new members

who’s joined recently

Margaret Bradshaw Red Button Marketing and Training

David Broom B7 Associates

Michael Grahamslaw Northern Insight

Sarah Grant My Healthcare Recruit

Tom Heaney Property Investment & Business Acquisitions

Gill Hunter Square One Law

Tom Maxfield Tom's Companies

Lyle McCalmont MCD Systems

Sophie Milliken Moja Group

Claire Rolston CLR Law

Nick Oates Quanta

Wenyan Sharp Galaxy Energy Solutions

Rachel Skeoch Truenorth Marketing

Andrew Silver 360 Growth Partners

Sam Tate New World Financial Group

Kim Turner Double Eleven

Lyle McCalmont MCD Systems

other entrepreneurs and maybe some that have been around the block a few times.

Running a business requires a degree of adaptability but also experience, it will be nice to hear from others who may have faced similar challenges, or who can inspire the group with their experiences.

Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with?

I think I would have to invite Mr Walt Disney because of his creative talent and passion for production, as well as him being a pioneer in his field and an astute businessperson.

What are you most proud of?

I’m proud to be in the fifth year of business. I read a stat that approximately 20% of small businesses fail within the first year. By the end of the second year, 30% of businesses will have failed. By the end of the fifth year, about half will have failed. To have grown the business, despite some of the challenges lots of businesses have faced recently, has been a proud moment for me.

Sophie Milliken MBE Moja Group

What was the attraction of joining the Forum?

I kept noticing people speaking positively about Forum events and realised I must be missing out. Then an invitation to attend the conference popped into my inbox from Elaine and I thought it was a sign! I really enjoyed the day and chatting to new and old faces.

What do you hope to achieve with the Forum?

The Forum gives me an opportunity to stay connected with great people as well as learn from new contacts and guest speakers. I’m looking forward to making the most of the membership and getting the Moja team out to events too.

What was your first job?

After a paper round, it was working in Wimpy for the grand sum of £1.88 per hour. It felt like a fortune to my 14 year old self.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Decoding the Successful Female

Entrepreneur. I had to submit nine versions of my research proposal to have it accepted. There was A LOT of reading involved to get to this point so I’m definitely on my way to expert status.

What are you most proud of?

What was the attraction of joining the Forum?

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum has a good reputation for its events and its people. The events have been relaxed and friendly and the content is current. I’m looking forward to getting together with other members and hearing more from the Forum.

What do you hope to achieve with the Forum?

I’m keen to make connections with

What was your first job?

At age 14 I figured out that I could make some cash mowing lawns with our family petrol lawn mower. I found a big house half a mile away that would pay me £20. It would take about 10 mins to walk there with my mower and 3 hours of mowing when I got there. I managed to get a few more ‘clients’ and it was a decent little earner for a young lad over the summer.

I’ve always had a voluntary ‘job’ since I was in my early 20s. The longest of which was volunteering at The Samaritans for about eight years in Newcastle then London. As well as the benefit to the charity, you gain so much from the experience and the people you meet.

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind?

Female entrepreneurship! I started a PhD part-time at Durham University last year and am researching this topic for my thesis which is all about

It might be a little clichéd, but without a doubt it’s my daughter, Jess. She’s just turned 11 and I’ve been a single parent to her since she was two. It’s often hard to combine business with parenting and I believe childcare is my greatest business challenge but it is worth it.

If you had a time machine, where would you go and why?

I’d go back to September 2019 and listen and act upon the red flags I spotted in the lead up to selling my first business. While I don’t regret things I’ve done and definitely learned a lot from the experience, I wish I had sold it to people whose values align more closely to my own.