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Well-known Coventry business consultant celebrates first year in business

A Coventry-based consultant to the hotel and leisure sector is marking her first year in business after receiving support to get started.

June Picken is a well-known figure in the industry in Coventry and Warwickshire after stints at a range of venues including, most recently, Coombe Abbey Hotel.

June decided to take voluntary redundancy after a year of uncertainty in the sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She was unsure whether to take the plunge and set-up her own consultancy but two contacts helped make her mind up.

“I received a call from a regional conference centre who asked if I was planning to do any consultancy work because they wanted to hire me for a couple of days,” said June. “That made me think that there might be the work out there. I knew I had the skills but I didn’t have any experience of running a business.”

Then, through a contact at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, June was introduced to the start-up team who – through business adviser Wendy Brown – delivered one-to-one support. The support was delivered through the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

It helped to give her the grounding in some of the fundamentals of business, including how to set-up the business as a legal identity and also get the relevant insurances in place. Now June, who has set aside a number of days to the business per month, has now filled that time with work – including some with the Chamber.

June said: “You never know when you set-up whether the work will be there but, thankfully, I’ve had lots of interest and have picked up some exciting contracts. “Wendy at the Chamber has been brilliant. She’s completely understood what I want to get from the business and what I can offer to clients.

“So, it feels like the support has been tailored to me. I didn’t have any idea about getting a business registered or what insurances you needed, so just help with that was huge for me. “We also went through marketing and what I did and didn’t need to do. When you set-up, you think you might need to do everything but Wendy actually made me realise that a lot of business would come in through existing contacts and word of mouth.

“I’d advise anyone thinking of starting up on their own to get in touch with the Chamber for support.” Wendy Brown added: “I am thrilled to see June is making such a success of her new consultancy one year into the business.

“For me, it’s really important that people who have built up years of experience and expertise in a sector are given the help to start up in business for themselves.

“It can be quite daunting when you’ve reached a certain point in your career to take the plunge and start a business but, with our support, we can help people navigate their way through that and June is testament to that.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .