Living proof that an old dog CAN learn new tricks!
No matter what anyone tells you, if you are running your own business and managing to make sales and stay afloat in today's economy - you are already doing well!
From a very young age I was a fast learner, and got my first job at only 15 years of age. It was working in a food kiosk at the main beach of my hometown in Australia, and to me it was the perfect job! Not only was I getting paid to sell ice-creams and soft drinks to the kids from my school all day long - but I was able to eat and drink as much as I wanted - and was sat staring across at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Back then it was the simple things that made me happy, and as I had come from a family who had no money whatsoever, I knew even then that I would have to work harder than anybody else to get ahead in life and do something incredible.
Over the six weeks of the Summer Holidays, I worked as much as possible and managed to save over $600 which my mum kept safe in the bank for me. I had this burning ambition back then that constantly drove me on, and rode my bike for miles every day to get to and from work. For the first time ever I felt that my life had purpose and thought that I was going to take on the world. But that was 1985...
Fast forward 32 years to now, and I have lost count of the number of jobs that I have had since then. In Australia it is fairly standard practice to move around a lot - particularly in hospitality - in order to gain experience in a number of fields, but in the United Kingdom it is viewed as a negative thing.
I am 47 now and things have changed a great deal - and sometimes I think not always for the better. I have developed so many self-limiting beliefs that hold me back - even after years of work on myself - as there is so much experience and advice I have to offer and I constantly feel that burning need to contribute to the world brimming beneath the surface. It has been very frustrating not being able to channel this energy into a successful business before now, and whilst as a single mum my children always come first with me - my career has gone to the wayside and I feel like I have let myself down.
The memory of the girl that I was when I first started out still haunts me, but at long last with launching my own business - I have found what I was looking for all along, and no-one can take that away from me.
There is an enormous amount of satisfaction in being your own boss, and I initially came up with the idea for SPiN three years ago in 2014 when I wrote my original business plan. The logo was designed with Paul Nimmo, from PN Design and I scraped together the £100 I needed to get a full set of stationery designs produced.
Then I sat on these for two years as I was offered a full-time job with a local company, where I worked until 2016 when I was released because they ran out of work for me. And so I went back to the dole queue again - and then straight onto the Newstart Allowance Scheme where I revised my Business Plan and registered as self-employed in a new business called SPIN ADMIN with the HMRC. This was a very bold move for me as a single mum with two children to feed, and I had no idea whether I would make any money or not.
After taking the best part of seven years off in raising my children from 2003 - 2010, I went back to the drawing board and started from scratch again and learned everything I could get my hands upon. I have done the full ECDL Computer Driving Licence course with all the Microsoft Office packages (as so many things have changed), Bookkeeping, Payroll, Financial Accounting Procedures, Bar and Food Hygiene courses, Health & Safety, First Aid and Customer Service.
In 2015 I taught myself how to use Twitter, and had already been using Facebook and blogging for nearly ten years - and set up Google and Google Plus profiles and collections.
I had started a shop on Ebay in Australia back in 2006 when the kids were little so that I could re-sell their clothing and bought my first digital camera after originally having an old SEO, and taught myself how to use it, then upload and edit photographs. I have always loved photography, but discovered that my personal favourite is using macros so that I could capture the detail up-close and personal - I still use this as much as possible and share my photos on Facebook, Youpic and Photobucket. I haven't even tried to sell any so far, but it is on my list of things to do before I turn 50!
The children and I didn't know many people when we emigrated from Australia to Scotland in 2006, so I took them out to festivals, and gala days and restaurants. I have turned this into a hobby of sorts, and started documenting and reviewing all of the places we visited on Trip Advisor. I have since taken thousands of photographs of our travels, and have had excellent results as a Level 7 Restaurant Contributor.
In 2017, I turned this hobby into a new business and created a Limited Company by Guarantee called The Kilmarnock Supper Club in an effort to meet new people who liked Food & Wine. I launched a group on Facebook and within the first week we had 100 Members, and our first meeting was held in a local restaurant where 15 people showed up. Our group initially met for coffee every Saturday afternoon, with dinner every two weeks - but interest lapsed during the Summer period and we took a break. Now we meet regularly for dinner every two weeks in smaller numbers, but the Company is still here. There is no charge for Membership to the group, and it is a not-for-profit enterprise, but I expect members to be kind, courteous and respectful to each other. Some of the members have been removed from the group, and I have a Zero-tolerance Trolling Policy because it is not a Chat Room.
The best part of this project has been meeting new people, and putting my talents to use which had been wasted for many years performing menial tasks in part-time employment that fit around school hours. For the first time ever, I have wholeheartedly been 100% accountable for developing a project from the start - and the concept and vision for the entire ethos has been my own and I am so proud of it. I am 100% responsible for everything created, and the marketing activities developed for this project has been some of the best work that I have ever done!
Most of the administration involved in running the group has been on Facebook. For the initial launch I created Facebook advertisements aimed at my target market, and posted the invitations to various local community groups. Members are not accepted automatically and the only way to join is via the Group Page where a Membership request can be made which is subject to approval by Admin. All of my events are created in the Group Events Calendar, and these are tagged and linked to the Venue, the proposed Menu and price are included and invitations sent out to the entire group. RSVP's can be given by Members via this Event Calendar page, and final numbers are given to the venue the day before. It is an excellent system that works well and it could really not be simpler.
Initially I began a blog, but resorted to interacting with the group via Facebook as much as possible, and writing posts/creating polls on a weekly basis. Sometimes feedback and conversations are slow, and all posts made by the individual group members are now subject to approval from ADMIN before they are published. I find that most of the people come out of their shell when we get together in person, and we all make a point of encouraging each other to be brave.
I use Twitter quite a lot, and it is has been very effective for raising the profile of the group within the community as a whole, but not for communicating with the individual members. My primary focus in creating this group was to encourage people to get out of their homes and get off the computer, and socialise with others in a safe environment and that will never change. I also do not charge for my time or for Membership fees and do not make any money whatsoever from our activities. The satisfaction that I get from using my talents to do good in the world, has done more for my self-confidence than I ever could have imagined. I have learnt so much in such a short time, and believe that true success can not always be measured in material possessions alone...