Five independent North East small businesses with bags of personality

Sit & Stay NE offers fully insured pet sitting and wedding dog chaperone services across the North East.

Every dog gets dedicated, one-to-one care built around their own needs, routine and personality.

And this might be a bit biased but Emma is one of my oldest friends and is an absolute angel.

The wedding bit is the cool bit though.

Loads of couples want their dog there on the big day, but nobody wants to be holding a lead while they're trying to get married.

Sit & Stay looks after the dog so they can be part of the day without anyone stressing.

Emma's reviews are second to none.

Find her on Instagram at @sitandstay_ne.

Glitching Beauty is an independent, appointment-only nail studio in Heaton.

Rikki specialises in natural nails, gel and hand-painted art.

What makes it stand out for me is who it's built for.

Appointments are sensory-friendly, neuroinclusive and LGBTQIA+ inclusive.

For a lot of people a salon can be a stressful place to be, and Rikki has designed the whole thing around making it feel safe.

I really love the whole vibe and think it deserves some recognition!

Book through linktr.ee/glitchingbeautyuk and follow @glitchingbeauty.

Guybrows is a private men's grooming and skin studio.

Luke offers expert brow grooming and advanced skin treatments in a relaxed, discreet setting, and he goes for natural-looking results.

That "discreet" bit is smart.

Loads of lads would quite like their brows sorting but would rather not do it in a busy salon window.

Luke has built the business around that exact feeling.

The impression I got from Luke's socials is that he really cares about comfort for his clients, which will keep people coming back.

Follow Luke at @_guybrows.

Nice Face Apparel is a tattoo-inspired clothing brand with charity right at its core.

Phil donates 20% of all revenue to the ifucareshare foundation and a local mental health charity.

20% of revenue, not profit.

That's a pretty big commitment for a small brand, and it means every tee does a bit of good on its way out the door.

I'm here for it.

I actually purchased from Phil recently and he was a gem and even added extra goodies in for me.

Impeccable vibes.

Shop at nicefaceapparel.co.uk and follow @nicefaceappareluk.

Katie is an artist working across abstract painting, sculpture and printing.

She makes multi-medium work, custom murals, cushions, wallpaper and an exclusive tote bag collection, and she owns and runs Katie's Craft House studio in Whitley Bay.

So she's an artist and a business owner and a space-maker all at once.

You'll see her again in our roundup of places bringing creatives together because I just think she is a powerhouse for creativity and that's what I LOVE (obv).

Find Katie at crafthousene.co.uk and @katie_brydon_artist.

If you run your own business, have a look at these five and ask yourself one question:

What makes me different?

It's really worth nailing this because everything else is built on that!

And if you're running something independent in the North East, join the NAMI Creative Network.

It's free, and businesses with a bit of personality are exactly who I want to shout about.