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- The support I’ve received has been... >

"The support I’ve received has been tremendous. I couldn’t have achieved what I have without my husband Stephen who has..." Anne Larvin

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- Whilst I have ambition >

"Whilst I have ambition, I am also realistic. I realise my limitations but am confident enough to seek help. My family..." William Ingram

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- I would advise finding one or two... >

"I would advise finding one or two people who aren’t friends but people who have contacts so that you can sound out..." James Robson

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- I have been supported fantastically by... >

"I have been supported fantastically by my family. They often come to the café for a meal and have really got behind me...." Lindsay Hogg

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- Through our previous experiences we had... >

"Through our previous experiences we had already established a sound network in the North East. Durham University was..." Rona Askew

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- I think if you want to start up in... >

"I think if you want to start up in business, you need to involve your family, your friends and as many people as..." Antonia Clifford

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- We received a lot of support from the... >

"We received a lot of support from the region when we started up, especially from the Business Innovation Centre (BIC)..." Louise Allcroft

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- I went to Northumberl >

"I went to Northumberland Business Services and got advice from them and attended some workshops. Now I have a uniform..." Alison Stanley

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- We’ve always tried to buy the best... >

"We’ve always tried to buy the best professional advice that we could afford, or the best I thought we needed relative..." Alan Timothy

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- My husb >

"My husband has been a tower of strength, as have all of my family. I bought the premises with my brother and his wife..." Kaye Winship

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- I went to Business Link for support >

"I went to Business Link for support and they helped me to put in place business plans and organise grants to buy..." Nickie Gott

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- In the south >

"In the south, the attitude towards business is quite different to what it is in the north. There isn’t as much funding..." Derek Curtis

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- Trying to set the business up was a bit... >

"Trying to set the business up was a bit like being a rabbit caught in the headlights. But that was partly because I..." Chris Quickfall

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- When we first started the business >

"When we first started the business, we moved into St Peter’s Gate; Sunderland University’s business incubation centre...." Gavin Blowman

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- We started by figuring out how we would... >

"We started by figuring out how we would fund the initial set up, office equipment etc, and looking into the kind of..." Antonia Clifford

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- With all places I think you find good >

"With all places I think you find good and bad business advisors, but I went to Tedco and luckily I had an absolutely..." Carol Metcalfe

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- My dad was a great sounding board... >

"My dad was a great sounding board because he’d been there and done it but if you can just find someone who has a real..." Paul Bell

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- It’s really important to get the right... >

"It’s really important to get the right support, those crucial building blocks, behind you. For Finance we have an..." Peter Nixon

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- If you’re thinking of starting out on... >

"If you’re thinking of starting out on your own, I couldn’t recommend enough finding someone to talk to about it. Being..." Jamie Greenwood

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- In 2004 we got KPMG in to have a look... >

"In 2004 we got KPMG in to have a look at our business. They performed a fine-tuning and made us sharper, leaner..." Simon Pearson

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- A lot of my support comes from my wife >

"A lot of my support comes from my wife and my family. My wife’s now officially a non exec director, but she’s always..." John Hays

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- You need support. I’ve got people... >

"You need support. I’ve got people around me whom I trust immensely; people like my wife who stayed with me when the..." Alistair McLean

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- I didn’t go for many business support... >

"I didn’t go for many business support organisations when I started. We got a small grant from Business Link when we..." Angela Brown

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- I have a great relationship with Lloyd... >

"I have a great relationship with Lloyd Milligan. Milligans has been going 60 years so he knows everything there is to..." Greg Phillips

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- There were various routes where we got... >

"There were various routes where we got help from in terms of start up costs. We got some assistance from Building Up..." Christian Cerisola

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- I think there’s advice that you have to... >

"I think there’s advice that you have to pay for too. We’ve got a very good accountant, a financial adviser and a great..." Kari Owers

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- I’ve had support from my husb >

"I’ve had support from my husband Michael and my mother works one day a week on reception. Michael’s parents have also..." Linda Winship

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- I’ve really needed my friends >

"I’ve really needed my friends and family’s guidance as well as professional support. My parents have never pushed me..." Louise Allcroft

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- As my knee improved I spoke to the Job... >

"As my knee improved I spoke to the Job Centre about starting my own business and they referred me to a test trading..." David Goldsmith

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- We get a lot of support from the two... >

"We get a lot of support from the two non execs that we have in the business. It’s been so important to us to have them..." Chris Quickfall

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- My husb >

"My husband was a great support and got a personal loan for me when I was turned down for a business loan. I’ve done..." Naomi Johnson

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- My former employer in Saltburn was... >

"My former employer in Saltburn was really supportive when I told him I wanted to set up my own business. He stopped..." Nathan Robinson

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- Speaking to people who’ve done it all... >

"Speaking to people who’ve done it all before has been a very good thing to do though. I joined organisations like the..." Jonathan Wells

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- We tend to listen to what businesses... >

"We tend to listen to what businesses need. We’ve got a lot of help from Tedco who’ve been fantastic. Business Link..." Angela Brown

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- On an ongoing basis I would also... >

"On an ongoing basis I would also recommend having access to a range of advisers with whom you can discuss specific..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- I have a number of different mentors... >

"I have a number of different mentors who have really helped me to run my own business. I have my Dad who I ring quite..." Ross Cooney

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- I exhaustively >

"I exhaustively and regularly contact as many sources of support as possible, recently including Business Link, One..." Sean Gerrie

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- I couldn’t have done it without help >

"I couldn’t have done it without help. I had business advice and consultancy at the start to identify my skills. The..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- One of the reasons I joined the... >

"One of the reasons I joined the Entrepreneurs Forum was so I could have access to people who've been there and done it..." Greg Phillips

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- I am in the very early stages of my... >

"I am in the very early stages of my business and have been working as a freelance designer for the last few weeks and..." Michelle Taylor

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- I sought advice from Business Link... >

"I sought advice from Business Link regarding the Arts Council Cultural Buisness Venture and I’ve recently received a..." Vien le Wood

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- We’re looking to grow Rozmic >

"We’re looking to grow Rozmic, from around one hundred thousand in turnover a year to several million. The..." Ross Cooney

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- I had a mentor at Generator when I went... >

"I had a mentor at Generator when I went on music course, and also a business advisor, and they helped me realise my..." Clare Tucker

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- We were fortunate to win some grants... >

"We were fortunate to win some grants from Business Link and the City of Sunderland Council. They were only a couple of..." Jonathan Wells

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- From the people I’ve spoken to >

"From the people I’ve spoken to, the best advice comes from the people who’ve been there and done it. Learn from anyone..." Matt Stirland

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- I went to Business Link >

"I went to Business Link and got advice on how I should write my business plan and find the right location for my..." Steve Mbara

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- In terms of finding advice >

"In terms of finding advice and who to lean on for support, I look to people who run their own business a lot of the..." Kari Owers

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- When you’re starting out >

"When you’re starting out, I would definitely recommend seeking out as much help as possible, there will be times when..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- My family >

"My family, Northumbria University and Business Link have been great in helping me realise my vision." Rosie Willett

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- Some of the best advice I have received... >

"Some of the best advice I have received has been from other business people, including the proprietor of a company with..." Nicole Race

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- Several years ago whilst my business... >

"Several years ago whilst my business idea was spawning I kept it very much to myself, however as I began realising..." Sean Gerrie

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- We were presented with a lot of help... >

"We were presented with a lot of help from the region which was really important for us having just come out of..." Satish Shewhorak

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- When I was trying to find advice >

"When I was trying to find advice, guidance and of course money I literally stumbled across a few great people who had a..." Ann Oliver

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- My dad was always really supportive... >

"My dad was always really supportive when I was setting up, and still is, but I’ve found that, for honest opinions..." Jonathan Grubin

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- I’ve recently had loads of positive... >

"I’ve recently had loads of positive feedback which is a real moral boost. I couldn’t have got this far without the..." Leanne Hodgson

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- When I came to the North East >

"When I came to the North East, I fell in love with it. Setting up a business in the North East is one of those things..." Ross Cooney

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- I get my support from my family: my husb >

"I get my support from my family: my husband and my two girls. My husband has never said, don’t do it. He understood..." Angela Brown

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- The support I’ve received has been... >

"The support I’ve received has been invaluable. My wife Evan has been a major player in my success. My daughter even..." Terry Barnett

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- About a year into the business we... >

"About a year into the business we developed a relationship with Sage business software. All of our sales are now Sage..." Derek Curtis

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- When we started out >

"When we started out, we talked to Newcastle University enterprise centre who put us in touch with Business Link, One..." Pete Hunt

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- I’ve gained so much support from my... >

"I’ve gained so much support from my girlfriend Louisa and my parents. They have helped pull me through the hard times..." David Shannon

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- Finding the right people to talk to >

"Finding the right people to talk to, people like the Entrepreneurs Forum and Northumbria University, has been a real..." Sarah Taylor

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- All the opportunities I’ve had in my... >

"All the opportunities I’ve had in my adult life have sprung out of the North East of England, and a lot of those have..." Roy Stanley

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- Business Link were a good source of... >

"Business Link were a good source of support in the way of grants for our website and the purchase of software. Sarah..." Peter Nixon

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- My quest is to make sure I apply what... >

"My quest is to make sure I apply what is relevant, that’s right not only for SEO, but also for me and my business..." Sean Gerrie

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- I’m a member of the trade group >

"I’m a member of the trade group. That’s allowed me to network in the sense that I’m able to talk to other people in..." John Hays

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- With hindsight >

"With hindsight, I think I could have set my business up sooner than I actually did. I watched all the entrepreneurs I..." Kari Owers

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- I’ve received encouragement >

"I’ve received encouragement and advice from my family and friends, particularly my husband, who is the brains behind..." Nicole Race

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- My family has been an immense support >

"My family has been an immense support and has been a constant source of encouragement. My son especially has been..." Karen Forster

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- The support I’ve received has been... >

"The support I’ve received has been fantastic. My partner has been a constant source of encouragement and support...." Geoffrey Johns

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- My wife has been an amazing support >

"My wife has been an amazing support and I got financial support from the Northumberland Enterprise Fund, In Biz and..." David Goldsmith

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- Having a mentor’s fantastic >

"Having a mentor’s fantastic and I’d recommend it to anybody. Somebody just to throw your ideas at, and who’ll come..." Chris Quickfall

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- We’ve worked extremely hard to get... >

"We’ve worked extremely hard to get where we are, and have found that there are many people out there very willing to..." Kevin Owens

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- I take my inspiration from other... >

"I take my inspiration from other entrepreneurs especially some of the founder members of the Entrepreneurs Forum. We..." Lynn Gate

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- There’s such a great vibrancy in the... >

"There’s such a great vibrancy in the North East at the moment. In a strange way, the business community is vast, but..." Christian Cerisola

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- Stories provide great insightful >

"Stories provide great insightful and inspiring snippets that you can takeaway with you – whether online like this one..." Sean Gerrie

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- Technology businesses like ours >

"Technology businesses like ours, it’s all about exporting IP and the margins are very high. When we try and raise..." Alan Timothy

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- Our family >

"Our family and friends have supported us from the start and would walk over burning coals to continue supporting us." Anne Curtis

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- I think the North East is a fantastic... >

"I think the North East is a fantastic place to do business. The people are incredibly friendly, and within the..." Kari Owers

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- I booked an appointment with Business... >

"I booked an appointment with Business Link as I thought I could benefit from their support in regards to expertise and..." Ceyhan Mihcioglu

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- You’ve got to think >

"You’ve got to think, as I did, right, I’m going to do this and just go for it, and make sure the people around you..." Nickie Gott

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- My dad has been an invaluable support... >

"My dad has been an invaluable support to me offering me both business guidance but also encouragment throughout." Tom Bivens

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- I’ve had tremendous support from friends >

"I’ve had tremendous support from friends and my close family as well as networking groups, talking to people who..." Nancy Haughey

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Entrepreneurs>

Greg Phillips: North East Bakery

"When I graduated from Newcastle University I wanted to stay in the area because my family and friends were here...."

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William Ingram: KuteKidz Photography

"I was made redundant in 2006 which forced me into starting my own business. I decided to pursue my passion for..."

view William Ingram's story

Michelle Taylor: Michelle Taylor Design

"I’ve just left a very successful position at Playboy Intimates in order to pursue my dream of running my own..."

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