Holly Tucker – Favourite Things
Holly Tucker MBE is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and co-founder of the online marketplace notonthehighstreet.com. In 2015, Tucker was made UK Ambassador for Creative Small Businesses and in 2017 she founded Holly & Co, a small business advice and inspiration platform. She is also the co-author of the best-selling business books; Build a Business From Your Kitchen Table and Shape Up Your Business. New episodes of her podcast, Conversations of Inspiration podcast with @HollyTucker, are available every Monday from holly.co.
These are a few of Holly Tucker’s favourite things…
Charm bracelet
I have an unusual charm bracelet that is an heirloom, given to me by my mother and given to her by her mother. It is a bracelet full of Victorian seal fobs. which are what Victorian men used to wear on chains to seal their letters. I like chunky jewellery and it is an amazing gold bracelet. My grandmother was quite an extraordinary woman, which is another reason why I love it so much. She would wear my grandfather’s white shirts tied up, with jeans, in the 1950s. She would also make Christmas trees out of paper flowers and was so before her time. There is a beautiful painting of her in my dressing room with red lipstick and this bracelet on. When I get dressed every morning, I put it on and look in the mirror and see the painting of her wearing it behind me. I got married last September, after eighteen years with my partner, and I wore the charm bracelet as my wedding jewellery.
Cley Beach in Norfolk
My nickname is Holly Hurricane, I have a lot of energy. I am very lucky to have so much energy and it has helped me build both of my businesses but I find it pretty difficult to switch off. There is a magical place in Norfolk called Cley Beach that is not a very good beach, full of pebbles and very uncomfortable, but for me, sitting there in hail winds, looking out at the choppy sea has the same effect as 40 yoga sessions. I don’t know whether it is being with the elements and understanding how small and insignificant I am and the power of the universe, but it puts me in my place. It is a phenomenal feeling for someone who is like a Duracell bunny. Mother Nature resets me.
Pickled onion monster munch
Throughout my career, when I am down and need a pick me up, I turn to pickled onion monster munch. If I am having a bad day, someone in the office will know to put a packet on my desk. There was a stressful period of nonsense dealing with legal teams for my company and when it came to an end the team bought me 100 packets of monster munch and a bottle of wine and left them on my desk. I love collecting (as you would expect for the founder of notonthehighstreet.com) and my house is filled with creativity. For my Christmas present from the team, they got me a framed packet of monster munch embroidered by the artist Emma Giacalone Textiles, which is just amazing.
Animal art
I am an avid collector of animal art, there is nothing that makes me happier, it is almost an obsession. I have a massive zebra torso (not real) which I decorate with a headdress, a parrot looking at me on the top of my computer and a unicorn horse head (also, not real) with lots of necklaces on. I have got pigs, polar bears, turtles, anything animal-themed. My latest purchase was by the artist Josh Gluckstein who created this amazing camel head, decorated by pom poms from the camel market in India. In November, I am having a 19-foot fibreglass giraffe delivered for my garden, it has taken a year to make. Our garden looks out over a river and all the local children look out for the grazing animals, which we regularly move around. I am going to surprise them all with this huge giraffe, he will wear a Santa hat at Christmas and things like that. It is an obsession and my husband has now banned me from buying any more, but we will wait and see when he next goes away.
Dressing colourfully
Holly & Co was built with the aim to bring colour to grey; I want to redefine business and help make it accessible, fun and less intimidating. When I started building Holly & Co, I got rid of my heels, got rid of my spanks and have only worn glittery and colourful trainers for the last five years. I’ll be known to walk down the street wearing a kaftan and very colourful headwear, I rarely go without it. I have twenty heads in my dressing room all with headdresses for special occasions made by a woman called Thumbelina. On my wedding day, I had an incredible piece made with butterflies, jewels and flowers. I want to show you can be a serious businesswoman and you can wear glittery trainers. And, you can build a business that is profitable and growing and still do good in the world. All the myths that have chained us down, especially women, I want to debunk.
Enjoyed Holly Tucker’s favourites? Explore the full Favourite Things archive here.