The birth of her second child was what prompted Laura Dodsworth, from Ashford in Surrey, to start her own business.
After a successful career in market research, and still on maternity leave, she realised she needed more flexibility to manage her work around family life. She had been a working mum, and had found the pull between home and work life very intense. Her husband Ricky, a chef, was out at work from early in the morning, so the burden of organising the children would normally fall upon Laura, as well as managing her own career – she knew that something had to change to achieve any sort of work-life balance that the family was comfortable with.
Fledgling businesswoman
Being her own boss was an appealing proposition, but never having run a business before, she investigated the option of franchising and found Pink Spaghetti. Realising the skills she’d honed over 15 years as an employee would ideally suit life as a Virtual Assistant, she took the plunge and applied for the Staines & Woking franchise – and has never looked back!
A varied life
The life of a Virtual Assistant is a varied one – you can be writing newsletters and scheduling social media posts one day, logging receipts another, then organising an event the next. Pink Spaghetti exists to take the legwork away from small business owners who often don’t have the resources to employ even a part time assistant. Services are all pay-as-you-go, which often suits the microbusiness owner as their needs can vary a great deal over time.
Laura liked the idea of helping small business and home owners as she’d so often been in the position of needing a helping hand herself.
“When I read what Pink Spaghetti were all about, I loved the idea of offering a 25th hour in the day to other busy parents, businessmen and women because I understand the need. Being part of the franchise feels like a happy medium between going it alone and being part of a team.” Laura says.
“Giving up a career is a big deal and the amount of support that comes with the franchise makes it less nerve-wracking - it feels more manageable. I was warned that home working would be lonely, but I’m constantly out at meetings and networking events.”
A growing business
Laura’s business has gone from strength to strength since she started trading in 2016. She has expanded to the point where she has taken on staff, and won the Pink Spaghetti Franchisee of the Year award in 2018.
“Laura is the ideal franchise owner” says Pink Spaghetti’s co-founder Vicky Matthews.
“She is proactive, efficient, reliable, and always gets the job done. She adds a huge amount of value to the Pink Spaghetti network and is happy to help out the less experienced franchisees with advice. She was our well-deserved Franchisee of the Year in 2018, and I’m sure she will be winning other industry awards before long. She’s not afraid to go outside her comfort zone and the growth of her business is a testament to her hard work and commitment”.
For more information on Pink Spaghetti go to www.pink-spaghetti.co.uk
You can follow them on Facebook @pinkspaghettifranchise, on Twitter @pink_spaghetti, and to get the low down on what Caroline and Vicky, Pink Spaghetti’s founders, are up to, follow @thepinkbosslady and @theotherpinkbosslady on Instagram.
0 Comments