new members

autumn 22 new members

who’s joined recently

Sarat Pediredla Hedgehog Lab Dave Allan and Martin Walker Resolution Media & Publishing Lisa Hart Shepherd The Lamp House Tanya Garland Cool Blue Brand Communications Darren Race Think Eleven Paul Edwards Edwards Commercial Cleaning Services Olga Bell MMCS Commercial Cleaning Sam Spoors Talentheads Sarah Monk Michaela Reaney The Opportunity Group Ben Cleary Full Circle Brew Co. Tony and Caroline Cleary Lanchester Wines Brad Johnson Yellow Box Marketing Phil McKenzie and Kirsty Bell Goldfinch Entertainment Eve Middlemiss Master Debonair Kate Hargreaves Mosaic Partners Nadia Scott Re:geon Training Fraser Brown MotorVise (Automotive) Charlotte Thompson Pilgrims Gelato Ben Richardson, Carl and John Lamb Accedo Group David Stimson Bennu Consulting Mark Bracknall Theo James Recruitment Rosie Bath Cera Cotton Chris Carroll MGC Agency Graeme Cochrane GLC Projects Lisa Eaton Unwritten Group and Fabric Academy Amy Mooney Unwritten Group Tayler Reed, Jonny Catto and Jean-Louis Gravier iPac Packaging Innovations Sue Shaw-Toomey Toomey Legal Alastair Yong Affinity Systems Marcus Welch Gosforth Fire Station

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Mark Bracknall Theo James Recruitment

What does your business do? Theo James Recruitment specialise in technical and senior appointments within manufacturing and engineering markets. We offer recruitment and talent partnerships, with a range of productised services.

What was the attraction of joining the Entrepreneurs’ Forum? After seven years of working in the business and building our reputation with decision makers in our market, I felt it was time to start spending more time on the business and meeting like minded people in similar positions!

What do you hope to achieve with the Entrepreneurs’ Forum? I hope to make some valuable connections, both in and outside of manufacturing. Along with sharing and learning new skills that can help push Theo James to the next level. Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? Apart from my Dad who passed away a couple of years ago, I’d currently say Steven Bartlett. I’ve been a fan of his podcasts since the start and followed his journey closely.

What are you most proud of? Aside from my family and my kids who make me proud every day, I would say the business. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved.

What is your biggest fear? I can’t say I have ever admitted this, but I have a very bizarre recurring dream of paragliding and I just keep going up and can’t come down!

What is something most people don’t know about you? I was on a Daz advert with Shane Ritchie when I was about 12. It was quite an easy days work for £50!

How do you unwind or deal with stress? I have suffered from stress whilst running the business, so now have a daily morning routine that really helps me. I wake up before the kids, do some Wim Hof style breathing, journal, stretch and have a cold shower.

If you weren’t running your current business, what do you think you’d be doing now? After university I did a post grad in Careers Guidance. I had my placement year in schools and youth offending institutions, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So, naturally I believe if it wasn’t for recruitment I would be involved in this space.

What was your first job? I was quite obsessed with wanting money at a young age. Bizarrely I am not now at all really. I always had something on the go as a kid and have very fond memories of selling things at school.

If you had a time machine, where would you go and why? Boxing Day 1979. “The Boxing Day Massacre” Sheffield Wednesday beating Sheffield United 4-1. I’d love nothing more to be stood with my Dad watching that with 50k fans.

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind? If I am honest it would probably be maintenance engineers in the North East! That was my specialist area for eight years and I still know most of them!

Lisa Eaton and Amy Mooney Unwritten Group

What does your business do? Unwritten Group is a strategic marketing consultancy working with business leaders and marketing teams to build strategies that power growth. Fabric is a marketing training academy built to empower the most ambitious marketers to thrive.

What was the attraction of joining the Entrepreneurs’ Forum? Lisa: The Forum has always supported us in our business journey and has been instrumental in building our network and our businesses. We can’t wait to get back to meeting new and old faces and enjoying all the Forum has to offer. Amy: Being part of a community of like-minded people.

What do you hope to achieve with the Entrepreneurs’ Forum? Lisa: Create lifelong relationships in the region and continue to be inspired and learn from some of the best business leaders. Amy: Successful people are great, but it’s ambitious people who I love to be around. Ambition is infectious and I’m looking forward to surrounding myself with people who I can learn from. Amy: I’d be a human rights lawyer.

What was your first job? Lisa: Sales and Marketing Executive at Sage. Amy: Waitress in Bimbis fish and chip restaurant under the old Odeon in Newcastle.

If you weren’t running your current business, what do you think you’d be doing now? Lisa: On a beach - reading, relaxing and enjoying a cocktail! Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? Lisa: Richard Branson and Stephanie Nadi Olson. Amy: Michelle Obama.

What are you most proud of? Lisa: Surviving the pandemic, retaining all my staff and safeguarding their jobs, and building a new business in that time. And, of course, raising my two little boys. Amy: My dad. He’s the best story teller. When my brother and I were little he’d take us on brilliantly long adventures in our pyjamas. Now, my dad has decided to start writing age 60. He sends me the books before he sends them on to what seems like hundreds of publishers. As of yet he hasn’t got a book deal, but it hasn’t stopped him (he’s on book six!). His dedication is unwavering and honestly I couldn’t be prouder.

What is your biggest fear? Lisa: Not following my dreams and regretting not doing the things that really mattered to me. This is also my mission - to ensure this happens!

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Amy: Cross sections. Such as a cross section of a riverbank in a school Geography book, but the worst is marrowbone cross sections you sometimes see on dog food ads - urrrgh. Not a fear as such, but my god I hate cross sections.

What is something most people don’t know about you? Lisa: I’m an obsessive learner and I used to run a salsa business. Amy: I used to be a holiday rep. If you ever did an 18-30s in the late 90s/early 00s, we may well have met on a pub crawl.

How do you unwind or deal with stress? Lisa: Spending time with my boys and my husband hiking. Reading, yoga and running followed by a large glass of red wine. Amy: I’ve just started to run and although I’m not running far yet, just a 30 minute blast completely resets me. If you had a time machine, where would you go and why? Lisa: I’d go backwards to spend time with the people who are no longer with us. I’d also go forwards to get insight into what the world looks like in 20-30 years and use those insights to be ahead of the curve. Amy: Back to the beginning of some of my big business mistakes and shout 'no don’t do that, do this instead!'. Saying that, if it wasn’t for those mistakes, I’d not have learnt all the things I did!

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind? Lisa: The psychology of marketing and how to influence your customers. It most definitely would not be cookery, that’s for sure! Amy: Apart from marketing strategy, I’d have to say boilers (as in domestic gas boilers), this is the reason I don’t get invited to parties!

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