joy.

Read more about Nick in our regular series, Beyond The Nine-to-Five in issue 20 of The Simple Things.

www.stampshoes.com.