Meet Jenny: The Adviser Who’s Lived Every Chapter

Some people talk about business from a textbook. Jenny talks about it from experience, and that makes all the difference.

If you've ever felt like your career path has been anything but straightforward, or wondered whether all those different jobs and skills you've picked up along the way actually count for something, Jenny's story is going to resonate with you. Because before she became one of our start-up business advisers here at Yorkshire in Business, she lived a life that took her from performing stages to pub management, from costume workshops to coffee shops, and back again.

That kind of breadth? It doesn't just make for an interesting CV. It makes for an exceptional adviser.

From the Stage to Scarborough

Jenny's working life started at 18 when she landed her first performing job and headed off to Skegness to live in a caravan. For five years, performance was everything. But creative people rarely stand still for long, and when the itch for something new arrived, she followed it.

Back in Scarborough, she combined her love of sewing with her performance background and launched her first business, creating costumes for entertainment companies while also running children's parties and singing in working men's clubs. That first venture taught her something no course can replicate: what it actually feels like to be the person responsible for making it work.

A teaching opportunity came next. She began working towards her qualification while teaching part-time on the Musical Theatre course at a local college, and it was there she found something that genuinely lit her up: helping adults learn, grow, and find their confidence.

A Career Built on Variety

What followed was a stretch of years that most business owners will quietly recognise. Managing pubs, coffee shops, takeaways, and other hospitality businesses, whilst keeping her hand in teaching dance to adults in the evenings. These weren't detours. They were an education in how businesses actually function day to day, the pressures, the people management, the cash flow realities, and the importance of keeping customers coming back.

That accumulated knowledge is exactly what makes her so effective when she sits down with a client now.

How Jenny Came to Join Us

Jenny first came into the Yorkshire in Business orbit as shop manager of Explore Indie and Grind Coffee Shop. She made an immediate impression. Her entrepreneurial instincts were obvious from the start, as she actively supported local makers in growing their businesses and championed our shop-local initiative with genuine enthusiasm.

We'll be honest: she was poached. A business across the road spotted her talent and made their move, and off she went. But we had a feeling she'd find her way back. When a start-up adviser role opened up, we offered it to her, and she hasn't looked back since.

What Jenny Brings to Every Client Meeting

Her job here is, by her own description, extremely varied. One moment she's sitting across a table from a client who's just starting out and needs someone to help them think clearly about their idea. The next she's organising events, connecting business owners, or stepping in wherever she's needed.

That flexibility matters. The best business advice isn't delivered from a fixed script. It's shaped by the person in front of you, by their idea, their circumstances, their fears, and their ambitions. Jenny understands this because she's been in those shoes herself, more than once.

Between her advisory work and running her own Boutique Dance Studio, she's rarely bored. Which, as she puts it, is exactly the way she likes it.

Explore Indie: A Community Project Given Room to Grow

One of the most exciting developments since Jenny rejoined us is what she's done with Explore Indie. She hasn't just picked up where things left off; she's taken the model and grown it to reach its full potential. Explore Indie has now been set up as its own Community Interest Company (CIC), a structure that allows it to serve the community at a whole new level.

We're genuinely excited to see where this goes. A CIC built on the foundation of supporting independent businesses and makers has real potential to strengthen the local economy, create connections, and give smaller enterprises a platform they might not otherwise have.

Why Stories Like Jenny's Matter for Entrepreneurs

If you're building a business in and around Scarborough, or anywhere across Yorkshire, what you need more than anything is an adviser who genuinely gets it. Not someone who's read about start-up challenges in a journal, but someone who has managed the difficult conversation with a supplier, juggled multiple income streams, pivoted when a business idea needed reshaping, and found a way through.

That's what we offer at Yorkshire in Business. Our advisers bring over 100 years of combined experience to the table, and every single one of them has something real to share. We work with start-ups and established businesses alike, focusing on the practical: helping you understand your market, develop a business model that actually makes money, and build a plan that works for you rather than just looking good on paper.

We also know that business growth doesn't happen in isolation. Part of what we do is connect people, introducing you to potential collaborators and helping you build a network of peers who genuinely support each other.

If Jenny's journey tells you anything, it's that varied experience isn't a weakness. It's a foundation. And the right support at the right time can help you build something genuinely worthwhile on top of it.

Ready to talk to someone who understands where you are and where you want to go? Visit yorkshireinbusiness.org.uk to find out how we can support your next step.