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Everything coming up roses for garden designer with Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub

Name: Jane Bingham

Company: The Cheshire Garden

With a passion for gardening and extensive design experience, earlier this year Jane Bingham decided to marry her two passions and, after intensive garden design training, set up in business as a garden designer.

After studying at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, Chester-based Jane launched her business, The Cheshire Garden in September 2015.  Providing a comprehensive garden design service to her customers, Jane, who is a member of the Society of Garden Designers, does everything from creating initial concept designs to commissioning landscape contractors to complete the work.

While the artistic side comes naturally to the Fashion and Textile Design graduate, she is working with the Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub to help ensure her business is running optimally. She explains:

“I think when you launch a creative business like mine, you forget how much of your time is taken up with the ‘back office’ tasks, like financial planning and marketing. I received a great deal of help in this area from an organisation called Blue Orchid, which provides advice to start-ups and those wishing to grow their businesses.

They recommended that I get involved with the Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub, who would help me develop my skills in business management even further.

I’m hoping to attend lots of their workshops in the coming months.  Constantly enriching my skill set is hugely important to me. I spend a lot of time developing my technical abilities – for example I recently completed a course in surveying for garden designers – and I’m hoping that the Growth Hub can help me further extend my business skills.

I’m also really looking forward to being able to network with like-minded professionals. Starting up a business alone can be lonely, so having other people to bounce ideas off will be hugely beneficial.

My business is still very young, but so far things are working out really well – I’m already working on several client commissions. It’s a relief for me, and no doubt for other small businesses, to know that the Growth Hub is there to support us every step of the way.”