Kate's Story
The overseas company I had been working for, took the decision to pull out of the UK market unexpectedly, and left me with the unenviable job of making the staff working with me redundant, and closing the business. What had previously been a buzzing office was now just empty desks and a few unplugged computers. All very depressing to say the least!
Sometime later I was talking with my lifelong friend Ruthie over a coffee, about life in general, work-life balance, enjoyable working days, having a purpose, and the huge range of skills and knowledge that we had gained over the years. We talked about applying for jobs (she was in a similar position to me), and how there were many that we were qualified for and had the experience for, but something was stopping us from filling in those applications.
As often happens when you talk things through with friends, it clarifies the thinking and suddenly it dawned on me that we should take control of our lives and start our own business! We could share the skills and expertise we had gained and use this to help other businesses and their owners deal with the never-ending finance and admin tasks that take up so much time and brain power.
We were really excited by the prospect, and so a tiny seedling of an idea started to form.
The Paperwork Team was inspired and born!
As the weeks passed, the idea developed. We worked on our skills and started to advertise, and in July 2011 we won our first Client (who I still work with today), and it all started. We worked hard and long hours, not only for our clients but also to build The Paperwork Team brand, designing the logo, website and advertising for our unique services. We loved it!
In 2013 I became ill, and Ruthie decided to take a position with a local company, so the business had to take a back seat. I continued to work with a few of the clients I had (I didn’t want to let them down), but knew I wasn’t in a position to take on any new business despite the requests to do so. All very frustrating.
Welcome to the TEAM! All very different and together incredible!
Kate’s story continued…I had been given a second shot at life and now I was ready to introduce the new TPT to the world. My clients started recommending me again and the business started to grow. I now needed help. I selected the TEAM carefully, choosing people with amazing skills, dedication and focus who would go that extra mile to get things done. I wanted people who could match my passion for putting the client first and providing creative solutions. People who would be flexible enough to support clients in the way that works best for them.
Having always believed in home working and having that work-life balance I had talked to Ruthie about all those years ago, I knew I wanted to offer this to the TEAM I was going to be working with. I researched the technology and invested in the systems that allow everyone to work remotely whilst always being in touch. Today our Employees can choose to work in other time zones, countries or just out in the countryside should they want to, and some do. We still get to meet up for events and always have our Christmas Party face-to-face, which is great.
Kate's Story, what's next?
We are always developing new strategies to be more efficient and useful. We constantly evaluate new technology and how it might enhance what we do and help our clients be more efficient. We invest in developing and keeping our skills up to date and continue to embrace new challenges. Our aim is to continue to make a positive difference to everyone we work with.
And for me, watching this little seedling become what it is today makes me very proud and all the hard work worth it.
