david goldsmith - entrepreneurs - ifwecanyoucan.co.uk - inspiring entrepreneurship in the north east

-Member Profile Challenge Finalist >

Media partner:

Name:: David Goldsmith
Business:: Summerfield Photography
Web site:: www.summerfieldphotography.co.uk
Years in business:: 0.5
Number of businesses:: 1

Challenge Entrant

I went from living on Incapacity Benefit to becoming an entrepreneur by turning a lifelong passion into my livelihood.

I was medically...

view David Goldsmith's full story

my background>

" I was a DJ for over 12 years which I enjoyed, however I was getting too old for it! It didn’t fit my lifestyle anymore as the hours were unsociable and I now had family commitments. Following on from this, I became a light goods vehicle driver and continued this for over two years. I really didn’t enjoy this work and had only done it really as a stop gap. After that I became a post man for the Royal Mail covering Northumberland, which I did really enjoy. I worked my way up to special deliveries dispatch then I was accepted into the Royal Mail management training. Then I had my accident which changed everything as it put me out of work for two and a half years. I had thought about running my own business in the past as I believed it would be better to work for myself than someone else. If it goes wrong you have to deal with it but you get the glory too. My father ran his own business as a publican and hotelier so it has run in the family. "

why i want to win>

" It would be superb to win and has been absolutely fantastic to be a part of this competition. It has been amazing to come this far, and to win would just be out of this world. It’s on a personal level really – it would be an incredible achievement for me and my family who have supported me throughout, to be recognized as an entrepreneur .Being out of work was an enormous struggle, especially to a newly married man. Emotionally and financially it has been draining; however throughout I have focused on making a future from my hobby. I would love to be able to share my knowledge and experiences of starting up my own business. To share my passion and dreams with others, would be great and I wish to continue that on a broader scale. "

why i'm sure i'll suceed>

" Summerfield photography is using a slightly different approach to our photographic projects. Instead of telling customers what they are going to get we give them what they want, so it reflects their personality. Every job we do we are generating more business by word of mouth. The reputation is building up slowly but surely. We’re also doing charity work to put something back into the community. ‘Come as a stranger and leave as a friend’ , is our motto. We have now moved into premises in Morpeth and in the future I hope to expand into selling photographic equipment, using a different approach again by focusing on customer service and the product range. I’m sure I will succeed, because of our can do approach, and high customer standards. I believe building on these foundations and ensuring that all our customers are satisfied, Summerfield photography will thrive. I hope to have a shop in two to three years and in five years I hope to have a couple of studios with people working for us. Our goals are mapped out for us and by aiming for them we will succeed. "

my blog>

Thu, 05 Jun 2008

posted at 09:40:00

Thu, 05 Jun 2008

posted at 09:38:00

Fri, 30 May 2008

Well done to David for showing that being down doesn't mean being out. After hardship and bitter disappointment caused by an industrial accident, my hat is off to David for showing that starting over may be a daunting experience but through determination and a little support positive lifestyle changes are achievable and highly rewarding.

Excellent photography and great professionalism with a smile. Keep up the good work!

Wayne Flowers

Sedgefield

posted at 18:15:00

Thu, 29 May 2008

Fwd:

I have been busy the last couple of days, drumming up business for wedding and event photography. I have also completed some child portraits as part of a birthday party package which Margaret , the beauty therapist organised. This entailed a group of party girls having their hair and makeup done and then moving on for their hair styled, and ending up with their portraits taken.

Today, I have met up with a lovely couple who have just got engaged, and are organising their wedding photography.

posted at 18:05:00

Fri, 23 May 2008

Entrepreneurs Forum Annual Conference, Progres5ive'

I found the day completely inspiring and a great opportunity to glean pearls of wisdom from both those established business people who have made such a success of their businesses and also new entrepreneurs who are starting out like me. It was great to meet the other finalists and hear of their experiencesa which is the whole aim of the 'If We Can, You Can' campaign. The peer to peer support gave me such a boost.
Harvey Goldsmith was so inspiring and a lot of the things he said rang true for me with things that I have experiences in the last few months.
I spoke to so many great people and got lots of tips to take away with me. All is all it was a fantastic day.

posted at 15:25:00

Fri, 23 May 2008

Dave had an absolutely fantastic time yesterday at the Hilton Hotel, and after collecting him at 11pm, he had so much to tell me about all the people he had met throughout the day. This has been a big achievement for Dave and I don’t think words can explain how much it means to him to have come this far. Winning would be like all his Christmas’s come at once. I believe all the finalists are winners, and deserve to be recognised for this.

Sonia

posted at 08:50:00

Fri, 23 May 2008

If somebody had said to me a couple of months ago that I would be attending the Entrepreneurs forum at the Hilton hotel, I would have laughed out loud. What a fabulous experience it was.

I met some truly fantastic people; the highlights of the day for me were Harvey Goldsmith (no relation), Guy Browning, Angus Thirlwell, Charles Morgan and my fellow challenge entrants.

I particularly found Harvey Goldsmith fascinating. He spoke of his early days in business and how he had to make decisions to take him forward. I could relate to some of the situations he went through and admired his drive and determination to succeed.

I also gained some great contacts which I hope to follow up.

I was really looking forward to the evening. After getting changed for the black tie dinner, I sat with the other finalists before going in for the evening meal. Again Guy Browning amazed me with his humour. For me Jon Culshaw was the highlite of the evening. I have been a fan of his for a number of years, and he met my expectations, causing me to have sore ribs through laughing.

The evening gave me further opportunity to network, talking to the most interesting people gaining insight into their experiences in the journey of starting up a business to where they are now.

I would like to thank the entrepreneurs forum for inviting me to a fantastic event.

posted at 08:42:00

Mon, 19 May 2008

I think my husband has done fantastic and deserves to win. He has had a long and bumpy journey to get the where he is today. Winning this would mean so much to him and everyone who is supporting him,

Sonia

posted at 19:03:00

Mon, 19 May 2008

It really is fantastic to be a part of this competition, even better to be one of the finalists. I would like to congratulate my fellow participants. I would also like to thank all of my family and friends for all their support. I really could not have done it without you!

Summerfield photography has expanded in the last month, we are moving in to a state of the art Gym in a brand new building in Coopies lane industrial estate Morpeth. We hope that we will be fully operational in the next couple of weeks.

Over the weekend I was involved in a fund raising event for children’s charity so that has been a lot of fun and of course worthwhile. Today I have been shooting a portfolio for a hair dressing student for her final year at Northumbria University. This was based on a theme of Fire & Ice. We used two models in a local pub in Ashington it was really good fun.

posted at 18:11:00