Case Study : Tots on the Rock - Joanne Venners

Joanne Venners, 25 from Blackhall Rock opened Tots on the Rock, this month with help and funding from Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) Be Enterprising. The shop is located at Hardwick Court, Blackhall, County Durham.

Joanne also received support from East Durham Business Service, Shaw Trust and Jobcentre Plus.
After hearing about Be Enterprising through her partner, who also received help and support to set up a garage, Joanne decided to have a go at running her own business.

Joanne said: “I had been looking into running my own business for quite some time, and after Be Enterprising helped my partner set his up, I decided to contact them about my idea. I started working with them in March and things have been progressing since. 

“Be Enterprising has been fantastic. It has been exciting watching my idea develop into a retail shop and my coach Amanda Hennessy even helped me look around several premises and finally choose one that would be suitable for my business.”

Before deciding to go it alone, Joanne gained an NVQ Level 3 in Retail after working at Little Gems as an assistant for three years.
She explained: “I have worked in retail since leaving school, and I gained plenty of experience in the baby clothes industry from my employment at Little Gems.
“I gained my NVQ in Retail and then moved onto Card Warehouse where I was assistant manager, and then promoted to general manager.”

Amanda Hennessy, Joanne’s business coach at Be Enterprising said: “Joanne came to us several months ago with an initial idea following some research that Blackhall didn’t have a baby clothing store.
“We then set about putting together a business plan to create a profitable business and moved forwards from there. Joanne has plenty of experience within retail, so I have every confidence that her business venture is going to be a success.”

Joanne said: “The initial grant I received from Be Enterprising I spent on stock for the shop. I bought some from the wholesalers, and also, two local women are knitting and crocheting garments for the shop which I will then sell on.
“Right now, I am just looking forward to getting the business up and running, I have already roped half my family into working for me.”