WOMEN INTO BUSINESS AWARD WINNERS 2003

Sponsored by The Bank of Scotland Business Banking in association with the British Franchise Association, The Women into Awards were presented at the House of Commons on Thursday 27th February 2003.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN INTO BUSINESS AWARD 2003
Fiona Bruce, Fiona Bruce & Co Solicitors, Warrington

From left to right, Rt. Hon Lord Weatherill DL, Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland, Fiona Bruce, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Baroness Howe of Idlicote and Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon

Solicitor, Fiona Bruce set up her Warrington based law firm 12 years ago in her living room. In the early days, armed with ten pences and a note pad she was forced to make her telephone calls from a local phone box after her supplier cut her off after attempts to charge her additional rental for her own phones.

Now ten years on she has a turnover in excess of a million pounds, employs 30 staff including 10 solicitors. Fiona was the first ever-sole practitioner solicitor in the UK to achieve Investors in People.

Spotting a gap in the market whilst conducting a number of flat conveyancing transactions Fiona also founded a separate property management business, which now manages 175 properties.

Ten years ago she also founded a Free Legal Advice Centre - "The Drop In" in an area not serviced by a Citizens Advice Bureau. Run every Monday in a church hall and staffed on a rota basis by members of her staff, it provides free advice on all legal matters.

RUNNER-UP
Marilyn Stanford, ArtBreak, Co. Down



From Left to Right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Marilyn Stanford, Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

Five year's ago Marilyn Standford formed ArtBreak, an educational programme for primary school children in Northern Ireland.

Marilyn said: "At a time when our education system is struggling to maintain standards, parents are looking at ways to provide a better education for their children and are prepared to pay for it.

"Every child should have the opportunity to express themselves creatively but to do so they need to be taught the basic skills of art and design."

The programme takes topics from the National Curriculum including science, geography, the environment and history and was initially offered as a series of holiday schemes. Schools started to pick up on her work and were soon offering after school clubs to their pupils. The success of the programme has been tremendous. Now thanks to her business success she is offering the concept as a franchise opportunity.

She realised that she needed to raise her profile if franchising was going to be successful so approached BBC Northern Ireland with her own ideas for a children's television series based on her work. They not only commissioned her ideas but asked her to present the shows as well.

Now she is talking to the BBC as well as other networks in the hope of achieving a network series.

Her artistic work has won much acclaim - she has produced numerous commissions to carry out a number of commercial murals, including one for the Wildfowl and Wetlands trust.

3RD PLACE
Jo Hudson & Andrea Glover, the Property Search Group, Barnsley



From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland, Jo Hudson and Andrea Glover

Relinquishing promising careers and good salaries at NatWest Bank, Jo Hudson and Andrea Glover, in 1999 had heard of the Property Search Group's plans to franchise.

They had heard how Julie Hester a former policewoman had started a business providing personal searchers for solicitors and that as her business was growing she had opted for the franchise route.

They took the plunge as the Property Search Group's first pilot scheme and now operate in Rotherham, Doncaster, Sheffield and Barnsley providing a service for the property sector of the legal profession. Since starting in business they have built up a substantial client base and have expanded in-house with eight staff.

Jo and Andrea are currently the most successful franchisees out of a network of over 100 offices nation-wide turning over £20 million. Their initial investment was £10,000 and they worked initially from Andrea's home. As the business grew they soon found premises in the centre of Rotherham, of which they have outgrown three times.

They soon became first class role models for other franchisees seeking to join this dynamic company. Now with more than 127 clients they have seen their business increase by 25 per-cent each year.

They say that they gave up secure well paid jobs with promising careers, good salaries and a certain degree of comfort one gains from years spent with a major organisation to become "guinea pigs". By following Julie Hester's franchise formula they have built a business with a turnover approaching three quarters of a million pounds, with a healthy profit. But they say its not all about striving to have a successful business, but also being able to take control of their own lives. They have achieved this through franchising.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Consuelo Valencia-Farochilen, Farochilen Group of Companies, London



From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon Consuelo Valencia-Farochilen and Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

Consuelo Valencia-Farochilen 26 years ago arrived in London from the Philippines, alongside thousands of other migrant workers, on a work permit to work as a domestic helper. She left behind two young sons in the care of her husband. Coming to the UK to earn a living was a sacrifice for both herself and her family, but she admits she needed to earn money to help augment her husband's income.

Consuelo is now the Managing Director of the Farochilen Group of Companies. Her group of companies encompasses freight-forwarding, remittances, travel services, real estate, phone cards, groceries, Human Resources recruitment and publishing. It is the biggest business of its kind servicing mainly the Filipino community in the UK.

In 1986 she took the plunge, quit her job as a domestic helper and set up a freight forwarding business from her flat. Her excellent PR skills and her determination to succeed brought her an ever-growing list of customers. Today her company collects boxes and T chests from individual customers across the UK and ships them in around 40 containers every three weeks door to door delivery to the Philippines.

In the same year, Consuelo set up Farochilen Remittances, which also provided a door to door cash delivery service. With UK Filipinos sending money once or twice a month to support their families back home this was a niche market which she very quickly exploited by offering a reliable face-to-face speedy delivery, high exchange rates and low remittance fees. Traditionally a territory of established banks; her company was soon taking market share away from the banks.

Not content with the success of the remittance and freight businesses, Consuelo's company now also provides travel services as well as sales of phone cards and real estate in the Philippines.

In October 2002 she launched Tatak Filipino (Filipino mark), a mini-supermarket specialising in foodstuff imported from the Philippines and the Far East.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Esther Stapleton, Adosia Records, Nottingham



From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Ester Stapleton and Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

Esther Stapleton made history by becoming the first female gospel artist in the East Midlands/UK to start a gospel music record label. Adosia Records is based in Nottingham and is dedicated to producing quality music that is distinctive.

She achieved a degree in business studies from Nottingham Trent University in 1994 and used the knowledge gained to start her own business.

Success has meant that her "Debut ej Album" is being sold locally in HMV and Virgin Megastore, Nottingham. It is distributed nationally and internationally by JC Distribution Limited. The album has received rave reviews - as a result invitations to appear on local and international radio stations came flooding in, as well as TV appearances.

Adosia Records' clients have increased as a result of its success. Esther receives requests to write songs for civic receptions, the inauguration of the Lord Mayor of Nottingham. Esther was also approached to write a song to celebrate the success of the City Hospital Breast Care Appeal, which raised £6 million.

In December 2002, Esther was approached to join the City Growth Strategy Team; the aim of this initiative is to deliver inner city growth programmes to secure sustainable economic development and social regeneration of the area. The Treasury is keenly observing the recommendations, which will emerge from the Strategy Team working.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Donna Taylor, Top to Toe, Pontefract



From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Donna Taylor and Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

Former machinist, Donna Taylor (27) who lives in a former mining village, South Elmsall in Pontefract, West Yorkshire set up a very successful beauty salon after conquering severe post-natal depression. She says she even considered taking her own life.

With the help of a local business adviser she started as a mobile beauty therapist in November 2001 with just five clients. One month later she had built up her business to 49 regular clients.

She has now reduced the mobile side of the business and opened her own salon in the centre of South Kirkby, Pontefract just before Christmas 2002.

It was whilst she and her partner worked on their new home that she was diagnosed with appendicitis to find out also that she was pregnant. She was shocked, had a difficult pregnancy, couldn't eat or sleep and suffered deep depression. Towards the end of her pregnancy she suffered preaclampcia and diabetes. She went from a lively outgoing eight stone two, to being what she describes as a big fat, ill depressed mother to be.

She started a beauty course five months later after therapy. Her psychologist said it would be good for her to do a course.

Now Donna wants to let other women who have suffered anything similar to know that there is life beyond post-natal depression, anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Jane North, The Enterprise Agency, Brighton, Hove & Lewes - Brighton



From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Jane North and Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

Jane North is Chief Executive of the Enterprise Agency in Brighton, Hove and Lewes. She built the Agency into a flagship of business support to micro and small businesses.

The Agency provides business training, counselling, advisory services and networking opportunities, free, or at heavily reduced rates to would be entrepreneurs and established small firms and social enterprises. She employs three staff as well as 16 consultants.

Jane has achieved the highest percentage take-up by women of business services recorded by an enterprise agency (56 per cent).

Jane led a team, which scored a staggering 98 per cent satisfaction rating from local small businesses in 2002.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Sharon Doughty, MISSDOROTHY.COM Foundation, Essex



From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Sharon Doughty and Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

A witness and a victim of domestic violence, Sharon Doughty has 18 years experience as a successful TV presenter and journalist. Three years ago she took time out to create the Missdorothy.com Foundation, a registered charity dedicated to increasing children's understanding of feeling safe and promoting behaviours which contribute to a safe environment.

After catching the attention of Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela the charity has gained international status. She has developed Missdorothy.com as a national education brand in use in schools across the UK. The web site is now acknowledged as the safest web site for children in the UK and Dot Com has recently been appointed the child ambassador for the Prime Minister's digital village in Trimdon, Sedgefield.

Missdorothy.com's mission statement is "To advance the education of people under the age of 16 and to relieve sickness, disability, poverty, cruelty and hardship."

Sharon is a training and media consultant to the Metropolitan Police and a consultant to the BBC on family, child protection and domestic violence.

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Kay Potter, The Method Studio, London

From left to right, Simon Wise Deputy Director British Franchise Association, Rt. Hon Lord Howe of Aberavon, Kay Potter Doughty and Ray Macfarlane Head of Group Community Relations Bank of Scotland

Kay Potter left school at the age of 16 to become a secretary. She says that having come from a working class background, further education was never considered an option at home.

Now she heads a thriving enterprise that she formed when she seized an opportunity.

In 1990 she was appointed Administrator of the Lee Strasberg Studio, a drama school where she stayed until May 1996 when it suddenly closed. Students were left high and dry in the middle of term and Kay decided to seize upon the opportunity to set up The Method Studio London. This started to operate in June 1996, using the existing premises, the same teachers with many of the students enrolling.

The Method Studio is dedicated to the teaching of the "Method" a system of acting first devised and perfected by Constantin S Stanislavski, the original Director of the Moscow Arts Theatre.

At the age of 52 she says it never occurred to her that she might run her own business. She traded for the first year as a sole trader to make sure it worked, and then the studio was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee.

A few months after the company formed her co director Kate Jordan sadly died. This was a big blow. Kate managed all the business side. By coincidence she had recently met an old school friend that she hadn't seen for 30 years who happened to be an accountant. He now helps her with the business side.

In 2000 she started an agency for actors who now represents more than 60 actors where she finds them work in television, theatre, film commercials and corporate work.

 

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