It's time for another Behind The Brand brought to you by The Consult Centre
Today we find out a little more about Joanna .
So I am Joanna Cameron from The Creation Station Lancaster. I spent many years as a primary teacher before deciding that I wanted something a bit more creative and a bit more flexible, hence buying The Creation Station franchise.
Originally I am from Solihull, just South of Birmingham, but came to university in Lancaster. I knew that I wanted to settle here so after teacher training in Nottingham and spending some time living in Oxfordshire, my husband and I moved back to Lancaster in 2006.
My business is a franchise and it appealed to me straightaway. I had made the decision to leave teaching but knew I still wanted to work with children using the skills and knowledge that I had developed during my teaching career. Looking around at different options The Creation Station leapt out at me. It has all the elements of teaching that I love, without all the bits that I didn't love so much! My business is very much a personal business so I currently do everything: run classes and sessions, answer emails and messages, write all the social media content, do all the admin and planning and arrange and attend meetings. I am based primarily in Lancaster but cover from Galgate through to just North of Kendal. What most excites me about is my customers! I love meeting new people and inspiring them, talking with them and seeing where their imaginations taken them! I also love how my business is so flexible and has taken me in directions that I never imagined: adult evenings, care home sessions and intergenerational classes. It is too difficult to choose just one day as my best day in business! Highlights always include when someone leaves me a positive review, or contacts me saying that someone has recommended me to them. Agreeing a contract to work with local companies such as Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, The Dukes Theatre and Rhe
ged always rate highly too. The biggest challenge for me has probably actually been the running of a business and thinking of myself as a businesswoman. It is so different to what I did before and was so far out of my comfort zone. What four items would I take to a desert island? My phone and charger, and some food and drink... I love the atmosphere of living in the bay area: the history, the coast, the country, the community. The fact that it has such good transport links, as I have family in the Midlands and North London, is also great. Some advice for fellow business owners: network and meet other business owners. It is too easy to feel like you are on your own. Pet peeves? People who are persistently really late, people who constantly change arrangements and people who are rude. https://www.facebook.com/TCSLancaster/