In 1991 I had a bit of a shock to the system. I’d had a part-time job at Texas Homecare, our local DIY shed. That saw me through my GCSEs, and my A-Levels too, which I fully intended to “wing”, and failed. Unfortunately for me, I was far more interested in boys than studying (not much has changed in 30 years!), and it showed in my exam results.
With the best laid plans well and truly out of the window thanks to my grades, I needed a new solution, and fast. Thanks to Texas Homecare, I got one, with my General Manager Brian putting me forward for a management training scheme that changed my life. Along with 9 other trainees I embarked on a Certificate in Management from Oxford Polytechnic whilst working full time for Texas Homecare as a Trainee Manager.
I blame creosote
By the Winter of 1992, I found myself in another Texas Homecare in Birmingham, managing the Decorative Department. I needed to order one pallet of creosote for an ‘end’. When it arrived, it was 20 pallets, stretched down the centre of my store – I’d over ordered, and this was not the wall of white paint the manager wanted.
Surprisingly, I was rapidly removed from the shop floor and found an office role as a Trainee Staff Manager in Sutton Coldfield. Best move ever! I fell in love with HR. The Regional Staff Manager, Amanda sponsored me to start my CIPD studies and the rest – as they say – is history. At 21 years of age I was the Company’s youngest ever Staff Manager and had two stores I was responsible for, Solihull in the West Midlands and tiny little Lichfield, in Staffordshire.
By 2004 I’d had enough of the corporate world, so I decided to build my own independent HR consultancy and work with clients who were too small for their own HR Department.
Being stuck for a name I looked through the RSPB Handbook and discovered the Redwing, Redwing Solutions was born. (The Redwing is a little bird, the same size as a Thrush, a winter visitor to our shores – I think Thrush Solutions must have been taken!)
Redwing was only supposed to keep me out of trouble, but as it turned out, our brand of HR, where we didn’t tell employers off or focus on what they weren’t allowed to, proved more popular than we could have imagined. We now operate out of a converted cattle shed on the outskirts of Redditch.
We are based at Weights Farm in Redditch. Here you will find our office where all of our team work from. Our office is a converted cattle shed, as Weights Farm had been a dairy farm since the seventeenth century. During the 1950s, the farm made the change to sheep farming, which remained until early into the 21st century. Despite the farm going through several changes, there are still green fields as far as the eye can see, and we’re never too far away from a flock of sheep or herd of cows who can often be seen from our upstairs window.
I’ve learnt the importance of friendliness from my time on the shopfloor, and to this day we want our clients to feel able to call us and exchange ideas and get things off their chest. My years of experience in management, as well as being the creosote-over-ordereer taught me how to manage others. In addition I have run my own business since 2004.
If you want to talk to an HR team who are friendly, experienced and understanding, who won’t tell you off and will help you run your business in the most effective way possible, give us a call now on 01527 306135
Our clients stay with us because we combine expertise with genuine care. We work alongside you, support you when you need us and make HR feel manageable.
We’ll send you regular advice and relevant and valuable materials for your Day Nursery, Pre-school and Out of School Club. We won’t be intrusive – just helpful! Don’t Miss Out! Fill in your details below, and we’ll be in touch very soon.
