Julie Deaneis a graduate and former Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge – serving on the College Council as Registrary, the first female to be appointed to this role in the 650 year history of the college. Julie qualified as an ACA with Deloitte, working in the UK and USA.

Julie founded The Cambridge Satchel Company with her mother, Freda Thomas, in 2008 at her kitchen table just outside Cambridge. Investing just £600 to get the idea off the ground, The Cambridge Satchel Company is now a pioneering enterprise employing more than 120 people and experiencing phenomenally fast growth around the world. Julie is committed to preserving British manufacturing and is proud be employing many locally skilled craftsmen in her own Leicester based workshop whilst also supporting independent UK craftsmen who help meet the ever growing demand.

JULIE'S FAVOURITE SITES

Houzz - For everyone out there that enjoys peeping into other people's houses, this is a site brimful of clever ideas for making your home beautiful, and making the most of the space - indoor and outdoor, that we have. For all would-be interior designers and armchair gardeners and with the dark nights, it's a wonderful way to start planning for next year...

Etsy - A true marketplace for designers and craftsmen and women, truly unique gifts and a way to spot talent at a very early stage. The most imaginative Christmas shopping ideas that you won't find anywhere else. There's another reason I love Etsy... it allowed me to start selling in the early days of The Cambridge Satchel Company to a community appreciative of quality.

Despatch Bay - This site made growing my business a lot easier. In the early days, running the business from home, I often found myself standing in long queues at the local Post Office. Despatch Bay allowed me to access competitive shipping rates and offered a daily pick up. I still remember the excitement of having a shipping solution - sounds like a small thing but when you're starting a business, it's one step at a time and this step felt great!

TED - A great way to take a break, listen to an inspiring speaker - every time I visit this site I find talks that are utterly fascinating and completely absorbing. Dipping into this site encourages me to keep thinking big, it's a lift from the mundane, a place to be uplifted.

onefinestay - Tired of visiting cities as a guest? Try living as a resident - but not any old resident, a very stylish one. Properties we would love to live in delivered with utter professionalism. This is a new way to travel and well worth a look. Houses are sorted as suited for business, travelling with the family, prestige or explorer.

And my favourite app... Keepek - Expense recording and reporting is a necessary but tedious task. This app makes the process pain free and (almost) fun - syncs across devices and is beautifully designed. The reports can be tailored to suit the most demanding accounts department and emailed as a pdf.

Win a stylish Push Lock Satchel in Oxblood from The Cambridge Satchel Company's Pre Spring 2015 collection, worth £95, when you enter The GWG's Christmas Stocking Giveaway.

12 November 2014