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- In a strange way >

"In a strange way, the business has actually liberated my lifestyle. Antonia and I have both got young daughters and I..." Christian Cerisola

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- Working from home is something that I... >

"Working from home is something that I was sceptical about as I thought there might be too many distractions, but the..." Melanie Cornish

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- My mum had always drilled down my... >

"My mum had always drilled down my throat that I should never have to rely on a man as she had done, and it’s just gone..." Fiona Cruickshank

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- It’s about living with yourself at the... >

"It’s about living with yourself at the end of the day, being able to do something that you can make an impact on...." Angela Brown

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- What gives me huge satisfaction is that... >

"What gives me huge satisfaction is that I can look at my diary in the morning, and most of the things I’m doing I..." Fiona Cruickshank

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- I didn’t have any particularly... >

"I didn’t have any particularly materialistic goals when I set up the business like a villa in Spain or something. What..." Derek Curtis

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- I’ll be quite honest in that the weeks... >

"I’ll be quite honest in that the weeks running up to the opening of the new business were the most stressful of my..." Kaye Winship

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- I currently still work as a Nursing... >

"I currently still work as a Nursing Sister part time on evenings and my social life has taken a back step. But it is a..." Karen Forster

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- I received my final pay cheque last week >

"I received my final pay cheque last week and thought to myself… “Its all down to you Michelle!”…But over the last six..." Michelle Taylor

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- Success to me is not money >

"Success to me is not money, success is lifestyle. I believe that as a result of running my own business, I have..." Ross Cooney

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- Neither I nor my business partner... >

"Neither I nor my business partner Matthew has ever worked a 9 - 5 job so it’s hard to compare the difference in..." Kevin Owens

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- Setting up a business without doubt... >

"Setting up a business without doubt affects your lifestyle, financially in particular. I personally have chosen not to..." Ceyhan Mihcioglu

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- In order to be successful >

"In order to be successful, you need to have tenacity, determination, and be able to take knocks along the way. People..." Sir Tom Hunter

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- I had a friend helping me >

"I had a friend helping me but at the moment I’m doing everything on my own. On average I’m doing six to eight jobs per..." Alison Stanley

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- As a result of the business I’ve got no... >

"As a result of the business I’ve got no financial worries. It’s January now and I haven’t paid myself yet; I’ve still..." Alistair McLean

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- It’s been difficult because at the end... >

"It’s been difficult because at the end of the day I haven’t gone from a highly paid job to taking the plunge. I’ve..." David Goldsmith

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- The business has been going for four... >

"The business has been going for four months and I can honestly say I’ve really enjoyed it. Running your own business..." Anne Larvin

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- I was a bad fit in a bureaucracy as... >

"I was a bad fit in a bureaucracy as well as something of a rebel so had had to work very hard to get promotion. I feel..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- You have to be prepared to put in the... >

"You have to be prepared to put in the hours initially. Now though, I’ve got a great work- life balance. I make a..." Alistair McLean

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- I haven’t looked back >

"I haven’t looked back. I really enjoy running my own business, especially the flexibility and freedom that comes with..." William Ingram

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- A personal challenge I faced was the... >

"A personal challenge I faced was the fact that I had to run the website from home and in my spare time whilst still..." Les Calvert

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- It’s not easy >

"It’s not easy, and there’s a lot of work involved. To run your business you need complete dedication and commitment to..." William Ingram

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- Running your own business is very dem >

"Running your own business is very demanding but the job satisfaction is in a different league. Knowing that you stand..." Terry Barnett

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- I eat >

"I eat, dream and sleep Shoo Fly. I’ve just taken on a small studio to rent in the Yorkshire Dales as a retreat for the..." Anne Curtis

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- I remember that first day in the office >

"I remember that first day in the office. I sat by the phone with my hand trembling thinking, shall I pick up the phone..." Sarah Taylor

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- There’s plenty of perks >

"There’s plenty of perks. I’ve just been invited to the Sunderland mayor’s drinks evening for people who make a..." Jonathan Wells

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- The business has shown me that I made... >

"The business has shown me that I made the right choice to start in 2006. My children are happily settled in school..." Anh Mao

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- I was talking to a friend of mine... >

"I was talking to a friend of mine recently whose situation is exactly how I think I would have ended up if I hadn’t set..." Pete Hunt

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- We’ve received an offer for i-snapshot... >

"We’ve received an offer for i-snapshot in this current funding round to re-locate it all to America which is probably..." Alan Timothy

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- I love running my own business >

"I love running my own business, I have complete freedom to come up with new ideas to push the company in exciting..." Tom Bivens

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- You never really switch off when you... >

"You never really switch off when you have your own business. If your phone rings when you’re on holiday and its about..." Greg Phillips

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- I never had tonnes of confidence >

"I never had tonnes of confidence, but I’ve got a lot more since I started the business. I’m having the best time in..." Angela Brown

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- A lot of my friends who I went to uni... >

"A lot of my friends who I went to uni with go to work on Monday and they go through all the motions and everything, but..." Greg Phillips

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- On the lifestyle front the hours are... >

"On the lifestyle front the hours are great. One of my reasons for starting my own business was to get more work life..." Sue Harris

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- I’m always thinking of things that can... >

"I’m always thinking of things that can improve my business. Before I always had free time on weekends but now I have..." Steve Mbara

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- Building a business- it’s an adventure >

"Building a business- it’s an adventure, it always is. But at the end of the day, you realise that the buck stops with..." Louise Allcroft

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- It can be hard being a 17-year-old... >

"It can be hard being a 17-year-old entrepreneur as sometimes you would rather be out with the lads. But if I’m given an..." Chris Emery

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- It’s sometimes hard to balance family >

"It’s sometimes hard to balance family and business, but not impossible. Working from home enables me to look after my..." Leanne Hodgson

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- I went from being very bored >

"I went from being very bored and disheartened when I was out of work, to being extremely busy and motivated when I set..." Vien le Wood

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- I don’t think any entrepreneur can say... >

"I don’t think any entrepreneur can say that money isn’t important. If you want to grow your business you need to earn..." John Hays

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- I think there was a sense of fear –... >

"I think there was a sense of fear – both myself and my business partner, Antonia - about taking the leap of faith that..." Christian Cerisola

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- People say that one of the downsides of... >

"People say that one of the downsides of running your own business is that you work harder and longer. But I don’t..." Jonathan Wells

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- The amount of times I’ve thought about... >

"The amount of times I’ve thought about going for a ‘nice little part time number’ just so I can have dinner with my..." Ann Oliver

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- Because we’re honest with our clients >

"Because we’re honest with our clients, they know our situation. The bottom line is, we work when we choose to. Their..." Christian Cerisola

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- The rewards you get at the end of the... >

"The rewards you get at the end of the day, even if you haven’t made any money, are fantastic. If you’re leaving work..." Chris Quickfall

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- I wake up everyday >

"I wake up everyday and feel more and more content. Starting this business is something I have always gunned for..." David Shannon

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- You’ve got to go out >

"You’ve got to go out and have fun with your co-workers because they’ll be more dedicated to work for you, and more..." Jamie Greenwood

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- I feel like we’ve got a pretty large... >

"I feel like we’ve got a pretty large responsibility to our client base, and we have an enormous investment in being..." Chris Quickfall

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- I find it really exciting >

"I find it really exciting, stressful, enjoyable and challenging at the same time. But I love it and wouldn’t change it..." Matt Scott

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- I wasn’t thinking I’ll make x amount of... >

"I wasn’t thinking I’ll make x amount of money, I just thought I’d be able to pick my son up from school, perhaps be..." Fiona Cruickshank

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- I actually think that running your own... >

"I actually think that running your own business can help you if you’ve got a young family. When my husband joined the..." Kari Owers

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- I have very much a creative approach to... >

"I have very much a creative approach to business with logical and realistic roots grounding me. I literally have a wall..." Sean Gerrie

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- I’d never have been happy in the... >

"I’d never have been happy in the corporate environment. It’s the reproduction of the same thing every day, and I’ve..." Fiona Cruickshank

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- Sometimes I think the business has had... >

"Sometimes I think the business has had both a positive and a negative aspect on my lifestyle. On the one hand, I get a..." Gavin Blowman

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- I focused on the things I was doing... >

"I focused on the things I was doing successfully at the time which was some work helping in the community. From that a..." Nickie Gott

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- I had three kids >

"I had three kids and a mortgage, but I guess I just have a propensity for risk, as long as it’s calculated. When I’m..." Roy Stanley

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- It did feel like a risk >

"It did feel like a risk. I remember when we got all the money transferred into the business bank account. I’d never..." Chris Quickfall

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- I’m still not sure I see myself as... >

"I’m still not sure I see myself as successful- it’s like happiness, how to you define it? I think if I am successful..." Lynn Gate

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- I know that I’ll experience more stress >

"I know that I’ll experience more stress, have to overcome more challenges, but I also know I’m about to have more fun...." Matt Stirland

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- I sleep better now that I own my own... >

"I sleep better now that I own my own business. I used to wake up in the night worrying about sales figures, the latest..." Jonathan Wells

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- It has been more hours >

"It has been more hours and work than I expected but it is really worth it. My youngest child loves dancing and helps..." Susan Pluse

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- To do a lifestyle snapshot at this... >

"To do a lifestyle snapshot at this moment in time, my lifestyle is more enriched not necessarily financially at this..." Sean Gerrie

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- It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever... >

"It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s long hours and I live and breathe it, but I really do love..." Clare Rutherford

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- When I meet friends of mine who have... >

"When I meet friends of mine who have normal, full time office based jobs and I describe my day to them and all the..." Ross Cooney

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- I’ve had next to no social life since... >

"I’ve had next to no social life since it started, but it hasn’t been an issue. I’ve been so absorbed by the business..." Lindsay Hogg

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- One of my main motivators is the fact... >

"One of my main motivators is the fact that I don’t have to go and work somewhere else. I’ve worked in London, and I..." Fiona Cruickshank

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- Having the business has meant that I’ve... >

"Having the business has meant that I’ve had to worry about finance less, I’ve been able to help my children more, and I..." Trudy Hindmarsh

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- In my business >

"In my business, I come out with an idea and I get really excited about it and start bashing out code, and out comes a..." Ross Cooney

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- I wanted to get to a stage where I had... >

"I wanted to get to a stage where I had flexible working times which were less 9am to 5pm. I’ve just taken on a second..." Nathan Robinson

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- Life is now non stop for the four of us >

"Life is now non stop for the four of us. We frequently do late nights and early mornings, occasionally neither- and..." Rona Askew

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- In the beginning I think I spent too... >

"In the beginning I think I spent too much time working. My girlfriend wasn’t happy and I didn’t spend enough time just..." Chris Quickfall

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- We’d always factored into the plan that... >

"We’d always factored into the plan that my husband might join me at some point. He’s a graphic designer and so would..." Kari Owers

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- When we were starting out >

"When we were starting out, the hours that we were doing were long and hard. But in reality you don’t really mind when..." Satish Shewhorak

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- A personal challenge which I faced was... >

"A personal challenge which I faced was going from the student lifestyle to managing my own business. I went from..." Pete Hunt

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- Like many business owners running... >

"Like many business owners running Pearsons has been a huge roller coaster of highs and lows! Since starting Pearsons..." Simon Pearson

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- In my personal life I’m much more... >

"In my personal life I’m much more relaxed. I get to spend more time with my daughter, and if she ever needs me I can..." Antonia Clifford

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- It hasn’t been ( >

"It hasn’t been (and still isn’t) plain sailing, but the rewards for your own achievements are tremendous. It’s..." Nancy Haughey

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- Although the business consumes me at... >

"Although the business consumes me at the moment and is a lot of hard work, it’s also a lot of fun." Clare Tucker

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- Being in control of your time... >

"Being in control of your time management is a somewhat liberating lifestyle joy, motivation can often feel like it..." Sean Gerrie

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- Owning your own business can be very... >

"Owning your own business can be very demanding. I have three children and a lot of financial pressures. I work seven..." Geoffrey Johns

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- I work 7 days a week >

"I work 7 days a week and have yet to take a wage as all the money is going straight back into the business at the..." Fiona Houghton

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- It has had its ups >

"It has had its ups and downs and it has been hard at times but I am thankful I nearly have the first year under my belt..." Naomi Johnson

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- The first day in the office was pretty... >

"The first day in the office was pretty bizarre. I was always used to phone calls and general chatter in the office but..." Mark Ions

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- Running the business by myself has made... >

"Running the business by myself has made things really stressful at times (especially around exams), but I generally..." Jonathan Grubin

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- I actually think I’m coming into the... >

"I actually think I’m coming into the most creative, energetic, dynamic period of my life. I’ve been through a lot, and..." Roy Stanley

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Susan Pluse: Washington Dance Academy

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Sheila Stokes-White: Strategic Solutions Ltd

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For more information please contact stephen@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk or call 0191 226 7491