SPOTLIGHT
Beacons for entrepreneurs We all know that it isn’t easy to find a job in each new location when your home life is uprooted every few years, but there are some military wives based in and around Brecon in Wales who have found a different solution to the problem – entrepreneurialism. AJ Stanning tells us more...
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HERE’S a real burgeoning of talents and companies popping up on a local, national and even international level. Take Sarah Bedford-Smith who is running a successful graphic design company, Hatch Designs, from her dining room in the Brecon Beacons. She offers web and print design as well as full scale re-branding for all sized clients. There’s Petra Tester who set up “Leads’n’Feeds” which provides one-toone coaching for dogs and owners, dog walking, pet sitting and horse services.
‘If you are thinking of setting up a company yourself, it’s a lot easier than you might think’ 20 Army&You autumn 2013
Suzie Grant is a virtual PA, running the administration for a London-based company director, taking calls and arranging meetings from her dining room. And there’s me, AJ Stanning, I run a PR agency called Sharp Relations, specialising in food, drink and lifestyle clients, we help promote companies and organisations to their customers. I have around four members of staff at any given time all working remotely from across London and the UK. Portable business Sure it isn’t all plain sailing, we all need to get out and about to make our companies work. Be that travelling to London or other big cities every week or so to keep in touch with key contacts, or meeting clients at their homes and offices. @ArmyandYou