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WBDA - Breaking Down Barriers For Women |
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Janice Towell: Austen Business Solutions Ltd
I am a graduate in Computer Science and an ACCA qualified accountant, with 2 years post qualification experience working in local authority and the charity sector. My husband, Graeme is a graduate in Chemistry with 25 years experience of chemical process development, site management and regulatory compliance. He has a post graduate certificate in REACH Management.
Why we set up our own business
I have, for a long time, wanted to run my own business and as some changes were about to take place within the company where I was employed I decided to leave and set up on my own.
I was not sure how to start and the thought of working for myself was  a bit scary, without the security of being employed. I thought that I may become isolated and I lacked confidence in myself.
I knew that Business Link provided help for people starting up in business, so I contacted them. Business Link then put me in touch with the Women’s Business Development Agency.
I then met with a business advisor called Carole Flanagan and attended a ‘Planning for Your Business’ workshop run by WBDA. Carole has provided a wealth of information and a structured process for thinking through the issues relating to our business. Having meetings with an advisor has helped me to be focussed and actually put down on paper our thoughts and plans and in doing so this has helped us think through exactly what these are and gave us the confidence to start up our own business.
On coming home from my first meeting with my business advisor, Carole, I talked through all she said with my husband. At the end of the year he is redundant from his current employment and had thought about becoming a Business Consultant. He had dismissed this idea previously as he did not want to be working alone. However, following our discussion it became clear to us that we could start a business together. This is now what we are doing. Working with someone else on starting up a business is great as we can discuss and agree how we move forward and celebrate our successes together.
So a big thank you to WBDA for your time to provide us with this invaluable information!
About Austen Business Solutions Ltd
My husband and I have established a new company called Austen Business Solutions Limited. We will provide Management Support and Consultancy based on our key competencies and experience:
Jan – Accounts and bookkeeping, financial control, finance system implementation and project management
Graeme – Interim operations management, management support/project management during site closure, Chemicals Regulations implementation and compliance, Health, Safety and Environmental support including risk assessments, audits and drafting of procedures.
What top tips would you give to other women thinking about starting a business?
"Get in touch with WBDA. They are very helpful and have lots of information. Find a buddy to work with, it’s much more fun than doing it all on your own."
For more information about Austen Business Solutions please contact Jan on 07798 812629 or emial her jan@austenbusinesssolutions.co.uk
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