A Goole woman has achieved her goal of launching a professional decluttering and organising service after receiving support from Opportunity Goole, one of eight projects funded by Goole Town Deal. 

Tess Finnemore (pictured right) first came across Opportunity Goole when she popped into Goole Library and spotted the team’s dedicated helpdesk. Keen to find out more, she went over to ask Personal Adviser Julie Harrison about the type of support on offer.

Tess recalls: “I thought Opportunity Goole sounded really interesting because I was in the process of setting up my own business. As a sole trader, I have found many of the different aspects required to set up my business really challenging without a team. I was stuck with certain areas of my business, particularly writing a detailed business plan and building my website.  I connected with Julie immediately and I’ve benefited from each meeting and being able to bounce ideas off her; she has been so supportive and brilliant to work with. The advice and support she’s given me has moved me and my business on, without doubt.”

Julie was able to refer Tess to the Invest East Yorkshire Business Support Services team, which is part of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Team member Harry Booth worked with Tess to help her develop a business plan and look at cash flow.

As someone who has dyslexia, Tess admits she found the idea of producing a business plan overwhelming, adding: “It was invaluable to be signposted to someone with the knowledge and expertise who could write the plan with me, step-by-step.”

Meanwhile, Julie has continued to support Tess with everything from writing her CV to identifying grant funding opportunities to help cover some of her start-up costs and meet her training needs.

Tess, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) relatively late in life, revealed: “I’d been a stay-at-home Mum and, while my start-up costs and training so far have been relatively affordable, knowing there is potential funding available for me to put towards specialist training to support my clients would be an incredible resource and open up many possibilities. Having someone like Julie to consult with has been invaluable when I’ve had moments of fear or self-doubt about the business. Each appointment has been really encouraging; I’m so grateful!”

The idea for Tess’s new venture is closely interlinked with her own personal life journey and she believes that she’s uniquely positioned to use her experience of living with ADHD to help others, explaining: “I was diagnosed ten years ago. When I got my diagnosis, so many of my struggles and challenges made sense through the lens of ADHD. It was such a relief to know and, over time, I was able to make some necessary changes. People with ADHD often have trouble with what are known as executive functions. These are a set of mental processing skills that include things like organisation, time management, planning, prioritising and self-control. People with autism, dyspraxia and trauma can also struggle with these challenges.”

For Tess, receiving her ADHD diagnosis was life-changing because it helped her understand why she’d sometimes struggled to bring order to her home, as she explained:  “I felt anxious, shame and overwhelmed by my home. However, after each decluttering session, it became a little easier and more rewarding. It was such a transformative experience for me – both personally and for my home – that I decided to change careers and become a professional organiser. I’m loving helping others transform their homes and seeing the impact it has on them and their lives.”

Julie Harrison, a Personal Adviser for Opportunity Goole, said: “Tess has been amazing, she has worked really hard to move her business forward and it’s great to see her turning her ideas into a reality. We wish her every success with her new venture. I’d encourage anyone looking to take their first tentative steps back into the world of work or considering setting up their own business to get in touch to find out more about the support we can offer.”

A member of the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO), Tess now offers her services in-person or online, but is also keen to offer them voluntarily through local charities, adding: “It’s important to me to be able to give back to the community I live in. I will be reaching out to local charities and hope to make connections, offering support to people who might benefit from accessing decluttering and organising services.”

Opportunity Goole provides easy access to information about local job opportunities, training provision, business support, grant funding and more to anyone over the age of 16 years. As well as helping people to gain the knowledge and skills they need to secure employment, the team also works with local employers to ensure that they can recruit local people with the skillset that they’re looking for. To find out more about Opportunity Goole, click here.