In April, our very own Derby born and bred, Yvonne Gorman was featured in Derbyshire Life magazine as a ‘Leading Lady’. For those who missed it, here’s the full report:

INTRO:

Yvonne started Essential Print Services in April 2011 and now leads a small team of Print Angels, on a mission to raise the standards of quality and service within the printing industry. Based on Pride Park, the company offers a range of printing services – large and small – from business cards, flyers and brochures, through to signage and exhibition graphics.

Heavily involved in the local business community, including several networking groups, Yvonne has been crowned ‘Small Business Saturday UK champion’ – selected as one of 10 UK entrepreneurs, tasked to encourage people to support small, independent businesses. In 2016, Yvonne won the award for ‘Inspirational Businesswoman of the Year – Derby & Derbyshire’ and she is also a trustee of the Maria Hanson Foundation (Me & Dee Charity).

• What was your first job?: PR Assistant at BHPR. Donna, who owns BHPR, took a chance on me and the rest they say is history. I have a lot to thank her for.
• What is the best part of your current job? Helping others; it could be connecting two people who go on to do business together or, supporting a charity with free print or, inspiring someone to start their own business. Running my business is hard work but, so rewarding.
• What’s your best piece of business advice? Concentrate on what you’re good at and delegate the rest. I genuinely enjoy everything I do so, I’m very guilty of wanting to do everything myself. When I employed the first member of staff in 2012 – a year after I formed the business, I had to learn to delegate quickly because, if I couldn’t learn to let go, my business would never grow. Thankfully, I now have a whole team of people who are great at helping the business to provide great print and exceptional service.
• If you could go back and tell your 13-year-old self something, what would it be? “It’s going to be alright so, keep studying hard because it’ll all be worth it in the end. Also, Media Studies WAS the right choice” (I was awarded an A*!).
• How do you unwind? Spending time with my husband, friends and family. I love spending time in Derby – my beloved city and discovering new eateries. Whenever I go out for a meal or wherever I shop, I always try to support local, independent businesses, many of which are my clients – I like the idea of ‘giving back’. I also enjoy running and being a sponsor of the Ramathon gives me a lot of motivation.