When Sharon’s children began to get a bit older, she took the decision to embark on a Business Management degree. She already had a background in education, having worked part-time in several local schools, so upon graduating Sharon found work with an education recruitment company. Though it suited her at first, over time she began to realise there weren’t many opportunities to progress:

For Sharon, setting up her own company didn’t mean reinventing the wheel. Instead, she took the experience she’d gained in education recruitment and came up with her own business model supplying schools in the Valleys region with cover teachers and learning support assistants.

Keep in mind your long term business and personal objectives when setting up. Think about how you’ll feel about every decision in ten years’ time.

Sharon Green - Valley Education Services

Although she felt satisfied knowing she was putting her business acumen to good use, Sharon quickly recognised that there was still plenty to learn. She got in touch with Business Support Wales and was given her own Graduate Start Up business mentor who helped with financial forecasting and with fleshing out the business plan, all of which formed part of a successful application for a Graduate Start-Up bursary.

"I just felt like I wasn’t achieving my potential or fully using all the skills I’d acquired during my degree. I’d worked hard and had learnt so much about running a business - it was about time I put all my head knowledge into practice!"