Celebrating Small Businesses!

Caroline

Caroline, the driving force behind The Kitchen Table Teacher, shares her inspiring journey of empowering parents and bridging the gap in primary education with the invaluable support of PeoplePlus and Start Up West Yorkshire. Caroline's venture seeks to equip parents with the knowledge and confidence to support their children's learning, addressing a crucial need in the educational landscape.

With 30 years of experience in primary teaching and senior leadership, Caroline understood the pivotal role parents play in a child's educational journey. Recognising the widening gap in parents' understanding of primary education, she aimed to empower parents who felt disengaged or lacked confidence due to drastic changes in teaching methods.

The Kitchen Table Teacher's innovative approach involved running informal information groups for primary school parents. These sessions, conducted in the parents' safe spaces, aimed to teach English and math concepts, re-empowering parents and fostering a positive relationship with their children's learning.

When Caroline joined Start Up West Yorkshire, she sought support in various aspects of starting and running a business – systems, legalities, planning, marketing, budgets, and more. The staff at Start Up West Yorkshire proved to be instrumental in providing guidance, answering questions, and offering expert advice where needed. Online training sessions covered a wide range of topics, and Caroline particularly appreciated the hands-on support during budgeting and cash flow sessions.

The results of participating in the Start Up West Yorkshire programme are evident in Caroline's newfound confidence and equipped mindset. While financial results are still emerging, Caroline is focused on realistic business goals, deadlines, and developing a strategic system for recording impact data.

Looking ahead, Caroline plans to register her business with HMRC and aims to turn the current financial year into one of profit. Her vision includes taking more work online to enhance efficiency, developing passive income streams, and expanding her services to include parental engagement systems for schools.

Reflecting on her experience, Caroline shared, "I have loved learning a whole raft of new skills, being wholly supported by incredible experts, and extending my network. I feel much more knowledgeable and prepared to develop and run my business."

As Caroline continues to empower parents and shape the future of education, her journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Chris

In the heart of West Yorkshire, in Wakefield, Chris Lord, founder of The Virtual IT Director Ltd, is changing the game for small and medium-sized businesses. With a passion for technology that sparked at a young age, Chris turned his dreams into reality, climbing the ranks from tea-maker to Technical Director at an IT company over 23 years.

Recognising a gap in the market, Chris birthed the idea of a subscription-based virtual IT director service for SMEs. In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, businesses were struggling to navigate the complex world of IT vendors. The Virtual IT Director emerged as the bridge, providing personalised guidance on everything IT-related, from product choices to cost management.

However, Chris's mission extends beyond profits. His true "buzz" comes from helping people. Through the Wakefield Technology 4 All Hub, he supports families, schools, charities, and more with free recycled IT equipment and professional IT services. The impact has been profound, touching the lives of countless individuals and organisations.

Start Up West Yorkshire, played a vital role in Chris's journey. They provided validation, constructive feedback, and the confidence to boldly present his offerings to the world. Through their guidance, Chris rediscovered forgotten skills and propelled his business to success.

Now, six months in, The Virtual IT Director is thriving. Chris has achieved profitability, established a strong pipeline, and is planning for expansion.

Reflecting on his experience with Start Up West Yorkshire, Chris states, "It’s a top-class service. If you want your new business to have the best chance of success, you’d be a fool not to take advantage of these industry experts."

Geraldine

Geraldine, the visionary founder of Heart School, shares a tale of success, thanks to the support of Start Up West Yorkshire and PeoplePlus. Nestled in the picturesque Calderdale region, Geraldine's journey from an artist and musician to the driving force behind Heart School is a testament to the impact of tailored business support.

Heart School was conceived with a noble mission — to provide a holistic creative wellness service to individuals, institutions, and businesses. Geraldine, having spent six years in formal further and higher education, recognised the need for a service that extended beyond academic and art-therapeutic environments. Drawing from her background as an artist, musician, and writer, she set out to integrate the best approaches from academic, creative, wellness, and therapeutic contexts into Heart School.

When Geraldine approached Start Up West Yorkshire, her business had strong branding and social media awareness, thanks to her creative background. However, she lacked a solid understanding of practical and financial business principles. The concept of viewing her offerings as a product or service was new, and she sought guidance to make her humanitarian and wellness-focused endeavour feasible and sustainable as a business.

Start Up West Yorkshire stepped in, providing a range of in-depth workshops on bookkeeping, financial planning, marketing, and social media. Geraldine worked closely with her coach, Jelani, who offered valuable 1-1 catchups, providing space for reflection, specific suggestions for focus and prioritisation, and deadlines for accountability. A dedicated mentoring session on website SEO ensured her online presence was visible and searchable.

Reflecting on her experience, Geraldine expressed, "Start Up West Yorkshire provided vital support at a pivotal point in my journey, which I feel really made the difference between successfully launching and potentially abandoning the idea altogether. It's thanks to Start Up West Yorkshire’s support that I can proceed with Heart School with confidence."

Looking forward, Geraldine's plans for Heart School include expanding online content, attracting more coaching clients, creating digital products, and hosting in-person group events. Long-term ambitions involve bringing holistic creativity and wellness workshops to educational and corporate environments, organising retreats, collaborating with other practitioners, and establishing a community space or hub.

As Heart School continues to evolve, it serves as an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs in Calderdale and beyond.

Meg

Meg, the visionary founder of Meg J Gardner, unveils her journey of crafting a sustainable, bespoke fashion brand in Kirklees, with the invaluable support of PeoplePlus and the Start Up West Yorkshire programme.

When Meg approached PeoplePlus, her business was rooted in the bespoke realm, providing tailored garments directly to customers. Her vision, however, extended beyond customisation, aiming to transform Meg J Gardner into a ready-to-wear, business-to-business enterprise, contributing to a shift away from the fast fashion culture prevalent in the North's fashion industry.

Meg's motivation to start the brand stemmed from a desire to build a career in the North that steered clear of the fast fashion narrative dominating the region's fashion scene. She wanted to create an opportunity for herself and others seeking an alternative to the fast fashion model.

In seeking support from PeoplePlus, Meg was looking for guidance in growing her brand and navigating the transition from bespoke to ready-to-wear, balancing both consumer and stockist needs.

The dedicated business coach at Start Up West Yorkshire played a crucial role in Meg's journey. Regular meetings, support, and valuable advice were instrumental in the business's growth. The range of webinars offered by Start Up West Yorkshire covered diverse topics, from marketing to the financial aspects of business, providing Meg with a wealth of information and skills to build upon.

The results of Meg's participation in the Start Up West Yorkshire programme are evident in the accelerated growth of her brand. Access to webinars and the support offered by PeoplePlus expedited her journey, making it quicker and smoother than it would have been otherwise.

Looking to the future, Meg has exciting plans, some of which are confidential but will be shared on social media and websites.

Meg summarises her experience, stating, "A fantastic experience and opportunity to expand on knowledge and grow skillsets."

Sophie

In the heart of West Yorkshire, Sophie, the creative force behind Ink & Bear, embarked on a journey with the support of PeoplePlus and Start Up West Yorkshire. This venture, known for its engaging printmaking workshops and the popular bi-annual event, Super Seconds Festival, recently took a significant leap forward thanks to the guidance and assistance received through the programme.

Sophie, who had been juggling her passion project with a full-time job, made the bold decision in June 2022 to devote herself entirely to Ink & Bear. Seeking support in this pivotal moment, she turned to Start Up West Yorkshire for guidance on marketing, SEO, and overall business strategy.

At the time, Sophie's focus was not only on her well-established printmaking workshops but also on a budding mentoring service for small businesses, named The Creative Incubator. This new initiative aimed to provide meaningful and actionable plans for businesses.

Andrew, a key figure at Start Up West Yorkshire, recognised Sophie's unique needs and connected her with two experts. The goal was to bolster her marketing efforts, particularly for an online marketplace event, and enhance her understanding of SEO for The Creative Incubator.

Facing the challenges of limited time, Sophie worked closely with Suzi over two impactful sessions. Suzi, an SEO expert, not only filled the knowledge gap but also nudged Sophie towards the creation of two separate websites for her distinct offerings. The collaboration proved fruitful, with the second session providing in-depth feedback after Sophie had implemented the suggestions.

Reflecting on her experience with Start Up West Yorkshire, Sophie expressed her newfound confidence in marketing ideas and the practical implementation of SEO across her three websites. She emphasised feeling integrated into a supportive network of businesses, with PeoplePlus standing out as a reliable resource for future support.

Sophie now serves as a business mentor, extending the benefits she gained to her clients in the Leeds City region.

Looking ahead, Sophie envisions further growth for The Creative Incubator, with plans to expand one-to-one sessions into ongoing group programmes, online and in-person training, and networking events.

Sophie has said the following about her time with Start Up West Yorkshire, "Andrew really understood what I needed at this stage in my business and linked me up with two experts who were able to help me with SEO and marketing. Both experts helped me to think through my ideas and gave me new strategies to implement to push my business to the next level. The SEO session was especially useful as I had a significant gap in my knowledge with regards to how to make my website really work for me; Suzi was really able to help me, and now I’m much more confident with SEO and the big impact it can have on my business."

As Sophie continues to shape her creative vision, the community around her thrives, exemplifying the spirit of innovation and collaboration that defines Start Up West Yorkshire.