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Former business advisor turns first aid hobby into own start-up

A Saltburn man has turned his first aid hobby into a business after almost 25 years as a volunteer for St John Ambulance.

Adrian Beadnell spent a good portion of his career as a business advisor for the likes of DHP Ltd and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, and has now set himself up in business after redundancy.

It was another of Adrian’s hobbies - a passion for vintage buses - that lead him to meet the boss of a North East occupational health organisation, who sparked his business idea.

He said: “I was asked if I had any contacts who taught first aid - and thought to myself that I’ve actually done that in the past.

“I put myself through a first aid course to refresh my skills and actually found that many of the practices have actually simplified since my involvement with St Johns.”

Until 2013 the UK Health and Safety Executive was responsible for first aid at work, but the remit has since changed to qualifications watchdog, Ofqual.

Adrian, who taught for St John Ambulance for over 20 years, spotted his opportunity as businesses need to renew their first aid certification every three years.

He added: “I’m a small, independent operation with nearly 30 years of experience - which is attractive to companies. When they speak to me on the phone, they’re actually talking to the owner of the business and not some remote trainer.

“It’s an expanding market as the training is mandatory and the rules are changing. I’ve found I’m well placed to guide people through that.”

In true entrepreneurial spirit, Adrian also designed and built his own website for roughly £17.

“Having been a business advisor, it’s funny for me to be on the other side of the fence. I helped in setting up a number of business in the North East and there’s now a real sense of satisfaction in doing my own thing,” Adrian added.

Given sufficient demand for his services, Adrian hopes to employ other trainers as he wins new clients.

For more information on Adrian’s services, visit his site here.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .