Friday Interview: I’ve been overwhelmed by the response to my MBE

By Helen Bowman

Before we start, can you tell us how you are feeling amidst the Coronavirus pandemic?

It’s certainly a very worrying time. I think it will change how we live and work in the future. In the meantime, I’m a practical person, and sometimes boringly sensible! My plan is two-fold; covering home and work. I’m in a vulnerable household so we battened down the hatches a week before the Government guidance and stopped external contact with everyone. WhatsApp is getting some use!

I’m lucky that I can work from home and my employers, TEDCO Business Support, have done everything they can so we can safely continue to deliver the full service for North Tyneside Council’s The Business Factory project. I’m particularly loving the new Business Factory online site which was developed by North Tyneside Council last year to bring 24/7 support to residents and businesses of the borough. TEDCO planned to go paper-free in April so we have been able to bring those plans forward. In the midst of uncertainty, it brings a little light knowing we are at the forefront of a more environmentally sustainable business future.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself and your background

I’m currently working for TEDCO Business Support Ltd as one of the start-up business advisors on North Tyneside Council’s Business Factory programme, but my career has taken me down several paths up to this point.

I left school at 16, choosing (against advice!) to do a BTEC at Newcastle College rather than doing A Levels. My work placement from college was in a hotel and I was offered a job when the placement ended. I loved meeting people as receptionist, but the shift work got in the way of my social life so after a few months I took the customer service skills I’d learned to a daytime receptionist job in an accountancy firm. From there I moved closer to home for a step up the ladder, with another accountancy firm. I stayed there for 18 years, progressing to Development Director, a role which included the marketing and HR.

I began to feel there was more to life than working for someone else and I was doing lots of voluntary work with the National Women’s Network at the time. Everyone there worked for themselves. I was the odd one out. A fall down the stairs at work was the wake-up call I needed that something had to change. It literally knocked me off my feet and it was a pivotal moment. In 2008, I handed in my notice and started working for myself – I launched Janice Ross Marketing.

I studied to become a practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) with Maria Wright of Change U as part of my business offering – a life-changing experience. I loved helping people to change, but it was one person at a time – I wanted to reach more people, for the ripple to flow further. That realisation helped my business to take off and I was soon working with local authorities including North Tyneside. That was how I got involved with the Business Factory – I became the resident Marketing Consultant and was subsequently offered a full-time role. I’ve been there six years now.

What’s the next step?

I’ll go to Buckingham Palace later this year to accept the award. My invitation letter arrived in January and I’m all set to take three guests to Buckingham Palace and receive my award. The original date is likely to be postponed due to Coronavirus but that’s ok. I feel like I’m on a bit of a roundabout, to be honest, and I need to decide which route to take next.

I’d love to have a say in the future of the region and will be keeping my eyes open for any opportunities to do so. If I can have a small influence on some level for the future health of the business community, then I’ll do whatever I can. I’m already working on ways to support businesses remotely. In the meantime, I’ll be getting a new hat!

Is your MBE going to change anything?

I won’t change my approach to my work. I set out to make a difference but I’m not the person in the limelight – I want the person I’m helping to be the one who shines, and I’ll continue to do that across everything I do.

I’ve reflected on this question quite a lot since New Year and I hope that the title of MBE will add some gravitas to the projects I’m working with. As co-founder of Take Away The Tears CIC, a charitable organisation supporting the world of dog rescue, I’m currently trying to find new warehouse space. The North East is renowned for its love of dogs and we ship dozens of pallet-loads of donations. It all needs to be stored and we’ve outgrown the space. Sue Nuttall, my co-founder who shines at the front of the organisation, has a constant puzzle working out the logistics, especially as we can’t ship just now. We both do this in our spare time, for fun, because we love dogs! But we need more support.

By day, I’m talking to TEDCO about some new ideas and I’d love to teach people to encourage others the way I do. My approach isn’t textbook, and I’d love to share my success.

What challenges have you faced?

Not looking after myself properly. I didn’t set boundaries within my business when I first started out. I was working far too hard and running on empty.

It didn’t impact on my work at all but getting home I was like an empty shell. So, I did some therapy with Elaine Maughan of Elemental Changes in Whitley Bay – she helped me to work out my life purpose and gave me some strategies to follow. I use a guided meditation every night to help me sleep, which has been a game-changer.

I know when I’m getting low and tired and I make sure I rest now, but that’s the biggest challenge. I’m learning to spot the early signs and do something about it.

How do you find working in the North East?

I love it. I was born in Durham and still live there, up on the hill at Burnhope. North Tyneside, in particular, has drawn me in over recent years and North Tyneside Council is fabulous for business support. TEDCO is based in Sunderland and the projects it runs are so well rounded and balanced for all businesses in the region. I just love being a part of it.

Closer to home, my voluntary work reflects a real community spirit, with everyone looking out for each other. I love that. It’s a privilege to be part of it.