Backpacking gave us an idea for a business ten years ago

Ten years ago, I was travelling with my boyfriend Tom Lane when we decided to cut our backpacking journey short, as inspiration stopped us in our tracks. Whilst hiking the coastline between Barcelona and Monaco in 2013, we hit on the idea of creating a bracelet that could record travels, adventures and experiences.

Returning to the UK earlier than expected, we couldn’t get the idea out of our minds, and so decided to launch a business, El Camino Bracelets, on 27 December a decade ago. That small idea has clearly resonated around the globe, as El Camino Bracelets have been bought by 77,034 customers in 89 countries – and we’ve achieved a multi-million pound turnover.

So what is the secret of our brand’s success? I believe it’s down to resilience. Looking back, I’m so pleased Tom and I stuck to our guns all those years ago and turned our dream into a business - and what a journey it has been! An El Camino bracelet is ideal for travel lovers and those who wish to commemorate special moments, as each bracelet is bespoke, so can feature destinations explored or milestones reached. And this in turn makes an El Camino the most thoughtful and unique gift, which is why I think we have so many loyal wonderful El Camino customers of all ages all over the world. It really helps that no two El Camino’s are the same, as each El Camino is as unique as the wearer’s travel story. We’ve witnessed so many moments being commemorated - everything from climbing mountains to oceans sailed, to personal mottos. There’s even a Merry Christmas Step! We’re also proud to say that since day one, El Camino bracelets and necklaces continue to be handmade in the UK.

El Camino Bracelets in Numbers

·         77,034 customers have bought an El Camino Bracelet in the last ten years.

·         El Camino Bracelets feature Steps that can commemorate places travelled, special anniversaries, and personal milestones. Over 500,000 Steps have been sold to date.

·         El Camino customers live in 89 countries around the world.

I also asked my Co-founder Tom Lane, for his thoughts. Tom believes our approach to marketing has been integral to El Camino’s growth strategy.

In Tom’s words; “Almost all of El Camino Bracelets’ new customers are acquired through word of mouth or social media. We love it when we check our post sales survey and see so many of our customers found out about us through word of mouth as it means our older customers are happy enough with our products to recommend us to their friends or family. The fact that over 50% of new customers purchased from us as a result of recommendations from someone else that was enthusiastic enough to talk about our products give us a great feeling. Our returning customer rate is also exceptionally high, so we must be doing something right!

Aside from this, we rely heavily on social media to direct new and repeat customers to our website. We have a very strong organic reach which is also supplemented by paid advertisements. We spend a lot of time and energy in creating new and interesting content which people are keen to interact with. It's really interesting to see which posts perform really well and which posts didn't really hit the spot. We're always learning, trying new things and consistently moving in the right direction.”

Launching this business has also meant that since 2013, Tom and I have been able to raise £18,300 for several charities close to our hearts, including the World Land Trust, Surfers Against Sewage, Cool Earth and NHS Charities. This is quite the legacy and one we hope to build on in the next ten years of our business.

El Camino Bracelets prices start from £26.99 for bracelets, £34.99 for necklaces, and Steps from £10.49.