Jumping On The Blogwagon

Every time my Event Manager Julia and I meet we always say 'when are we going to start a blog?!'. 

I've been reluctant, partly because I'm quite a private person and don't use my persona in relation to my business (other than of course working at events and meeting customers), I'm perhaps not cut out for the judgement putting yourself out there can attract. Another reason for not doing this sooner was because I wanted to make sure I found an angle for my blog, something I would be passionate about and want to write about.

Then it dawned on me, I should write about what I know and what I live for.... the thrill, trials, stresses and fulfilment of being in business. So my blog is going to be about my perspective of business management, working in creative industries and round ups and links to the businesses I've created (and some vintage beauty, events and photo shoot blogs in between, because I couldn't give so much to my business without the inspiration and excitement I get over vintage beauty and lifestyle).

I hope I qualify to write about business. Perhaps I should justify this by telling you a little about my path to my current role. I first fell in love with business at age 16 when I entered the Young Enterprise Company programme at school, I remember thinking to myself, if I'm not voted MD of the group I'll quit. I knew unless I could lead it, it wouldn't be worth it for me. Before that I remember 'playing shop' from a very young age. I made jewellery and sold it at school fairs... and it wasn't the making I was in it for, it was the thrill of turning the £10 I'd spend on beads and wire into £40. I remember thinking 'why doesn't everyone do this, it's so obvious?!' I wrote to Richard Branson at the age of 12, he wrote back and I was ecstatic, I devoured entrepreneur auto-biographies, I genuinely found the idea of business fascinating. One phrase that has always stuck with me and that I think about often is something my mum said to me once.. "if you find something you love, you'll never work a day in your life". I think if you really strive to live by that, you'll find true fulfilment.

So I did business A-level, then a Business and Management Degree and although I think this gave me a strong academic knowledge of business as a concept, I think it actually gave me 'the fear'. I think it taught me more about how to get a career than pushing me to start a business.  I went straight from finishing Uni on the Friday to starting a job as a Business Analyst for Warwickshire County Council on the Monday. I became an expert in making processes efficient, managing projects and business improvement through a sequence of corporate jobs; Business Consultant, Programme Manager, Business Process Reengineering and Project Manager. I was never happy though, no matter how quickly I worked my way up the ladder, or how much I earned. The niggling urge for business was always there, so I set up LeKeux Events on the side. I'll go more into how the business grew in another post, in summary though I was lucky enough to be able to leave mainstream employment two years ago. I still have my ups and downs, but I've never felt more like 'me' since doing it.

I hope my blog will interest some people, and that it will be a tool for sharing a little of the knowledge and experience I've built up over the years. I look forward to reading your comments and feedback.

Ms Le Keux x