Jo and Dawn recognised
the extra demand placed on language schools to recruit and vet hosts ready for
their peak period of June to August. So, they joined a partnership to create
their new thriving business; Your Homestay.
This business provides services to
the language travel industry. ‘Thousands
of foreign students travel to Liverpool and Southport each year to attend short
or extended stay English language courses and therefore boost the economy in
these areas. 60% of these students choose homestay accommodation to consolidate
their language education and experience English life in a typical home.’
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| Jo |
Prior
to running Your Homestay, Jo took a career break from secondary school teaching to bring up
her three children and then went into supply teaching. During her career break
she began hosting students for a school in Liverpool to introduce her children
to diverse cultures and languages. Before teaching in England, Dawn taught
English as a foreign language in
South Korea and has recently worked at a senior level for the Association of
Language Travel Organisations (ALTO).
Since
her break from teaching, Jo has been a homestay host for a language school in
Liverpool for four years. It was through their separate work areas that they
began to acknowledge there was a valuable place for their business. Through
this recognition, Jo and Dawn conducted various research in the numbers of
schools and their student capacity in Liverpool. They met with senior figures
from those schools to explore the potential areas in which they could support
them.
 |
| Dawn |
At
first, starting-up was a ‘bit daunting’ for
the duo, but they sought advice from as many sources as possible. ‘It has been a huge learning curve and we
underestimated how much work it involved.’ Jo and Dawn were initially going
to spend more time developing networks and setting up systems but certain
opportunities emerged which they felt they should embrace. The overwhelming
feeling during this phase of their venture was of a determined excitement.
Jo
and Dawn contacted The Women’s Organisation where they received ‘invaluable support.’ They were assigned
to one of our business advisors who guided them through all the processes. This
included creating an action plan, identifying product and definitions and
advice on essentials such as insurance and tax. The pair also attended various
courses to support them with various aspects of their business like ‘Building a
Social Media Strategy.’
‘In
doing all of this we have been able to network with other women in the same
situation, and retain the support of our business advisor.’
As
Jo and Dawn are both mothers, they had to find that balance between work, home
life and setting up a business. And as a result, they feel many sacrifices have
been made with regards to family and friends.
‘We have been working seven days a week to get the business up and running but
once everything is in place it will ease a little, we hope!’
‘The best thing is being your own boss
and managing your own time and workload.’
So
far, they are proud of what their business has achieved which has only been
possible through hard work and sacrifices. ‘One
minute we were teachers and the next we are business women!’
For
anybody thinking of starting a business, Jo and Dawn would advise you to not ‘rush into it…Keep it simple and where
possible keep your start-up costs low.’ They suggest seeking advice but
don’t get over burdened with it! ‘Make
decisions based on your needs not those of others.’
If
you’re interested in the services Jo and Dawn offer, you can contact them on:
Tel:
07795023506
And if you've been inspired by Jo and Dawn's story and would like support and advice to start your own business, then get in touch with us! Email us on hello@thewo.org.uk or ring us on 0151 706 8111
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