To many a global pandemic would seem a strange time to leave paid employment and set up your own business.

But that hasn't stopped one budding entrepreneur from New Ash Green making a success of it – all while grappling with a newborn baby, Brexit delays and earning the plaudits of a former Dragon's Den star.

Simon Cornelius, 39, set up his product design and marketing business from his spare bedroom days before the first lockdown last year.

Prior to this the design engineer lived a "nomadic" lifestyle working for big companies such as Dyson and Renishaw and travelling around the UK for weekly business meets.

The former Northfleet School for Boys pupil has designed everything from dog waste bin openers to gaming accessories and a device for racing yachts.

He would often stay overnight on work trips two or three times a week but the hustle and bustle routine soon caught up with him.

After Simon and wife Lucy, 38, welcomed their first child, son Leo in October 2019 he felt compelled to spend more time with his young family.

Simon, originally from Gravesend, said: "I was travelling up to Manchester on a weekly basis having to stay in a hotel.

“It was fine when it was just me and my wife but when she fell pregnant it became a bit of a burden for us.”

Shortly after the couple had their “eureka moment" and decided to combine Simon's design and marketing skills with Lucy's PR background and set up their own venture.

By December the young dad had handed in his notice and began the process of registering with Companies House.

Then the first lockdown hit.

"That happened to coincide with us incorporating the business, literally four to seven days before lockdown," he said.

"We kind of knew it was going to happen but at that point it was too late."

Initially, Simon had secured clients offering 6 to 12 month contracts but due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic many backed out.

The product designer found his last employer had already sourced his replacement and the couple found themselves in a difficult spot.

"We were stuck really, we had made this decision," adds Simon.

But losing that "comfort zone" actually proved to be the making of the business he explained, as it had forced them to "hunker down" and narrow their focus.

"It has been difficult I won't say it has been a walk in the park," he said.

"We still have to work very hard to get new clients but we have done very well and I think this is down to building the process from the very beginning."

One of the biggest challenges the couple has faced during lockdown has been juggling childcare responsibilities with working from home.

"The novelty quickly wore off when you had a screaming baby," said Simon. "You are not switching off, you are basically being a business owner and a father."

Zoom and a reliable broadband connection has been a saviour, he explains.

"I'm very fortunate my wife is very supportive," he said.

"She allowed me that freedom to cut myself off, put myself in another room and sometimes put my headphones on and drown out the noise."

Simon discuss the challenges of working from home and growing a business from scratch in lockdown

Although in practice Simon confesses it is not always easy to draw boundaries between work and home life.

"You are sitting there working and can hear some commotion and you want to go and help so the lines do blur," he added.

One of the other big challenges the young couple have faced has been the inability to network.

Simon said: "We joined some online networking events which in fairness were pretty good and by good fortune picked up some clients from those."

But "virtual tables" he adds are no substitute for face-to-face interactions where you can float between conversations.

Brexit has also had an impact on their new venture which relies heavily on 3D printers and other computer aided design machinery.

"Dare I say it Brexit and Covid at the same time," explains Simon. "Just getting equipment for the business has been really difficult."

Things as simple as getting a webcam took the designer nearly two months with prices inflated by demand.

"Add to that some of the specialist equipment we buy because we don't buy standard computers, getting the components has been a challenge and there has been delays." he added.

Pricing has also impacted clients, many of which are finding the costs for container shipping to "still be prohibitive", Simon says.

"A lot of my clients are suffering as a result of that."

Despite these challenges the business has been a success and Simon recently moved out of the spare bedroom and into a new office space in nearby Fawkham.

He plans to grow the team and offer job opportunities to people in Kent having already taken on a new freelance designer.

But the venture has not been without its challenges and Simon confesses at times to finding it hard going it alone.

The most difficult moment coming just days before landing their first client when he contemplated packing it in.

However, he adds if he can offer any advice to new start-ups it is to get a plan in place and "don't give up".

Simon also advises against "selling yourself short" and making sure to value and price your services competitively and not just to attract custom.

Last month Cornelius Creative got the nod of approval from business tycoon and former Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis.

Marketing director and wife Lucy tweeted the retail mogul during ‘Small Business Sunday’, and was one of the six weekly winners to gain a retweet by Theo to his 500,000 Twitter followers.

The couple are busier than ever but Simon says outside of working hours they enjoy "slowing the pace down".

"Not having to rush up to London to get a train, I feel like my blood pressure and heart rate has reduced. I feel like a bit of a weight has gone."

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