Linda Winship

Name:

Linda Winship

Business:

Walkeazy

Web site:

www.walkeazy.co.uk

Years in business:

4

Number of businesses:

1

I always loved biology at school and felt I was lacking something in the jobs I’d done in sales and finance. I wanted to be able to help people and have more one to one contact with them. So I enrolled as a mature student and did a degree in podiatry – the study of the foot - with a view to opening my own clinic.

I studied with two young children aged five and two but thoroughly enjoyed the course. I wanted to provide a professional service with high standards of care for patient. Four years ago Walkeazy was born.

I opened my first clinic in North Road, Boldon Colliery. It’s relatively small premises with one treatment room but things took off very quickly. In one year I was working five days a week at the clinic and providing another day each week caring for people who were house bound.

The clinic was at capacity, giving us the opportunity to expand. I opened my second clinic in June last year in Stanhope Road, South Shields with four treatment rooms. It was very hectic as my sister and I bought the premises and we had to renovate the building for her to run an optician next door to my clinic. Now we rent space to a physiotherapist too and we also stock footwear.

We look after general maintenance of the foot but also do foot surgery and biomechanics – designing innersoles to improve posture. We also give advice on the diabetic foot as diabetics often have loss of feeling in their feet, so podiatry is a real blend of skills. I love the fact that people come in with pains and I can help and send them away feeling better.

I’ve had support from my husband Michael and my mother works one day a week on reception. Michael’s parents have also been amazing. Business Links gave us a grant to help buy equipment when we set up.

I would advise people setting up their own business to ask as many questions as possible and don’t take everything someone says as red – use other sources of information. You also need to be prepared for the hard work.

I would urge people interested in starting their own business to check out the competition and what they are doing wrong, and to seek independent honest advice.

I think the secret to success is keeping high standards and having staff who feel the same way.

My aspiration is to have a high street branded chain of Walkeazy Chiropody and Foot Care Centres across the country. People coming out of university are not necessarily business people so we can give people help and advice to set up a franchise.

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