I quite often tell people that when you’re the Managing Director or CEO, the main thing you need to do is be able to act. Regardless of your views and feelings you have to just smile and get on with the job at hand. You really have no choice – and that’s as it should be. If you crumble then everything and everyone around you will too.

But let me give you a little insight into my world.

During all three pregnancies I worked in a wheelchair in constant pain and unable to take medication, I had daily injections of Clexane to prevent blood clots, hardly slept due to chronic pelvic pain (this was all down to SPD, a condition caused by hormones relaxing the pelvic ligaments) and ran a business. When each child was born by c-section I wasn’t able to have maternity leave, the babies came with me and I carried on from when they were a couple of weeks old. People saw me carrying on but in reality it was hell and I hate that I couldn’t have time with each child during their early years.

When I carried out an MBO, restructured the Board, made my uncle and cousin redundant, became MD, acquired 2 businesses, recovered from a major fire which wiped out production, created a new management team and set up a new manufacturing site I also happened to get divorced, be a single mum and move house – all in the same year we celebrated 100 years of the family business. No one saw the tears when I had to get rid of my family members or the sleepless nights, the holiday I spent awake 24hours a day to negotiate a deal, the fall outs in the family due to shareholdings etc.

My workforce would never have wanted to know about the times we weren’t paid or the house and car that we lost as the company failed. They wouldn’t want to know about the personal guarantee that remains hanging over us.

The day I signed the paperwork for the company’s administration in 2009 and addressed my workforce to tell them this news will stay with me forever. I was a lost and lonely little girl and it was possibly the only time the exterior cracked a little – but not for long. The next day was business as usual and my job was to rally the troops and get on with finding a buyer and trading through administration.

As much as I am proud of being able to hold it together, I often wish people could understand that things are never quite what they seem. I am not someone that looks for sympathy and I can’t abide people that choose to play “victim” but occasionally it would be nice to be allowed to hurt and cry. My husband is the only person that has seen the pain close up, especially as the company closed and I tried to find a way through the darkness. I am often accused of not asking for help – well it’s not in my makeup. I simply can’t ask even when it’s needed and so those that offer unconditional help and support are even more appreciated.

I was with one of my oldest and most trusted friends yesterday and I have never appreciated people like her as much as I do now.

When time’s are tough it filters out people that are genuinely on your side – the rest show their true colours and so as my time comes back around I will not forget those I could rely on and what really matters.

I’ve loved experiencing the different aspects of the SME (small-medium enterprise) that I ran for a good few years compared to a new start up.

I do believe that you have to be slightly crazy to want to start a business – but if you are then welcome to the club!

Starting a business is very much like having a baby. The process of considering it before you’re up and running is rather like the 9 months before baby arrives. You’ll need to take it seriously and do some preparation – such as where you will work, what time you can commit, finances etc – but then just like when a child arrives it will still take you by surprise.

New business are exciting and full of hopes and dreams, again like having an addition to the family, but then the hard work really begins.

I believe strongly in research and preparation. Having a good idea is one thing, having a business that will be successful is a whole different matter. Ask friends and family that will be honest with you – we’ve all seen Dragons Den and how someone thinks that their idea is the best but haven’t thought about whether anyone would actually buy the product or use the service.

“A good idea and a good business are two different things”

Have a plan. What’s your product or offering? How will it be produced? At what cost? Are there any competitors or threats? How will you promote it and let the market know about you and your products/services? Where will you be based? What help will you have? Are you working to your strengths and what will you need support with?

Cash is key to any business; it’s the life line so plan well to take care of this. How will you manage your finances and how will you know for sure if you can make money. Never be a busy fool.

What is the vision? Understand what your business is about and ensure that there’s a unique selling point (USP).

Understand what resources are required. Resources for any business are critical but especially for start ups. Money, time, passion, belief and energy are all vital and can’t be compromised.

You have to be completely committed to the business – again just as if it was a young child. Nurture it. There will be times where your love for it will dip so be ready to grit your teeth if you want to succeed. It’s harder work that you would imagine. It can be a very lonely place especially if it’s just you and a home based office.

Even with a full commitment you will need support. Surround yourself with inspiration, support and expertise. Ensure that you have support from your family. You must be able to trust those close to the business and instinct is imperative. As the business grows you need to stay flexible to all positive development and consider non-executive directors. I firmly feel that my trusted network of colleagues and business associates allow me to understand the world around me in a far better way as well as being able to bounce ideas around – they’re always happy to give an honest opinion which is very valuable.

When you think you understand what you’re getting into and what can happen – do it anyway! Ultimately it is a leap of faith and a certain amount of bravery and madness is essential but it should be worthwhile. As I said, very much like having children – extremely hard work but very rewarding when you get it right!

As a last piece of advice and something I have always stood by, have a “what if” plan… what if it all goes wrong. If the alternative isn’t too bad you have nothing to lose.

Why does this happen? It seems that incorrect decisions can be made as to personnel and who should be retained and who is detrimental to the business. Failure to understand the market sector, audience or products by new owners is common. I think that there’s also a misunderstanding about the value of personal relationships with key clients and then finally it appears that there’s often a clash of culture. In extreme situations I have seen ethical companies fail when taken over by money grabbing companies who have no regard for doing “the right thing”. Customers and employees suffer as a consequence.

But just as my mother always said “what goes around comes around”….

This year I have seen those entrepreneurial business owners who sold great businesses (or whose business went into administration) have had sufficient time to reflect and recover. The next stage of course is to pick themselves up and dust themselves down and start again. Starting again is key, using all that experience and revisiting loyal customers, suppliers and even loyal employees means that success is in sight and I for one am standing at the side line as a supporter for two businesses in particular that I know will be fabulous again. It seems that a year or two is needed in between but eventually there’s no ignoring the need to get back in the game. I have so much admiration for these guys and I know from my own experience that your hunger just increases and as soon as the time is right it’s time to start over but with even more determination.

My time is almost here…and I’ve never been more ready!

As a fellow family business owner I  can share many similar anecdotes to those in the opening chapters of the book but there’s one that stood out to me. Chapter One discusses the 1960’s and how business was built upon status –  ”our office was full of status symbols”. Well I remember that all too well when I used to visit our family’s company as a young child back in the late 70’s. John explains that there were 40 parking spaces on the way to the entrance of the building and these were strictly allocated according to seniority.

At T Saveker Limited whilst at our Phillips Street site we had a senior staff car park to the right of the main building and another car park to the left for everyone else. The ‘family’ were permitted to use the one to the right and yet I deliberately chose not to and much preferred to park with everyone else. I guess the fact that my car when I started with the company was more in keeping with the left hand car park meant in fitted in well. Once I could afford a slightly better car I didn’t see why car parking arrangements should change.

In 1997 when we moved premises (to Aldridge Road by Perry Barr Grey Hound Stadium)  a senior family member and board member instantly parked next to the entrance, irrespective of any potential disabled drivers etc. This was clearly an indication of status as he perceived it. As he arrived reasonably early each morning it set a challenge – to get in even earlier and park there. So I did.

John Timpson commented that as you moved up in the company management structure you could move closer to the door. This was so true and something I resented when I became Managing Director and later CEO. There were no set parking spaces from the moment I became MD.

Family businesses can have wonderful traditions and many look after employees well but status can continue to be a big issue – and yet as John explains, real success comes from empowering the workforce – given you have the correct workforce and no “drongos” as Timpson puts it!

I hear so often “I had a good idea…” but nothing ever happens! The easy bit is the idea but the real value is in the delivery. Seeing something through is certainly made easier when you absolutely believe in it 100%

What made things start to fall into place for me and this particular concept was seeing the latest book released by Gallup… “Wellbeing”. Basically the book looks at 5 areas that need to be nurtured in order for us to have complete ‘wellbeing’.  It’s an area that fascinates me, from being a CEO of 100 employees and looking at reducing absenteeism to being frustrated by employability issues with young people. I also think that the last 12 months I have experienced have also allowed me to reflect and address a number of my own ‘wellbeing’ issues.

Gallup’s book is by Tom Rath and Jim Harter  and explores areas that we all should take care of:

- Career Wellbeing

- Social Wellbeing

- Financial Wellbeing

- Physical Wellbeing

- Community Wellbeing

Jeeves was something I started in January 2010 and we have gently shaped the brand towards lifestyle management.

What’s that?

Well, basically we provide a service to high profile and busy professional clients by taking care of anything that they do not have the time, expertise or inclination to do themselves. So we mainly arrange and manage house keeping, laundry, dog walking, landscaping, plumbing but equally can get asked to source Orangeries and corporate events for team building. This is provided through clients retaining our services on a membership basis.

Contact me to find out more on 07812 99 27 26 or email

This first article, which is many ways was just an introduction, explained a little of my own background and a brief overview of Savekers administration. We received some great feedback but the most touching email arrived in my in-box a few days later.

A lovely lady emailed me to say she and her husband had just read the magazine and came across my article. The reason for contacting me was because they had both worked for Savekers many years ago and indeed that was how they had met…

“My husband and I are in our 70’s and way back when we were teenagers we both worked at T Savekers in Phillips Street, Aston. I was employed by Mr Ron as Purchase Ledger Clerk and my husband started in the Steel shop under Mr Frank.  I was there for about five years. My husband left to go into the RAF but we eventually married in 1955.

So without Saveker’s we would never have met.

I remember the building and the good times we had. The dashing Mr Derek who came in to look after despatch and all the females were after him. Mr Bert was a darling who taught me how to speak over the tannoy.  Mr Ron was a wonderful boss and always said ‘well done’ when you balanced at the end of the month.

We both would like to wish you every success in your new venture I am sure you will succeed you have been through so much you deserve to.”

Of course I circulated this my family who were all deeply touched by the email. As a family run business we all had very strong ethics and this thoughtful message reminded us of what my Great Grandfather and relatives all stood for. So many couples met through the business and even had children that then worked for us. This is how we have chosen to remember Savekers Limited.

The next edition of Chatterbox features a piece on Employability

I’ve had a tough old few weeks for one reason or another and to sit with a cup of tea and indulge in 28 non work minutes with the laptop and my eldest son was a rare treat although listening to the programme was really quite strange.

To hear it back, albeit edited to remove the moments my voice broke under the emotion during the interview, was still very hard to hear. In many ways my grieving is still ongoing and I can feel the pain as much now as at the time. My husband knows all too well exactly how hard I still find it but each day that passes is a day we go  forward.

Ben, my son, said that he found it fascinating to hear. He has quite an understanding of the recession especially considering his age plus his ability to care and protect me is something we are incredibly proud of. My youngest son even wrote a piece at junior school recently about my experience and the family business, again he really does understand the human side of recession and the consequent fall out.

I was really quite worried that the interview would fail to portray the reality of what happened but I think all in all the producer, Laurence Grissell from the BBC, did a very good job. I’d be interested in what people think…if you want to hear for yourself, go to the following LINK

I’ve spent a little time over the past few days thinking about this time last year - remembering breaking the news to my parents, fending off suppliers, trying to ensure no one’s financial position worsened, being unable to let my closest friends and colleagues know what was to come, planning how I would actually tell our employees, not really understanding how administration worked, the feeling of letting go, the relief, the loneliness and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

But here we are, a year on and still in one piece. In so many ways I’m now in a much better place.

Of course I have looked back and had moments of insecurity and played events over in my mind – could anything have been done differently, could I have done more and so on. Each and every time  I know that the answer is the same – no. Very recently I was interviewed for Radio 4 along with some of my former employees and I am still surprised at just how emotional I can become when asked about the actual events of 10th March. I can hear the sounds on the shop floor as I stood in front of my workforce and can picture the faces that looked back at me – and I can certainly relive the sound of my own voice telling everyone that there was nothing more that could be done. In many ways it’s as if it was just yesterday. The pain is almost as raw.

In looking over the journey that has followed I have recalled how busy I have been, the lessons I have learnt, how many new contacts I have, how disappointed I have been with some relationships,  how many opportunities I have found and what new friendships have been forged.

I certainly haven’t had time to look back and dwell – it’s only ever forwards for me now. I still carry certain insecurities but then who doesn’t?

I’ve faced many demons and still know that I have the love and support of the people that truly matter and so I raise a glass to the original Savekers Limited and thank my great Grandfather for founding the company that provided me with the most valuable apprenticeship you could imagine. I have had such a wonderfully valuable training for life and if I can make any difference, even just to one person through my experiences, then it’s all been worthwhile.

The dream I had as a little girl to run my very own company (from scratch) has been realised this year. I am no longer the caretaker of someone else’s dream, I’m living my own.

Having said that, my dad is now embracing Twitter (@priuscarrier) and has a Linked In account – he certainly see’s the benefits to his business whereas Facebook is not something he likes for privacy reasons. I do understand his concerns and in many ways I am the first to say that Facebook is abused and misused in many cases – I wish people would learn how to lock down their privacy settings for example.

Combine social media with etiquette and there appears to be a whole other set of considerations. As someone that is very open to meeting new colleagues and opportunities through various networking forums, I have enjoyed using the likes of Linked In. I discovered the power of connecting pretty early on and indeed have forged some great business relationships as a result. I’ve been approached out of the blue by people in shared ‘Groups’ such as the Birmingham Post Group etc as well as professionals in my local area, associates etc and see nothing wrong in receiving requests from people. Of course on the off occasion I politely decline a connection (ie ignore a request) – who doesn’t?!

I did recently send a Linked In connection to someone that shares a mutual friendship and is within my local area – indeed she works in PR and was someone I felt I could recommend to my clients at Jeeves Services.  In my invitation to connect I referred to our mutual friend (who is also a business associate) in the hope it would explain who I was and that it would be nice to meet up as we live very close. Yesterday I received a reply and one that I had certainly not expected…

“Thanks for your email through Linked In, which I must admit, I was a little surprised to receive ….. I suppose I had assumed that as a first step, out of common courtesy and not least as you use her as a reference point in your email, you would have told her of your planned approach ….. I have to say, if it was me I would be likely to take offence at someone using my name as a way of introducing themselves without my knowledge, whether to a client or colleague? I value my professional reputation….”

So, a word of warning when trying to open up connections – some people clearly do not welcome what most of us do all the time whether electronically or in person.

My experience certainly made me stop and think (and question myself most of yesterday) but I actually stand by what I had done and that I see nothing wrong with a polite invitation. Clearly I have no desire to pursue any connection in this instance (!) but it does beg the question of social media etiquette and expectations! May be some people should come with a warning… “try connecting with me at your peril – I take myself far too seriously”

If you fancy connecting with me and my company, please feel free to drop me a line… a polite one of course!

You can find us on Twitter @jeevesservices and LinkedIn or email me directly dani@danisaveker.com