Leamington mum shortlisted for prestigious award
A Leamington mum has been shortlisted for a prestigious award after launching her website design business following the birth of her daughter.
Amy Dudbridge returned to work part-time as an engineer at a food production equipment company in Birmingham after her maternity leave ended.
But to fill the financial gap, the 33-year-old began to write a blog about the different small jobs she had been doing – and it was spotted by a company director who asked if she could build a website for his business.
The question led to the formation of Amy Dudbridge Website Design and after receiving practical help from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub and networking in and around Leamington, she decided to enter The Family Network National Business Recognition Awards.
To her surprise, she has been shortlisted in the Business Mum of the Year category and she will find out if she has been successful at a glitzy ceremony at the Hilton Hotel Bournemouth on Saturday, March 28.
Amy, who lives with her husband, Ben, and their two-year-old daughter Rosie, in Whitnash, said her skills as an engineer had proved transferrable to website design.
“I went back to work part-time but I needed to do something else to fill the gap,” she said. “I had always wanted to set-up my own business but I did it by accident.
“I wrote a blog about the different things I had been trying like mystery shopping to website testing and a company director read my blog, said he really liked my website and would I build a website for his business?
“My skills are transferrable because I’m technically-minded as an engineer and I’m used to working with Computer Aided Design.
“I have been on a few training courses specifically around website building and because my business is flexible, it works brilliantly around my part-time job and looking after our little girl.”
Amy Dudbridge Website Design provides a wide range of services including design, maintenance and servicing mainly to SMEs from Lincolnshire to Banbury.
She added: “The business has gone from strength to strength. I have done a lot of networking which is how I heard about the Growth Hub and they have put me in touch with a mentor which is really useful.
“I’m delighted to have been nominated for The Family Network National Business Recognition Awards because it is always nice to receive recognition and I’m looking forward to attending the evening and networking with others with families who have launched a business.”
Louise Wright, a business navigator at the CWLEP Growth Hub, said the organisation was here to help businesses of all sizes in all sectors.
She said: “It is vital to have a support network when setting up a business and at the Growth Hub, we have been able to provide Amy with links to networking groups.
“We have also recommended Amy to the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce to take part in the Accelerated Growth Programme which is part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme that is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) because we believe her business has great potential.
“We wish her the best of luck in the Business Mum of the Year category at The Family Network National Business Recognition Awards and we will be keeping our fingers crossed!”
Caption: Amy Dudbridge (left) with Louise Wright from the CWLEP Growth Hub
