Yurts are the Future for Hexham Entrepreneur

Hexham man goes from unemployed to entrepreneur with help from InBiz

Gavin Herold, 33, from Hexham, has made the leap from living on benefits to entrepreneurship with his new business making yurts, round semi-permanent tents used at music festivals.

Gavin was working in a local saw mill when he was made redundant. He spent the following six months searching for work, but found it impossible to secure permanent work. Gavin had done some temporary work making yurts for a local festival organiser, and found he really enjoyed the art of designing and creating them, but there were no permanent positions available.

Eager to get back to work, Gavin decided to take control of his future by creating his own vacancy and launching his own business. Having a background in forest management, Gavin knew that the hands-on nature of the work would suit him, but he wasn’t so confident about the paperwork side of the business.

He turned to InBiz, a national organisation dedicated to the development and promotion of entrepreneurship and self employment, for help. At the InBiz office on Westgate Road, Gavin was assigned his own personal business adviser, Ron Gordon.

Ron worked with Gavin to develop a comprehensive business plan with targets he could achieve. To begin with, Gavin was nervous about bookkeeping, worried that it was something he had never done before. Ron helped him and Gavin began to understand the process and before long, he was able to complete his books on his own.

Gavin’s business, Vertyurt, is up and running, providing yurts for music festivals, including supplying his former employer. He has also expanded his business to include selling chainsaw carvings.

Gavin is now enjoying his success as a businessman. He said, “I saw an opportunity to start my own business, but I was worried that due to a lack of business knowledge, it would come to nothing. InBiz helped me every step of the way, and having my own personal business adviser was invaluable.

“I get a lot of pleasure creating yurts, but I also really enjoy running my own business. I’m looking forward to the future, and hoping to expand my business to provide yurts for sports festivals.”

Karen Kenmare, Area Manager at InBiz said, “Gavin saw an opportunity to use his skills to create an employment opportunity, but needed help to make it a reality. InBiz provided that help, working with Gavin to provide him with the business knowledge he needed to succeed. Even though Gavin is now trading successfully, InBiz is on hand to provide help and advice wherever it is needed.”

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