From Pinterest to premises – friends realise their business dream
Friends Jo Gilbert and Emily MacGregor have brought their pipe dreams and Pinterest boards to life by opening their very own cosy coffee shop at the centre of their village.
For years, the pair imagined how their fantasy café would look, curating interior design inspiration and menu ideas during breaks from their medical jobs at University Hospital North Durham.
But after a stroke of serendipity presented the perfect premises and some well-placed advice, the friends turned their dream to reality – in just 12 weeks.
They’ve recently opened Some Beans in the centre of Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, where they’re now serving delicious drinks, cakes and light bites to customers eating in as well as cyclists, hikers and dog walkers who pass on the Derwent Walk.
“Suddenly it all just snapped into place,” said Jo. “We were in the village one afternoon and found out the local ice cream parlor was closing down and the shop was becoming vacant.
“It was an absolutely perfect location. There aren’t any other coffee shops in the village so we knew it would be serving a real need of the community too.”
Jo wasted no time, hitting the internet to search for business start-up advice. After contacting Gateshead Council, she discovered she was eligible for free specialist support from the Enterprising North Programme, designed to help people looking to start a new business or those in the early days of trading and delivered by a unique consortium of local delivery partners across the Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland area.
She was introduced to Business Adviser Nham Lee from the North East BIC who helped guide her through the basics of entrepreneurship and connected her to a network of others to learn new skills and attract finance.
After 10 weeks of support, plus numerous weekends and evenings spent transforming the premises after work with the help of family and friends, their neighbourhood coffee shop served its first latte.
Owner Jo left her role as a senior biomedical scientist in the blood transfusion department just before the launch day and is now running the business fulltime.
Self-confessed foodie Emily is helping to bake the shop’s produce in her spare time while still working as a haematologist. She also has a calendar of supper clubs planned for 2025.
“It might sound strange but there are lots of similarities when it comes to running a lab and a kitchen,” Jo laughed.
“There are lots of risk assessments, schedules and finances but I’m pleased to say I’ll be a lot closer to the people I’m taking care of now! We actually hope the patients and staff of the nearby community hospital will be among our regulars.”
One of the most surprising things about her journey so far into self-employment has been the amount of available advice, Jo said.
“I was amazed by how much support there was available, she added. “I really feel like I fell on my feet with the guidance that I’ve been given and the people I’ve met.
“Nham narrowed down for us exactly what we needed to do and what we needed to learn to get to where we wanted to be. There’s so much information on the internet that can be so confusing and contradictory.
“But Nham handpicked information for us on everything from legislation to skills and even helped us to apply for a grant. We’d never have got so far so quickly without her by our side. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved in such a short space of time. It feels amazing.”
The support from the North East BIC forms part of the Enterprising North Programme which is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Nham met Jo weekly to work through a plan to equip her with the skills and knowledge needed to give her business the best chance of success, including e-learning from business skills provider Smarta. She also helped Jo apply for a grant.
Nham added: “It was fantastic to work alongside Jo and see her plans come to life. With her clear vision, passion and can-do attitude, Some Beans will soon be at the very heart of its community providing Jo and Emily with an exciting new chapter in their lives.
“The Enterprising North Programme was set up to help those with a desire to start up their own business and make the leap into self-employment and Jo is a great example of how it is enabling people to do just that.”