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HOME SUCCESS STORIES North East Entrepreneur Bouncing Back from Redundancy
North East Entrepreneur Bouncing Back from Redundancy
A North East entrepreneur is proving that redundancy can change your life for the better after attending Business Link’s range of workshops, starting up her own business, Professional People Management.

Gateshead-based Monique Ewart, 36, was previously a senior HR manager at building society Northern Rock, but along with many others, including her now business partner Maureen Henderson, she was made redundant.

Monique decided to invest her redundancy package into a new business enterprise and make it on her own, providing HR support and advice to businesses across the region. She attended a range of Business Link workshops covering various entrepreneurial and business-related topics and created a strong business plan to turn her ideas into reality.

Monique said, “It appeared that small businesses didn’t often see the benefit of good HR, particularly when it came to employment legislation, which can often seem confusing. I could see there was a gap in the market to provide professional advice and support, working as an extension of the organisations’ existing teams.

“The workshops have lead to me having a far more refined business plan, and provided me with the marketing skills that I really needed when speaking to potential clients.”

Chris Simpson, account manager at Business Link, said: “Monique provides hope for the many people across the UK who have concerns over redundancy, showing that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and Business Link is pleased to be a part of this.

“Business Link is able to support people across the region in setting up their business and sustaining it. The workshops are a fantastic way for people like Monique to take their ideas from paper and turn them into a success, gaining valuable contacts along the way.”