new members

winter 22 new members

who’s joined recently

Jess Tucker, Social Allies Sarah Bell, Hadrians Recruitment Kirsty and Steve Lawrenson, EYPS Michael Knowles, ROAR Digital Marketing James Allison, Middleton Lodge Events Paul Blight, Tier One Capital Jay Wilson, Jaccountancy Matthew Fannan and Matt Herrell, Atom Financial Paul Sykes, The Unite Group Henry Coggin and Ellen Hedley, Vida Creative Helena Harford, Print Cakes Chrissie Plunkett, Twist Group Martin Hedley, Vision Achievement Adam Woodhead Ben Quaintrell, My Property Box Chris Thompson, Media Borne Karl Beckett, Care2Inspire Paul Moore, Happiest at Home Ian Lambert, Q Interiors Gareth Allen, Superior Recruitment Ruth Plater, Radial Path

Matthew Fannan Atom Financial

What was your first job? Trainee Accountant at a small accountancy practice in Sedgefield. I started as an apprentice straight from leaving school and | had to get on two buses to get to the office! What is something most people don’t know about you? As a young lad, I once bought an ice cream van on eBay after being influenced by Duncan Bannatyne’s autobiography. Although a flawed decision, it was where my entrepreneurial aspirations were born.

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind? Tottenham Hotspur. I was brainwashed by my dad into supporting them instead of a local North East team.

Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? I would like to have dinner with Elon Musk. He is a fascinating but very divisive character. It would be interesting to chat about his business career, innovation, and what it’s like being the wealthiest person in the world.

What are you most proud of? Making the leap into starting a business and the progress that Atom Financial has made so far, including building our team and acquiring a number of fantastic long-term clients.

How do you unwind or deal with stress? I like to unwind by going out for a meal with my family or going out for drinks with friends. Going to the gym is great for de-stressing, I just need to make more of an effort in finding the time to go!

If you had a time machine, where would you go and why? I would go back to 1961 when Tottenham Hotspur last won the league. I would also like to go 50 years into the future to see what technological advances have been made and what the world looks like - and also see if Spurs have been able to finally win the league again.

What is your biggest fear? I have a big fear of failure, that is what drives me forward and keeps me going through the tough times in business and life in general.

What was the attraction of joining the Forum? The opportunity to share ideas and experiences with like-minded business owners as well as the access to learn from mentors and inspirational entrepreneurs.

What do you hope to achieve with the Forum? I hope to build long-standing relationships with fellow business owners in the region, strengthen my network and increase brand awareness for my business. It will be great to associate ourselves with entrepreneurs who have experienced success in their business ventures.

Ben Quaintrell My Property Box

What was your first job? I had a car washing business in my street when I was 14.

What is something most people don't know about you? I love chess!

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind? Game of Thrones or property.

Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? Grant Cardone, Elon Musk, Prince William or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

What are you most proud of? My children and family.

How do you unwind or deal with stress? Thai boxing and going to the gym.

If you had a time machine, where would you go and why? The 1970s to meet my mum and dad as younger people, or maybe go back to the Egyptians and ask them how they built the Pyramids!

What is your biggest fear? Getting old.

What was the attraction of joining the Forum? Mixing with like-minded people - you become the people you spend the most time with!

What do you hope to achieve with the Forum? To learn as much as I can, help other people and make new business friends.

Helena Harford Print Cakes

Tell us about yourself… I set up as a sole trader back in 2011, having left my job as a Graphic Designer. I hate quitting anything, but I was miserable and dreaded every day. I’ve always loved baking, so I started watching YouTube videos and learning how to decorate cakes. My first business started in my mam’s kitchen and now we have a bakery sending out thousands of cupcakes and biscuits each week. Between myself and my husband Brendan, we juggle three kids and Print Cakes. It makes for an interesting week!

What was your first job? My first job was at 16 on the checkouts at Sainsbury’s. It worked out well, as in addition to the £3.60 an hour wage, I met my husband!

What is something most people don’t know about you? I don’t actually eat cake anymore. I crammed a lifetime’s worth of cake eating into the first few years of my business. It turns out cake for breakfast, dinner and tea isn’t the healthiest choice so I had to cut myself off.

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind? Paw Patrol. I’m the proud owner of every toy they have ever produced and I sing the theme tune at bedtime every night.

Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? Russell Brand - I think we could put the world to rights and he cracks me up. What are you most proud of? Setting up my businesses with a big push from my husband. It involved giving up on a career I had worked really hard for and moving completely out of my comfort zone.

How do you unwind or deal with stress? I unwind when the kids are in bed and the emails have gone quiet. At the moment it’s getting the fire on and having a hot chocolate (or wine!), although we usually end up talking about the business or the kids.

If you had a time machine, where would you go and why? Back to my honeymoon! We travelled around Asia for four months and it was the best thing we’ve ever done, plus the most delicious food I’ve ever had. It’s a shame China is a little too far to pop over for tea.

What is your biggest fear? The world going even more crazy than it already appears to be. We’ve weathered a few storms already, so let’s see what they try to throw at us next!

What was the attraction of joining the Forum? I love talking to other people in business, finding out about their struggles and successes. We don’t have much spare time at the moment, so I need to use it wisely. The Forum offers the perfect opportunity to meet some great North East entrepreneurs and steal a bit of baby-free time!

What do you hope to achieve with the Forum? We want to continue to grow Print Cakes. We bake and deliver the tastiest logo cupcakes and biscuits anywhere in the UK, so the opportunity is huge. I’ll not rest until Print Cakes is the go-to place for quality edible branded products. We’ve got loads more tasty ideas and the support of a network of amazing people we can turn to for advice will be invaluable.

Paul Sykes The Unite Group

Tell us about yourself… I have been involved in technology for over 30 years, starting my career as an apprentice in 1989. I worked in several technical and management roles until I made the jump to start my own business, Unite Communications, in 2009. The business is now The Unite Group and we have become a team of 20. The focus is much more on IT support and cyber security these days, so every day is still a school day.

What was your first job? I started as an apprentice with Mercury Communications in 1989 as a telecoms engineer. I loved technology and meeting new people, so instantly knew this was the career for me.

What is something most people don’t know about you? I am a southerner and lived in London until the age of 24. I met my wife Lorraine in Greece on holiday and 25 years later we are still together and I have now spent longer in the North East than in the south. The question is, am I officially a 'northerner' now?

What would your specialist subject be on Mastermind? I love the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child and have read them all more than once, so the life and times of Jack Reacher will have to be my specialist subject.

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Who, dead or alive, would you like to have dinner with? Winston Churchill. He seemed a real character and I think it would definitely be a boozy dinner.

What are you most proud of? Most people know I am a keen golfer, but not that I once had two holes in one within a week. Needless to say, I have not had another one since!

How do you unwind or deal with stress? I like a game of golf, walking with my wife Lorraine, and drinking wine.

If you had a time machine, where would you go and why? As an Englishman and football fan, it would have to be back to the 1966 World Cup Final so I can see them win something at least once!

What is your biggest fear? Being bored. I am not great at switching off and I'm always looking for something to do. I think retirement could be a challenge for me!

What was the attraction of joining the Forum? One of the main things, as business owners, is you never stop learning and you have a range of responsibilities that are not necessarily in your skillset. Experience helps, but the opportunity to meet and discuss this with other businesses owners in the North East is fantastic. I also want to keep up to date with what’s happening in the local business world and I'm looking forward to working with other local organisations contributing to the success of the region.

What do you hope to achieve with the Forum? The Forum seems a great resource for local businesses, offering mentoring and training is a great way for entrepreneurs to share knowledge. I hope I can contribute to this and be a part of the success of the Forum and the region.

winter 22 natural clinics

forum magazine caught up with Sarah Callender, Chief Operating Officer of Duo Global Consulting, to find out about her recent journey of self discovery in the Costa Rican jungles.

Can you tell us about your recent experience in Costa Rica and your motivation for the trip? Well, me and my business partner at Duo Global Consulting, Laura Weaving, decided at the start of the year that we’d pre-plan some holidays in. We worked really hard during the two years of Covid and if we didn’t book in it then we’d not end up taking the time out. So, I decided to do a group trip. I went through a company called Intrepid Travel who organises group travel in unusual places. I wanted to go somewhere that would push me out of my comfort zone; an adventure that would fully immerse me in a totally different culture. I ended up choosing Costa Rica despite knowing nothing about the place. It was a total gamble! I took the leap of faith and booked with a good friend of mine. It was funny - when we arrived we sat around a table with the 15 other people on the trip and everyone was saying how they wanted to see the rainforest or the wildlife, and when it came to us we just said we wanted an adventure!

What was the experience with Intrepid like? It was really interesting because they put a lot of effort into taking you to areas that your regular tourist wouldn’t get a chance to see. That was one of the main reasons I chose them, alongside them being a Bcorp. The tour they planned took us across seven different locations. We stayed at local hotels, at the edge of national parks, in the cloud forest Monteverde and even had nights staying with locals.

What is the culture like in Costa Rica? It’s a really multicultural place. We started on the edge of a national park that we travelled to by boat. That area seemed to have quite a Caribbean influence in terms of the food and culture. At that location we got to take a boat out early in the morning and take in all the incredible wildlife. We saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, lots of wild birds, crocodiles and caymans. We were so lucky to see all of that so quickly! The people were so, so friendly. Like I said, we weren’t staying in touristy areas, so it was a real off-the-beaten-track experience. After that we moved through the rainforest and headed to another national park to stay in these lodges high in the hills. It overlooked a beautiful part of the park and we even had a sloth hanging about as our neighbour in a tree! We got to trek further through the rainforest and see a beautiful waterfall - it was breathtaking. The culture and food was slightly different again in this area, with a bit of Mexican influence - lots of chicken, fish, beans and rice dishes. Then we finished up in a little beach town up in the hills, which was again, totally different. The food was a bit more European and maybe geared towards tourists, but the whole place was still really lovely. It was a trip of so many different experiences.

How was it staying with the locals? It was amazing! We got split into groups of five and given the opportunity to stay and cook with the family; we’d even play games with the children and have a dance with them! Our homestay was in the middle of nowhere and when we arrived, the whole village came out to greet us. They cooked us an incredible meal and we all sat and ate it together under this huge community kitchen shelter outside. I don’t speak very good Spanish but the locals were so accommodating and it was easy to socialise through food, dance and games. It was a really beautiful experience. I’m a behavioural expert, I love people - that’s my thing - so this opportunity to operate in a group of 15 was really interesting. Reading all of the different types of people from around the globe and their behaviours, cultures and values. It was such a learning experience - very different from just going away with someone you know.

How did you find the change in pace compared to the rush of running a business? It was absolutely a different pace. I took the opportunity to slow things down and really take it all in. I sat and listened to a lot of podcasts and calming music and I also read a lot of books as well. But, most of all I just watched the world go by and relaxed.