Two mums who grew their business from a kitchen table have achieved a turnover of more than £5 million in 10 years. Charlotte Donoghue, 36, from Aintree, and Stephanie Porter, 41, from Lydiate, are the founders of Liverpool jewellery brand Say It With. The business has evolved from selling five necklaces on Instagram to becoming a celebrity-favoured brand generating millions of pounds.
From Kitchen Table to Success
The business partners had always known each other through family connections but truly connected as they grew older, had children, and discovered a shared love for cups of tea. Stephanie had some necklaces and asked Charlotte if she could help sell them. Within an hour, Charlotte had sold them all and asked for more. Thus, Say It With — originally called Say It With Diamonds — was born, and the friends became business partners.
Charlotte told the ECHO: "At first we were just doing it for a little bit of pocket money, and we didn't ever in our wildest dreams think we would be at the turnover that we're at now. We're just so grateful and thankful every day. It's unbelievable. The fact that we're still sat here laughing. It's never been like a day's work in the whole 10 years. You know, we're so lucky to be best of friends. We've literally—and I kid you not—not had one cross word in 10 years, over anything. I couldn't wish for a better business partner and soul sister in my life."
Stephanie added: "We used to do it from my kitchen. We used to order our bags from Amazon. We used to put stickers on the bags, and thought that was the best thing ever. We'd put on a little bow, and that's how we were for about a good year. Then as the business was growing, the kitchen was becoming a little bit of a joke. It was just chaos."
Growth and Expansion
The business moved into a small office at the Secret Warehouse to transfer items from Stephanie's house. Despite not knowing how they would pay for it, they took the leap. Charlotte explained: "We became the yes people. So, we didn't say no to anything. We'd just say yes. Someone would say, 'Could we get this ring? Can we get this?' and we'd just keep saying yes, yes, yes. We did an open door Thursdays. My mum used to work and she'd say the queues are down the block."
Say It With eventually moved into its first physical store at Cavern Walks. "You couldn't swing a cat, but we absolutely loved it," Steph said. They later relocated to the Metquarter in 2019, moving the store overnight. They closed the Cavern Walks store at 5pm and opened at the Metquarter at 9am the following day. Steph added: "Everyone was saying you are crazy, you can't do that. We were like, 'We can, we'll literally be open tomorrow.'"
Celebrity Fans and Future Plans
Now, a decade after selling their first necklace on Instagram, Say It With celebrates 10 years in business. They have created special moments for customers with personalised jewellery, experienced many "pinch me" moments, and gained a celebrity fanbase including Coleen Rooney, Nicola Carragher, and Molly-Mae Hague.
When asked where they see the brand in 10 years, the friends predict their daughters might take over. Steph said: "I think that in 10 years' time, we will have Bella, my oldest, and Ariana, Charlotte's oldest, sat here with us telling you what their plans for the next 10 years, and telling us what we're doing."
For now, they focus on upcoming collections and a new podcast, 'Say It On The Sofa,' launching on July 1 with radio presenter Claire Simmo. Reflecting on the milestone, Charlotte said: "It's unbelievable. The fact that we're still sat here laughing. It's never been like a day's work in the whole 10 years. You know, we're so lucky to be best of friends. We've literally—and I kid you not—not had one cross word, have we, in 10 years, like over anything. We just—I couldn't wish for a better business partner and soul sister in my life."
Steph added: "When we first started, we either wasn't aware or there just wasn't that much competition. Now there is. The fact that people are still purchasing with us is huge and our Liverpool following will never let us down."
More information can be found on the Say It With website and social media platforms.
