How did you start your company?
BYOB Ltd (Build Your Own Business) came into existence almost by accident. After over 10 years, of working in accountancy and payroll practice, I went to help my brother in law manage his day to day admin and financial tasks. Then I met a man in a pub who needed some help! From there I started to build a portfolio of regular clients. I spent a year turning down work, as I was flat out, so it made sense to try and build a business so I could help more people.
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re really lucky that we have some great regular clients. Bookkeeping and payroll have been the bulk of our work so far but we’re currently developing our marketing services. Having worked with mainly micro businesses I have turned my hand to all sorts of small business tasks, including website design, brochure design and social media marketing.
Most recently, we have been helping a local business develop their branding, so that they are consistent throughout their social media platforms and building them a website so that they can increase their online presence and bring them some new customers.
What do you like about Bicester Innovation Centre?
I came across Bicester Innovation Centre when I was looking for an office to allow me to hire my first employees. It’s great to have a professional space to bring clients. The receptionists are always really helpful, and all the team here have made me feel really welcome.
I still get a buzz from having my company name on the door!
What projects/ambitions do you have for the future of your company?
Starting a business can be difficult. There is a lot to learn and you can’t possibly be great at everything. When you’re just starting, you can’t always afford to hire a full staff to fall back on. I’m hoping that BYOB can help bridge that gap. I’d like to grow our team so that we can be other people’s team too.
Small businesses, and freelancers in particular, rarely need full time help, but we can offer full back office services, without breaking the bank, whenever you need us!
