I live in the Yorkshire Dales with my gorgeous partner Chris. I have two beautiful grown-up daughters and I am Grandma to Gracie & Poppy (I know, I don’t look old enough…).

How it all started…

My first foray into the world of Entrepreneurship was at the age of 11 when my aunt gave me a copy of Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course. My Mum had always encouraged me to cook from an early age and I enjoyed doing it. My aunt wasn’t so keen and asked me to cook some meals (which she chose) from the book she gave me, freeze them in portions which she would then buy from me. My first small business and before Ready Meals were a thing!

I am a natural marketeer and business builder – seeing and seizing opportunities that many don’t. I was always attracted to job roles that involved selling, growing, improving and/or shaping and often created big things that made a big and positive impact and also produced stunning results. I’ve worked in Retail, Healthcare, Tourism, Legal, the NHS, the Police Service and finally as a senior consultant within IBM Global Business Services.

The big break….

At the age of 42 I traded in the security of a job and decided to use my skills and experience to build my own business. I developed a passion for working with small business and the range of gift and artisan food products I chose to offer were all from other small businesses, many of whom were local. I was very proud of the people I worked with and loved hearing and telling my customers stories about who had made my product range and what was special about it.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, but it was all going the right way…

 I successfully grew a multi 6 figure business. I sold online, in Pop Ups, Farmers Markets, at Events. The way I sold over those years changed a few times but my passion for small and artisan never changed. I had a couple of shops in town and then in 2020, after a lot of planning and research, I opened a Farm Shop…..just 3 days before the first Lockdown….

The Covid Years…

The Pandemic was a huge learning curve for me. I had to pivot the business several times to rise to the challenges of the lockdowns. The shop remained open throughout and demand changed regularly as measures were tightened and relaxed repeatedly.  I was able to rise to the challenges presented to me and got through the Covid years.

However, it hadn’t been an easy ride and after a difficult Omicron ruined Christmas and start to 2022, the impact of steeply rising costs across the board together with a massive drop in sales as people changed their buying habits, meant that I just couldn’t make my numbers stack up anymore. I had to take the heart breaking decision to close the Farm Shop.

Almost 10 years in business and I’d found myself having to start all over again.

So what next?

During the weeks that followed, I knew I didn’t want to go and find a job, but I knew I’d need to do something. I found some consultancy work on a project with an organisation that supported entrepreneurs. Their clients came from all walks of life. Some wanted help to get their new businesses off the ground and others wanted to learn how to grow them.

Throughout my career and particularly when I ran my own business, training, coaching, and mentoring members of my team and many of the small business owners I’d met on my journey was always a feature of what I did. Giving back in the same way that people had helped and taught me over the years. I really enjoyed doing it.

My coaching and mentoring was impactful and my ‘students’ were getting fantastic results. I didn’t do the work for them of course, but I was able to guide, inspire, support and encourage.

I soon realised that losing the business I’d work so hard to build had presented me with a new opportunity. To use all that I’d learned over those 10 years and previously in my earlier jobs to help others grow their business. The feedback I was getting indicated (and really I knew deep down) I was good at it.

I studied to gain a certificate in Coaching and whilst I was studying and cementing my skills as a Coach, I began to build my own practice Flow Grow Flourish with Rob & Jill.

I’ve worked with Rob and Jill in past roles and in my retail business. I have huge respect for them both and I knew that including them in my plans and partnering with them, would enable me to bring such incredible value to our clients and we’d have lots of fun working together.  I cannot wait to see what the next 12 months hold for us and our clients.

Why Flow Grow Flourish?

It does what it says on the tin. We are all at our most productive and do our best work when we are in flow. When things feel easier, we are enjoying what we are doing, and it doesn’t even feel like work.

Running a business is a challenge. It will change you. You will grow – through the good times and the not so good. Growing your capabilities and your awareness enables you see and create other opportunities. I might look about the same as I did 10 years ago (albeit a bit older and heavier) but I am so much more than I was back then. I’ve done so much, experienced so much, commiserated, and celebrated. I really wouldn’t change a thing!

When we feel like we are in flow, when we learn how to grow, then we can flourish. Be the best we can be and start to live the life we want and deserve!