About me and my businesses..
In the past 20 years I’ve set up 3 businesses (4 if you include this one), all with different degrees of success.
The first was a retail business covering the country and equestrian sector trading at various events across the UK, set up with a 17k bank loan I single handedly turned this into one of the countries leading events retailer.
From initial concept I created this business after leaving one of the world’s largest telcos, a huge risk but it was a great time to do something else with my life. From initial concept through to making my first sale it was a journey that taught me so much about small business start up and was valued at over two million pounds at its height. I saw this business through the great recession of 2008/09
At the same time I moved to another area with my then wife, this is where I also made my biggest mistake in business, one I am happy to share even though it was extremely painful but it was a lesson well learnt.
I’d sold my house and had a large amount of equity that was going to be reinvested into another property that would’ve made the possibility of running my business from home a reality. At the time I’d also married my long term girlfriend who I’d made a 50/50 partner in the business. However she’s become bored of travelling to events and wanted to move home to Ipswich and set up another business. We decided to open a lingerie shop just outside of the town centre which she would run whilst I concentrated on the original one.
Without going into detail this absolute broke me not just financially but also on a personal level, the shop just burned through money and working 7 days a week with 15 hour days just to keep both businesses going destroyed me. With no help from suppliers or the banks I had no choice to declare bankruptcy and to walk away from both businesses.
Whilst I was left traumatised with no support from friends and family, it’s funny how people can disappear when the money runs out my mental health suffered massively. My wife had to go and take a part time job and well lets just say we split less than a year later.
I will fully admit this was one of the lowest life points I’d experienced but now I see it as a valuable lesson.
It took me a long time to recover from these losses and after a 4 year stint working at a leading supermarket I decided enough was enough and it was time to start up another venture, but what though.
As part of my recovery I’d started walking a friends dog and it was my friend who suggested I started charging for my services. I’d never even considered being a professional dog walker.
After a lot of planning and research a few months later Our Walkies Dog Walking was launched. Rather than leave my job I dropped down a few hours and balanced both job until I was earning more dog walking, the business was booming and it was the right time to say goodbye to supermarket life…. No regrets here!
I had that business for 7 years and in that time I became the number 1 dog walker in the local area… even survived the covid period! Walking dogs for that long was always going to take its toll, a knee injury and operation followed and I took the decision to close the business. It was at the time my elderly father took a fall and spent a long time in hospital, when he returned I had little option to take a career break to look after him.
So for the last couple years I’ve been in a bit of limbo, I took a job at a football charity and well that was the worst job I’ve ever had so lasted just 5 months, realistically looking after day and trying to work in a toxic environment was never going to work.
And this brings me to Stuart Ashley PA, yep here we are. I’m so ready to use my skills and personality to help you! Sept 2nd 2024 will see the launch of this new endeavour, it promises to be a would ride but one I can’t wait to start.
Let’s see what we can do……..