Charity Nichols

I've worked in retail all my career, spending 15 years working for John Lewis, one of the UK’s biggest retailers.

In 2006 I founded my own retail business, Green Tulip, which sells carefully sourced contemporary ethical gifts. We trade online from our warehouse in Wiltshire.

In 2007 a friend and I joined forces to open our shop - The Inner Yard. Based on a farm shop development on the edge of Salisbury Plain it's a quirky shop selling antiques, homeware and ethical gifts.

In 2008 my husband, Will, and I started up Green Pioneer - a distribution business focused on bringing stylish, ethical products to the European retail market. As well as representing a range of brands from the US and Canada we also now design and develop our own ranges.

Running these businesses alongside looking after the family keeps me pretty busy but I also enjoy walking in the Wiltshire countryside with friends and our beagle Lizzie, playing netball and watching rather a lot of rubbish tv!