This much I know: Claire Doyle

My earliest memory is flicking through my mum’s Hello magazines.

I loved looking at all the women in their long dresses, but my mum always gave out to me for wrecking the magazines.

I always had a love of fashion, but after school I did Business Studies at DCU and then I worked in the Revenue Commissioners, in taxation. I loved it. I’m methodical and enjoy sifting through information and really getting into a project, but I needed to do something to satisfy my creative side too.

I saw a gap in the market for a niche business, catering to professional women and tailoring clothes for each individual figure. Although I’m not formally trained as a designer, I’d worked for Louise Kennedy and have been sketching designs for as long as I can remember.

It was a hard area to break into. You need constant drive to run your own business, but I’m strong-willed and I don’t give up easily — if I’m in, I’m in. There are problems every day but I try to take one day at a time and work through each issue. The recession has brought huge challenges, but I’m holding my own and steadily growing my market.

I’ve dressed many powerful women including former President Mary McAleese, Attorney General Máire Whelan, Frances Fitzgerald TD and TV chef Rachel Allen in recent times. Anyone can come in and buy off the rack, or get something made to measure. We use wool and silks and everything is manufactured in Ireland which allows me to have great control over the quality.

I admire strongly motivated people. I have a very strong work ethic, I think I got it from my dad. He’s a retired army officer. He helped me believe that if I put in the hard work, anything was possible. I have two sisters and a brother and if any of us said we wanted to do or try something new, our parents would say ‘Why not?’, so it was a very supportive environment to grow up in.

This is a labour of love for me but I have great support and wouldn’t have got so far without it. My dad is great for business advice and I have a few women I can run things by on the fashion front.

I really believe Ireland is a great place to have a business and things really are improving — if only the banks would be more receptive to the needs of small enterprises. They’re advertising that they’re open for business and here to support us, but I don’t think that’s true. They need to become more aware of how small businesses are struggling, as we’re the ones who are going to bring Ireland out of this recession.

The people I’d most love to dress are Sabina Higgins, Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama.

The best advice I’d give to anyone wanting to start their own business is once you have a good project or service in mind, and know there is a market for it, not to think about it for too long, or you will never do it. At some point you just have to jump in head first and go for it.

I’ve two simple fashion maintenance tips — baby wipes are great stain removers as, unlike water, they don’t leave a mark on the fabric, and lemon juice is just the thing for getting rid of a fake tan mark.

If I could, I’d buy nothing but Chanel, although I wouldn’t have a lot of opportunity to wear it.

I’m a huge believer in fate. I’m used to people laughing at me when they hear me saying that something is or isn’t ‘on my map’ for me. But that’s how I think. I also believe that when one door closes, another one opens.

Claire Doyle’s boutique is in Suite 10, The Distillers Building, New Church Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7www.clairedoyle.ie or 01-8047226