Jess Sleep


Business: Copper Co Bikes
What? Copper Electroplated Commuter Bikes


1.     How did the idea for your business first come about?
You know those moments where one word can trigger you to grab the closest napkin and write everything down? When Chris and I were out for drinks one night, we were talking about bikes as art, bikes which were personalised, and bikes which were stylish. Rapidly writing all our ideas down, we knew we were on a winner.

2.     When did you have a ‘f*ck-it moment’ and decide you were going to go all in and start your business
Pretty much, the way my mind works, is that if I think of an idea and 30 seconds later I can't think of a reason not to go ahead....I do it!

3. What were some major challenges you had when starting your business? And how did you overcome them? 
I think securing suppliers, learning how to work with an element like copper, and creating enough prototypes, until we were happy with our final product. Education and patience were our only ways to deal with this.

4.     What has been your biggest “pinch me” moment?
Our launch party was a pinch me moment. Having so many of our products in one room, and so many people taking photos of the bikes and complimenting us, & our product. It allowed us to stop to appreciate all the incredibly hard work we have put in.

5.     Starting a business can be gruelling -what keeps you motivated, and keeps you going?
I have an amazing business partner, and we keep each other motivated knowing that we share the passion of what we believe, is an amazing product.

6.     What do you do to create a work-life balance?
TBC :) In all seriousness, I have an amazing support group who will call me out if I've taken too much on.