Being made redundant from a job you have given over 10 years to is an incredibly painful experience, but for 42-year-old Gail Bennett it was a great opportunity to explore the idea of using her extensive skills and contacts to work for herself. “I have a lot of local contacts from my previous jobs, but I didn’t promote myself, I got to the point where work started to turn up!”
Wanting to make sure that she went about setting up her new business the right way, Gail contacted Outset Plymouth. “I heard about Outset Plymouth in the press and attended their women-only workshops, which I found very inspiring . I gained a lot of confidence and met new friends.”
Gail worked hard to develop her business idea with the Outset Plymouth team, and has now successfully launched Cardium Design, a new business specialising in a range of commercial graphic design. “Cardium Design provides graphic design, logo, print, advertising and website design, branding, and web graphics. I had obstacles to overcome. For the past year I have been concentrating on getting to new people and networking within the city. Outset is particularly good at networking and events, and that is certainly helping my business grow.”
“I love working with start-up businesses. I know how important it is to get a logo right. There is nothing like having a happy customer. I can encourage other people to see the benefits in working for themselves. I recently presented at Outset’s Wednesday Club event to talk over my experiences of being self-employed, and the freedom and flexibility of being my own boss.”
Gail is an active member of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, and enjoys the support from her partner, who is in full time employment and supports Gail in realising her dreams of running her own business.
Outset Plymouth has been funded by the ERDF Competitiveness & Employment programme, which invests in activities that will have a long term-term impact on the growth and develop of the local economy.
For more information on Gail Bennett please contact Outset Plymouth on 0800 0285699
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