The owner of a local independent business in Southport has told how she feared she would lose her business as the first Covid-19 lockdown came into force three years ago today.
Samantha Engleby, owner at Eckersley’s Blinds on Shakespeare Street in Southport, said: “I cried as I genuinely thought I was going to lose my business”.
But she wasn’t going to give in without a fight.
Today, after turning negatives into positives and through support from the Santander Women in Business programme, Samantha is seeing her business thrive – the firm has just taken on another new member of staff.
Samantha now wants to help offer mentoring to other start-ups and female business owners.
She said: “Three years ago today we were, as a country, put into lockdown.
“I remember sitting on the stairs in my shop unable to fit over £30,000 worth of work I had booked in for the following week.
“I cried as I genuinely thought I was going to lose my business and that fear was real.
“The next day I came to work and rolled up my sleeves with a totally different attitude. If I was going to lose my business I was going to put up a flipping good fight .
“So I decided to use the first week of lockdown to change all of our processes and I took a really critical view of our business. I was able to turn the negatives into positives as I finally had time to work on the business.
“The fear of the lockdown soon disappeared as we were all busy adapting to the situation and improving the business.
“Three years on we are a much more effective business that is focused on growth and I finally realised the importance of working on the business.
“I was extremely lucky to add to my personal growth by being on the Santander Women in Business programme.The programme supported me to not only understand the world of business but to change my mindset.
“Through this programme I was also able to have a mentor. His input has been invaluable and today he still takes time to keep me on the right path. He has been an injection of positivity and I cannot thank him enough .
“Today as a result of the programme I am continually learning and developing.
“As a business we are unrecognisable to the one we were before lockdown and we are growing, improving and continually challenging ourselves.
“Oh and we have just hired another full time member of staff!”
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