Sarah Hodgkins

Profile
Sarah Hodgkins
Location
Buckingham
Region
South East
URL
http://www.wibn.co.uk
Network
Women in Business Network

Sarah Hodgkins is an Interior Designer working under the company name Charlotte Designs. With over 20 years experience in interior design and the mother of 2 young children, there is no one more qualified to advise on the design and decoration of children’s rooms, which is the company’s particular specialisation.

Charlotte Designs now works with both domestic and commercial customers such as Winchester House School and David Lloyd Leisure creating individual spaces for children through murals and soft furnishings. She continues to undertake interior design projects for any room in the house.

Through her own experiences of networking in an all female environment, Sarah went one to set up 5 groups of the Women in Business Network, in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire. This has enabled her to both promote her own interior design business and to help other business women, especially working mothers, to achieve their full potential. The network offers free training and monthly meetings, held at lunchtime, to mentor and support business owners and managers and to help them to find new clients.

Q&A
  • What are your top tips for being an effective networker?

    Go to a networking meeting with an objective, just as you would any other meeting. b. Always take plenty of cards. c. Smile, enjoy it! People are far more likely to approach someone who looks like they are having a good time. d. Don’t focus on yourself. Make sure you find out about the person you are talking to too. e. Read a newspaper or watch the news that morning. Have a general conversational opener that it topical to break the ice. f. Follow up. Networking is like going to the gym, just paying your membership is not going to make you thin. You have to go and do the right stuff in between.

  • What is your advice to a budding entrepreneur?

    Find out about your target market, what they do, where they go, what they read and be there! b. Get organized, there is so much to juggle, if you are not organized, you WILL flounder c. If you are not good with money, find someone who is and let them do that side of the business for you. Many entrepreneurs are ‘big picture’ people and are not good with the finances (I include myself in that). That is fine, but you will need someone who is to help you. d. View ‘problems’ as a way of learning about new situations and aquiring new skills. You will encounter many so seeing them as a positive helps you to cope. e. Network as much as you possibly can. Find the right group/s and work them! f. Do something you enjoy! You will spend LOTS of time doing it, if you are not enjoying it, it will be much more difficult to make it work.

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