Winner PA

Startup profiles go straight to the hub of the action by speaking to entrepreneurs who have literally just started up. We find out what made them decide to start their own business, how they got it off the ground, the obstacles they’ve overcome and the barriers they still face. We’ll look at their hopes and aspirations for the future, and then, in six months time, we’ll go back and find out how they’re getting on.

Name: Julie Winner
Age: 39
Business: Winner P.A.
Type of business: Secretarial / P.A.
Start date: July 2002

When did you first decide you wanting start your own business?
I have always wanted to be my own boss, but never been brave enough to take the plunge. When a natural gap came in my career I felt that this was the time to turn my dream into reality.

Tell us about your Winner PA
It's a home based secretarial / PA business, which offers assistance with all aspects of secretarial / typing work, answering service, database set up and maintenance and software training. I am what modern technology calls a Virtual Assistant!

Was it your first business idea and where did it come from?
Yes, it seemed a natural progression as I had done this sort of work my entire career.

Was your decision to start a business inspired by any other companies or individuals?
No, it was just the right time to go for it!

What makes you think there’s a market for your business?
Obviously, what I do is by no means unique, but offering a service that you can use as and when you need will save businesses, time, money, equipment and manpower.

Once you’d decided to start a business, what did you do first?
Canvassed my local area to see if the small businesses would be interested in my type of services and told all my City business contacts my plans.

What research did you do?
Mainly market research to local small businesses.

What advice did you seek?
I met with a representative from the East London Small Business Centre, for advice and to bounce my ideas off. I found the meeting very helpful, but felt that there should have been some follow up contact, which there wasn’t.

What other help did you get?
Great support from family and close friends, who encouraged me to stick with it.

Does the government need to provide more help to people trying to start a business?
Yes, although things have improved in recent years I still think advice is hard to find unless you do a lot of research. I personally have found information on grants and loans not easy to access.

Talk us through the process of writing your business plan.
To be honest I have never completed a business plan. At the time of starting out I just had mental and hand written ideas/notes and a keenness to get them under way.

Do you think you will use a business plan in the future?
I expect I will if I find the time, although my feeling is you can spend too much time planning when you should be pro-active.

How much did it cost to start the business?
Initially not much because I already had all the computer equipment. Advertising was the most expensive outlay, because they want money up front and you have no idea if this will ever produce new business.

How did you fund this?
Personal savings, I was not keen on taking out a loan, as I was still paying off an outstanding one.

Similarly, how are you funding your running costs until the business takes off?
Dipping into diminishing personal funds and living on a much tighter budget.

Have you made any provisions for business not being as prosperous as expected?
I try not to be extravagant and I haven’t had any holidays for the last two years.

When did you stop working?
I stopped full time employment and the 9-to-5 ‘rat race’ last year. I found the transition to working from home very easy, as my quality of life is so much better. It was still a big moment for me.

Are you working from home or from premises?
Working from home was always the easiest and most sensible option for my business. Being professional I don’t find hard, you still have to maintain a business-like approach on the phone or when you meet someone.
I don’t intend to change my location in the future unless of course I move house.

How many hours are you working at the moment?
It varies from week-to-week depending on the workflow and deadlines. At present I’m working on the computer about 6 hours everyday.

How are you managing your day and what steps have you taking to ensure you’re able to get everything done without working around the clock?
The advantage of working from home is that you can stop and take breaks whenever you need and I don’t mind working weekends and later in the evening, but I do draw a line at burning the midnight oil.

What about staff, is it just you?
Yes, I run a one man band. The hardest part is feeling isolated when you're sitting all day on your own working. In the long term if the workload got too much I would be happy to outsource, but it may only be on an adhoc basis.

Is the amount of red tape that comes with taking on an employee something that concerns you?
Having really thought about it yet in too much detail.

What marketing and advertising have you done so far?
Quite a lot and I’m always trying different methods. I started out advertising in the local press, but found this not very productive. I advertise mostly on Internet sites for small or women-run businesses, this is also a good source for networking, which is defiantly the way to go for generating new business contacts.

Where do you hope to be in 12 months' time?
In 12 months I hope to have doubled my client base and be financially better off, but just for my company to have progressed in the right direction will be enough.

What are the main obstacles to growth?
Mainly competition and a lack of finance.

How do you plan to overcome these?
To offer a good reliable professional service and therefore earn respect and word-of-mouth recommendations, which then lead to the increase in business and, of course, finance.

Tell us about your website.
Although not technically minded, I designed the web page myself and was proud of my achievement. I couldn’t afford to pay someone to produce an all-singing-and-dancing site, and I really only wanted the site to be factual and an introduction to me and the company, which I think it does.

What are your main ambitions, to make a lot of money or enjoy what
you do?
My plan isn’t to make a fortune, but to be happy with my life and not in too much debt. Having a better quality of life and enjoying what you do, for me, out-weights being really rich.

What have you found difficult about starting-up and what do you wish you’d done differently?
In hindsight, I maybe should have taken time to first write a business plan, and shown it to someone for advice, before launching into starting out on my own.

What skills and personal characteristics do you need to start your own business?
Strong will and determination; confidence in your ability to succeed.

So what advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting a business?
Don’t give up at the first hurdle, persevere, but make sure you know the area you are venturing into well and get plenty of advice.

Thanks a lot and the very best of luck. Will you come back and tell us how you’re getting on in six months’ time?

Yes, I look forward to it!

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