The Business Village People S2 E1: “How I Performance Manage My Husband”.

The Business Village People

 This is a Pod One Production. For more information, visit podone.co.uk. This is the Business Village People podcast. Hello, I'm David Markwell, and welcome to the Business Village People podcast. This is Series 2, Episode 1. Here is where we showcase unique stories from the vibrant companies and service providers based at the Business Village in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Okay, let's go! In this episode of Business Village People, we meet the woman who set up her business on her twins first birthday. And now 20 years later, she's got the privilege of line managing her husband. And as for her twins well, they're going to have to fend for themselves.

Plus, the Story of how circa 7,000 ambulances and control rooms across England, Scottish, and Welsh Ambulance Trusts are getting upgraded digital communication technology systems. All of these things are being delivered by a team based here at the Business Village, and we meet Dubai Bound Georgie Green. She's a PMO Analyst, working with the MDVS Team at the Ambulance Radio Programme.

And talking of acronyms, FCS Associates is a consultancy practice with substantial expertise in public, private, charity, and society. sectors. The clients include Sheffield City Council, Barnsley Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. The business was set up 20 years ago by Rachel Fletcher, registered the company on my twin's first birthday.

So it was a very bad mother and didn't do anything with them on that day because I was busy working. Uh, but I'd left my old consultancy company and decided that I'd stay. I don't know, I just wanted some better work life balance, and I thought, stupidly, that having my own business would provide that. I would say, since then I've been busier than ever, but equally, you're in charge of your own destiny, and you're in charge of what you want to do.

And so that's why I like my job. Having my own business, because it allows me to do the things I like to do. Why consulted? How did you get into that? I just fell into it, to be honest. I was very lucky. So, when I left university, I was going to join the police. I'd got a training, a place on a training programme.

I thought, that's fine. And then my dad found this very small advert in the local Sheffield Star. And, uh, they wanted consultancy. They wanted people to join a consultancy company in Sheffield that worked a lot with the European Commission. And my dad said, you like to travel, why don't you do that? So I wrote to them, got an interview, as you did back then, and got the job, and it was amazing.

On the first day, well not the first day, the first week, I was travelling business class to London, going to meet some people. some, uh, people at that time who worked for the Ministry of Agriculture to talk about grants. And I worked there for ten years, I became MD, uh, really enjoyed it, did loads of travel, uh, did lots of work for the European Commission, I was, learnt a lot of stuff, you know, just worked with lots of different types of businesses on research, because I'd loved, I loved, I did a science degree, so I'd always had a love of science.

And then, uh, I had twins and thought, can't really, or don't want to do this anymore. Want something different that will fit round my life. And, and so decided to set up my own business. And, uh, my brother said, sort of seemed to be family related. Never mind, I do get advice from others. But, uh, I was saying to my brother, I don't know what to do.

And he said, well. You've done, you've run that business, why don't you set up your own, you know, contact a few people who you think you could work for and see what happens. And I was lucky, the first guy I got in touch with, he said, do you want a consultancy contract? Do you want a job? And I said, no, I'll do consultancy.

And he said, set up a business and we'll give you a contract. And that was my first contract. And I worked for them for 18 months. And then that went on to lead to other things. And, and I'm still doing it. What would you describe is the role of a consultant? I think there's many descriptions, some positive, some negative.

Um, I think it's listening, it's helping, it's supporting. I suppose it depends what you're consulting on. So when you're working with small businesses, which I do a lot of now, it's provide, and particularly small businesses who often don't have others to talk to. If you're senior in a small company, it might just be you, or you're in charge.

So you can't show your insecurities. You have no one to bounce ideas off. And so I think being that person who they can talk to about what they want to do, where they want to go, and give some honest advice, because I am honest. I do, you know, I don't, I don't always say what people want me to say. say what I do think is right, which has worked for me so far, um, sort of, uh, but um, but no.

So I think, I think it's listening. I think it's helping. Uh, and then consultancy we do more broadly for like the public sector. It's, it's reviewing initiatives. It's, it's coming up with ideas and, and I like that because I like thinking about things and then coming up with solutions, whether that might be a responding to a tender and coming up with a, a sort of, because it's creative writing.

People never think this. They think when you're writing grants or, or writing public sector tenders, it's boring and it's not. It's, it's coming up with ideas of how you can do things and what you could create in the future. And that's what I like about it. So give us an example of a project that you might've worked on recently.

Yesterday I met with a, a business in Barnsley, really nice. Um, nursery that, um, it's all outdoor provision for young children, which I think is really inspiring because, um, they are providing something which others aren't where the marketplace hasn't traditionally provided. So I think that's really good.

And we've just had a series of meetings. We've talked about their growth plans. I've looked into what funding they can bid for, and I think that's important. Because people sometimes come and they'll say to me what grants are there? What's out there? And that's the wrong way around. It needs to be what do you want to achieve and therefore what do you need to do that?

And funding is part of that. It's not the only thing, the grant funding. And so then it's helping them identify that that funding bid for it. And, and then just talk about implementing it and, and even just the future, you know, once they've done this, what about year two? What, what even is their long term sort of plan for, um, succession, which you wouldn't think about traditionally at the beginning, but it is important to think about that, to think where, where ultimately do they want to go with this business?

Because if you see, If you set off in the right way, building the right structures, then the end point, you'll get there. Whereas if you just sort of, um, have no vision, no view of where you want to go, then often people just go around in circles and never really go anywhere. They're busy, they might be busy, very busy, but that doesn't mean they're achieving anything.

How much is, in running a business, how much is luck and how much is hard work? I think there's a lot, a huge amount of luck. I absolutely do. Yeah, it's um, but you do make your own luck. Uh, you know, I've, I've always thought say yes to things and that's why I'm partly here today. I was thinking why did I say yes, but you, you do, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

You have to say yes, you know, because. You just don't know where things go, and one, and that's what I found in my career with the business. One thing leads to another, and if you, if you only take things that you're 100 percent confident with and comfortable with, then you'll stay there. Whereas if you just think, well, actually, I could have a go, and really, no one, I've realized, no one really knows what they're doing.

You know, we all pretend, we all pretend that we really do, but you talk to lots of people, you know, and I talk to lots of business owners, and they'll tell you privately that they uncultivated. Confident and they, they, they feel very insecure about the, you know, the what they've done. And that's totally normal.

And I think it's normalizing that it's okay to think that it doesn't then mean that it's, you should stop. Yeah. It just means that you accept that's how you feel. But just have a go. What's the, what I often think, what's the worst that can happen? And, and then the other thing I think to myself is how much, and this is maybe doesn't work well with podcasts, but how much do people really remember when you do some.

So then at the end you'll think, oh I can't believe I said that. And then I think it's 20%. They only retain 20%. So I think that the 20 percent that they'll have retained will be good stuff. The 80 percent that I've messed up, they'll totally forget. So maybe I'm naive, but that's how I decide that I'm going to deal with it.

Because otherwise you just never do anything. You just keep going round and round in circles. What plans have you got for the future for the business? I think at the minute we're doing lots of public sector delivery, which I'm really pleased and, and, and, um, what's the word? Really, it allows me to work with lots of different businesses, businesses that often can't pay us, which is really nice, because those that often can pay you don't always need, particularly with something like business start up, they're not the ones that need the help, because they can, they can access it already.

So, uh. I really enjoy doing the work that I do for Barnsley Council and Sheffield Council and the Mayoral Authority because it allows me to work with people and to start them on that business journey. Next year, I mean certainly funding mechanisms will change so we have to keep up to date with that because as funding and grants change we have to adapt what we can do but um, over the last few years we've been developing a lot more activity with charities so we run a really uh, Um, I wouldn't say really great, but I think it is.

We do a charity hub, which we do three times a year, which brings charities together. Uh, and we do a charity of the year, where we do 35 hours of free grant writing. And, and, I like that. The team like that. We enjoy working with charities and social enterprises because we're able to make a difference. And, uh, and make a difference outside the sphere that we normally operate in.

So I think continuing, if we can, continuing doing what we do with businesses, but then perhaps building further on what we do with charities and social enterprises. Rachel, how can people get in contact with you? Our website, fcsassociates. co. uk. There's lots of free, lots and lots of free resources on there.

So if you're interested in grants. We do a bulletin that you can sign up to and you know, you just get a free weekly bulletin every week. We don't chase you. It's 3, 000 people signed up. You know, we're certainly not chasing all those. But just get in touch. We've got on our website, we have a grants map, which is good.

So if you're in a locality, you can look at that locality and see what grants are available to you. Um, but you know, our, my email address is on there. I'm on LinkedIn. Just get in touch and, um, and, you know, ask, ask the questions. It's a question that, um, that you're wanting to, to understand, to see how me and colleagues, it isn't just me, um, it's, uh, my husband works for me, uh, I don't know if he'd say he works for me, we work together, but he did join my business and I'd like to remind him of that.

Okay then, hang on a minute, hang on a minute, you've not told me, I wish I'd known that before and how does that work? Uh, to be honest, very well, really well, yeah, we've worked together now for 10 years, uh, it, I, I think he's, he's brilliant, he's the best employee you could have. Because he is 100 percent dedicated to doing the job.

Uh, what he isn't very good at is being managed. By, by his wife. Uh, so, as I say, we work together. Uh, we don't, he doesn't, we don't, we have separate roles. It must be, the performance review every year must be wonderful. You've not done the dishes. Uh, it's ongoing. It's an ongoing performance review, that's why it works.

You don't pick your socks up. Yeah, no, that's why it works really well. But I do think, in some ways, it is, for me, for us, it works well because the business and the family are all in one, you've both got the same priorities, they're both the same vision, there's never an issue if I've got something to do or if he's got something to do because we're doing it for a reason, we're doing it because it's our business.

Uh, but my sister in law also works for me, uh, we've been working together for 12 years and she's fantastic. and then my best friend from university. Uh, she came on board about six years ago. Uh, and I think I'm so lucky and I say that a lot because I've got a team of people that I know will try their absolute best.

Uh, you know, they say don't work with family. Yes, there are always challenges. But when you know that you're working with people where if there's a problem they'll do anything they can to help and because they, they care about you and they care about the business then it works really well. So yeah, I'm sticking with that.

But the kids aren't coming on board. I draw the line at my children joining the business. I think they need to go out and make their own plans. And then maybe come back, but we'll see. Rachel, you've been an inspiration. It's been lovely to chat to you. Yes, you have. No, you have. You have. I love how focused you are on that.

So, thank you for your time. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. I thought it would be horrendous. It's not been that bad. No, Not being that bad at all. Thank you very much. Where do I send the bill to?

Good morning, the Business Village. Holly speaking. How can I help? Upgrade your workspace and boost productivity at the Business Village. Our modern offices are designed to meet your needs. From solo entrepreneurs to growing start ups. You'll have access to high speed internet, conference rooms, and more. A bistro and a thriving business community with networking events, workshops and collaboration opportunities.

Contact us today to schedule a tour. Call 01226 249 590. That's 01226 249 590. And start your success story at the Business Village.

This is the Business Village People podcast. Now, if you've ever had to make a 999 call for the ambulance service, whatever happens after ending the call may be of little interest to you. However, one team at the Business Village is responsible for keeping all the digital data and communications flowing between the hospitals and the ambulance crews.

Georgie Green works for the ambulance radio program. She's been Hi, I'm Georgie Green. I'm a Programme Management Office Analyst with the Ambulance Radio Programme. I'm also responsible as the Mobile Data and Vehicle Solution Relationship Manager. Or in other words, you work for A R P S W A E F T. PMO with MDVS?

We, the Ambulance Radio Programme, so ARP, we're hosted by Southwestern Ambulance Service. So they provide us a channel for all of our funding and everything we do as an organisation and look after us. PMO is the Programme Management Office, so we have a head of that looks after all of us. as a central team within the program.

Um, and then we support all of the, the various bits and pieces and departments. And then MDVS, Mobile Data and Vehicle Solutions. For the NHS. My favourite one at ARP because we, you know, we work in the, the ambulance sector is NEANAS. So it's the National Educational Network for, for ambulances, I believe.

But that one tickles me every time. Tell me about what you actually do at The Business Village. Uh, The Business Village is one of our three offices. Um, so as a program nationally, we are delivering crucial technology systems to ambulance trusts um, across the UK. Uh, so one of the main programs, the control room solutions that's going to Scotland, Wales and all English ambulance trusts.

And then the mobile data and vehicle solutions is going to all English and Welsh, Welsh ambulance trusts. Can you explain that to me as a lad from Barnsley, what, what, what, what is the control room data analystic RSPCA? So, So, So, The control room solution is a new LIFEx application, um, so that's used as critical communications between the emergency control room dispatchers and operational crews in the field.

So it integrates with various systems depending on how a trust operates. Um, eventually when the mobile data and vehicle solution program is then also implemented at the trust. They can go one or the other first. They'll talk to each other. So LIFX will be used as a dispatch system to dispatch the vehicles to the jobs, which will then use the tablets and the system that we've developed and the hardware and the software, um, to give them the information for the jobs and the patients, basically.

So it's all communications. Very much so, yeah. Radio communications and data communications. Yeah, absolutely. How did you end up in Barnsley? Um, so I've lived in Barnsley all my life. Um, So far. Yeah. Grown up in Barnsley. Always had jobs in Barnsley. Um, got made redundant from my last role and kind of fell into my RP.

Um, and I'm six years with the programme this year. So it's, um, a fantastic place to work for, like I say, we're national, we travel quite a bit. Um, I was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the British APCO Ian Thompson Bursary Award this year. Um, so as part of that award, as a young person in technology, I'm going to Dubai, um, to the Critical Comms World Conferences over there in a few weeks.

Um, so the, the opportunities and, and the work that's, that's been done there. been presented my way since I've joined the program has been absolutely top tier. So whereabouts in Barnsley are you from? So I'm, I was born in Darton, I live in Mathwell now, I've just moved here. Do you go to Darton High School or Darton College?

No, I went to school in Wakefield. Oh, Quags! No, no, I went to Kettlethorpe, so I went to school in Wakefield. Near the Asdors. Yes. Asdors. And then I went to college in Huddersfield, um, wasn't quite sure about what I wanted to do, um, deferred my uni offers. Fell into the last job I had before, with our ARP, and the rest is history, I guess.

So yeah, six years they've been stuck with me. How does it work? It's all radio based communication, so making, our responsibility is to make sure that everything works and all the systems can communicate effectively. The trust can communicate effectively as well. Um, it's really important that the emergency responders have got that mechanism to be able to continue receiving regular updates on a patient.

You know, it'll start off, they'll receive a job at the initial phase where it's raised. The category could change throughout that call. So to have that live system update coming through is crucial for them to be able to to give the best care to the patient. So the key part and the key components is just making sure it all talks to each other.

You bringing the technology into all the ambulances in Britain? Yes. England or just? In England, so it's not Ireland, it's England, Scotland and Wales. So we're acting on behalf of the Department of Health to introduce these new systems. So we have national ambulances. plans on a page and national programs of delivery where we're working with each trust.

They've all got their own nuances and all got their own individual, um, systems that are already in place. So we have to make sure that what they've already got, the, the control room and the, the computer aided dispatch systems, it's, it's got to all work with what we're trying to implement. A lot of it's becoming end of life.

Um, so it's going to get to a point where it's, it's just not there anymore. So we're upgrading what they've got at the moment so that they've got a, a more, a more up to date, more modern, modern service. Um, some of the trusts that have had it more recently are absolutely loving it, and that's, that's using their words to quote it, which has, has been fantastic feedback, because it's been a real, a real push to get to where we are.

We're, we're up to nearly 3, 000 vehicles installed with, with the mobile data and, and vehicle solution. We'll, we'll hit the target. The, the 3, 000 in a few weeks time and then I believe it's eight Trust Live with, with the control room solutions, all of which will be done by the end of the year. So we're, we're a really, really key point in delivery, but a really successful point today as well.

So what are you doing going to Dubai? I applied for an award that the, uh, the British Apco, um, organization, um, put out in memory of somebody that used to work as part of that, that team of people. And the, the bursary is designed for, you know, young people starting out in their career and wanting to explore.

All the avenues that they can go down with, with what they're wanting to do. Technology and what I'm doing is never something I kind of imagined that I'd be doing, but I've fallen into it and love it. So put my application forward, um, and I was one of three winners and I'm a big advocate for women in technology.

And I was the only woman to be part of those three that won. So we then had a choice of other emergency services and critical comms conferences and events across the world, depending on how you want your career to or how you see your career to go. Um, and the critical comms world in Dubai is the, or I felt was the most appropriate to what I'm doing and how I'm wanting to progress really.

So I'll be heading out there in a couple of weeks to, I just want to understand and learn more about how other countries and other organizations do what we're doing, you know, making sure that their emergency services have got that critical technology. And I think that naively and through, you know, people not seeing that side of things, you pick up the phone and ring 999.

and somebody's there and a vehicle turns up and a crew turns up, there's so much more that goes behind making that phone call and making sure that people can be responding to and receive the right treatment. Um, so it's, it's, it's a really rewarding job to know that that all behind the scenes thing is such a big part of, you know, just picking up the call and making 999 phone calls and not realizing that there's so much more to it.

So yeah, looking forward to getting out to Dubai. What did you want to be when you were at school in Wakefield? Interior design. Um, so I just kind of got into my head that that going to uni was the right thing to do, because it was what all my friends were doing. And then fell into being a contract manager at my previous job, again through circumstance, and I thought, do you know what, this, I just don't know what I want to do yet, so I wasn't ready to commit to a degree.

Unfortunately got made redundant, and then a few weeks later found The advert that they were going out for for just an admin assistant. So I very much started off as a travel and accommodation admin gal. Yeah, we were a much smaller team back then and we, we had a different office. We weren't based at Bebick.

We were based at the digital center in, in, in the center of town. So what is the plan for the future for yourself? It's a bit uncertain. I've got a few ideas. Uh, I've got loads of fantastic role models in the program and outside the program as well. I think, um, head of our team, head of our program management office is Sumerawood.

Would love to end up in a, in a few years time and I'm doing everything I can to, to learn and, and shadow my, uh, my seniors and colleagues in the team to try and get there. And what's it like working at the business village? The business village is fantastic and it's, it, you know, I'm a local, local girl to Barnsley.

Um, so having, uh, an office like this. on, on your doorstep. Um, one, it means that we can look after suppliers, customers, trust anybody that comes to visit. We've got the mechanism to be able to do that. Um, I'm even more biased of the office now that I can bring my, my dog Fred in. Um, that, that initiative has been absolutely wonderful to, to be able to do that.

And he's having him in the office. So, Fred is my almost two year old Cocker Spaniel and he's absolutely mad as a box of frogs. Um, but he's even more special because he was very unwell when he was a puppy and we nearly lost him. Um, so to be able to bring him into work and everybody share his wonderful personality is fab.

Um, and it's nice to meet all the other dogs in the office as well because I know we're not the only one that that's welcomed a furry four legged friend in recently. So yeah, he's great. It's crazy but great. What's the plan for the future for the A. R. P. For the Ambulance Radio Program, so, um, we've just signed a, uh, handheld, handheld devices contract, um, so that's another program, um, that we'll be implementing over the next, uh, I believe 12 to 18 months.

Um, lots on the horizon, um, we've, we've got, once the trusts are in service, it doesn't stop there. So, the, the systems need looking after, the trusts need that support and that ongoing reliance that they've got. that the system is, is fit for purpose and that we'll keep working and keep delivering the, the technology that they need.

Um, so we, we, once inflammation stops, we don't stop. So it'll still be full steam ahead when, when we get up to, um, I think the, the full number of vehicles is 7, 000. So if you, if you want a demonstration of MDVS systems, I can hook you up with our test team and we'll show you what we're up to. That'd be great.

I know I could do a full podcast on that. Where would he go? Through all the systems. The director would be all over that. He'd absolutely eat you up for that. Uh, Dunc will be a very happy man. The more we can promote what we're doing as a programme and the, the fantastic, massive team of, of us, you know, it's not just the, the guys that get on the ground and the people doing the implementing.

It's, it's commercial, it's finance, it's service, it's everybody. It's, it's such a big, massive team effort and it is genuinely one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Okay, put the cue card down. Have you got that tattooed on the back of your eyelids, ? Yes, of course. I want a promotion

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That's it for this edition of the podcast. Thank you for listening. And special thanks to my guests, Rachel and Georgie. If you've enjoyed your time with us, please subscribe and share the podcasts with your friends. Your support helps us grow and reach more listeners like you. I'm David Markwell, and this.

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