Social networking is the key to 21st century business, say Enfield entrepreneurs (From Enfield Independent)

Social networking is the key to 21st century business, say Enfield entrepreneurs

1:04pm Tuesday 16th March 2010

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HIGHER levels of redundancy in the recession have made becoming self employed an attractive proposition. As part of our We're Backing Business Campaign, reporter Hannah Crown speaks to entrepreneurs who decided to go it alone.

Dean Vale, 36, of Chase Side, is the founder of DV8 creative solutions, a graphics, marketing and copywriting agency.

Mr Vale was made redundant from two jobs during the recession, an estate agent where he had worked in sales and marketing for four years in September 2008, and a catering company in April 2009.

He said: “It was scary reading in the papers how many people have lost their jobs, and thankfully I had mortgage insurance. But my savings soon got eaten up. I was applying for jobs and there wasn’t that much out there. I had time on my hands and started to refresh my graphic design skills and started doing an evening course in web design at Southgate College.”

Using clients met through word of mouth, former contacts and social networking, Mr Vale launched his business in September last year.

He said: “I didn’t get a bank loan, I’ve kept my overheads to a bare minimum. I went out to speak to a lot of people and my previous employers were really great, recommending me to people for logos. Every week, through the Business 4 you, I meet about 30 people for breakfast at Enfield golf club, including a photographer, plasterer, and physiotherapist. We tell each other what we are doing and recommend each other to friends and contacts. All these people are looking out for me as I am for them.

“It is going very well, I’ve got about 25 to 30 clients now. At times I have been tearing my hair out but then I’ve also been thinking why on earth didn’t I do this before?”

Mother-of-two Theo Lewis, 40, of Highlands Village, is the founder of Kall me Back, an online directory of services provided by and for women, and has founded the North London Women’s Networking and Business Expo, to be held in June.

Growing up in Zambia, with the original intention of becoming an aeronautical engineer, Ms Lewis came over to the UK in 2001 with her six year old son.

She said: “I went into telesales because it was the most flexible thing to do. I became a manager but found I was working 24/7 and never saw my son. I couldn’t afford to keep paying a childminder and missing out on doing his homework with him.

I resigned in 2003 and contemplated going back to Africa. I was disillusioned with working in the UK, with the hours, pressure and trying to manage with a child on my own.”

After working from 2004 to 2006 in another telesales company, she decided to set up her own business.

She said: “I just couldn’t find a job that was flexible enough. I joined mothers groups and found that most of them made things at home, but couldn’t promote what they were doing with a child. When in telesales I used to leave a lot of messages for people to call me back, so I set up a website for people to leave their details on, and realised I could use it to promote what these women were doing.”

Her online directory, Kall Me Back, now lists 80 organisations and traders in North London, ranging form florists to legal services, directly relating to women and children.

Organisations, who pay a weekly rate of £1.20 to be listed on the site, then make money if they are requested to provide a particular service by member of the public.

Ms Lewis said: “We had 11 messages in the past week, 75 in the past month and 240 in the past six months. I really want to make the most of it this year. So many women I meet are doing great things and it is really down to them the site is a success.”

To promote her business and gain more contacts, Ms Lewis hosts coffee mornings every Friday in Highlands Village Hall, from 9am-11am.

Ms Lewis is also organising a business fair, the North London Women’s Networking and Business Expo on June 2 from 3pm to 9pm at the Dugdale Centre, Enfield.

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