Established just over two years ago to provide support for care in the home, Boltonshaw Homecare has recently seen its fourth office move.
Having begun life at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) as a virtual tenant with just two members of staff the company now employs 50 staff and have just acquired a further 400sq ft of office space.
Operating all over the North East the company offers bespoke care packages tailored to the end users requirements, Lesley Shaw, managing director said:
“The business has grown much quicker than we anticipated we needed an office space which had an inner office and space large enough to conduct staff training, it was not cost-effective for the businesses to regular hire training rooms but the type of office we required at the BIC were already operating at full capacity therefore the BIC built us a custom-made one.
“Also I didn’t want to be in a position where office space was adequate now but in eight months down the line we could have potentially grown out of it. This office should safely see us well into the future.
“One of the reasons we stay at the BIC is down to the flexibility, in our four office moves our address and landlines have never changed and that is important to us and very cost-effective. We operate all over the Tyne and Wear region and the BIC is really central to this, a good location and easy to get to.
“Our plans are on track for the upcoming year and in 2015 we are aiming to have our third branch in North Tyneside.“
Lesley comes from a strong background working within the care sector ever since she qualified as a nurse and worked for the NHS. Two years ago the time was right and Lesley left her steady income and started her own business, Lesley adds:
“There have been many lessons learned along the way and being your own boss is not without its challenges; finance, legalities and wage runs were all new to me and here I am now responsible for 50 people!
“Employing people has been a steep learning curve but I truly believe to get commitment from staff I have to be seen giving them the commitment therefore one of my rules is I do not have zero hour contracts, which can present difficulties.
“But the upside greatly outweighs the negative. I love doing what I do and know that my staff make a real difference in the end users lives. One even took her client to a Take That concert! It is personal professional attention to care that makes us stand out and the best thing about my job is knowing that the care is right for the client and how much it has changed their lives.
“Some of our clients have been with us since day one and that’s a true testament to the work our carers do in the community and that’s enough for me.”
Donna Surtees, senior space adviser at the BIC, added:
“It is truly inspiring to see Boltonshaw Homecare progress and expand whilst remaining a valued tenant of the BIC. We try to accommodate all of our businesses requirements and making a bespoke office for Lesley and her team just seemed the right thing to do. On behalf of the BIC we wish the company the very best.
“If you are thinking of relocating then please give me a call on 0191 516 6066.”
