Career Path: School Dinner Lady > General Manager > Set up Business
“I started my career as a school dinner lady"
My Story: I started my company at the height of the last recession initially working in my spare bedroom. I kept spending to a minimum and used an old wallpaper pasting table as a desk and banana boxes as filing cabinets. With a Government Allowance of £50 per week I set to work. I designed and printed my own headed paper. My House address was “Salt Lick”, which didn’t sound very business like so I set up a PO box address. Armed only with a telephone and directory I spent 6 months cold calling! To sound more impressive I often referred to “we” making it sound like a big business. I put together a business plan and lived the business 24/7. At the end of the first year my turnover was already £340,000 and I employed 16 people. We finally got an office which we have since grown out of 3 times! The rest is history.
Funny Story: When sitting in my spare room, in my jeans, trying to be all professional; I would phone and ask to speak to Chief Executives of large multi national companies and when they asked who was calling I would say “Robyn Jones”, I would then get the reply “put HIM through”. I found my name a huge advantage as people thought I was the secretary trying to put through her boss!