Member Article

North East entrepreneur launches Redcar funeral business

Guisborough raised entrepreneur Michelle Balam has returned to her North East roots in a bid to realise her dream of running a business.

Michelle has launched Roseberry Funeral Service in Redcar, thanks to help from TEDCO Business Support Ltd and Virgin StartUp, following several years spent building industry experience in Somerset and London.

After deciding on her career path at an early age, Michelle moved to Somerset in her early 20s to pursue a career as a mortuary technician, working for five years to gain the relevant qualifications and experience to undertake the work.

With an eye on her ultimate goal of working as a funeral director, Michelle volunteered regularly to work at a nearby funeral service to learn her trade in a real working environment.

This invaluable experience led to a job as a funeral director in London where Michelle led a team delivering a range of services from caring for the deceased, making coffins, arranging funerals and managing the day-to-day activities of the business.

Despite enjoying her day-to-day role, Michelle was keen for her young son to enjoy the benefits of living life on the North East coast, and so returned to the region to work as an assessor for people undertaking funeral industry qualifications.

Michelle got in touch with startup support agency, TEDCO Business Support Ltd, to talk through her business idea.

With the support of business advisor James Craft and the Ready for Business programme, Michelle was able to refine her business plan and apply for a loan through Virgin StartUp, a not for profit organisation launched in October 2013 to provide low-cost business loans and mentoring support to entrepreneurs across the UK.

Business advisor at TEDCO Business Support, James Craft, said: “Michelle has the experience and drive to be successful within the funeral industry but her goals extend beyond the day to day running of a business into providing the kind of personal service demanded at this sensitive time for families.

“I have absolute confidence in her abilities and I expect Roseberry Funeral Services to become a firm fixture in the local business community.”

Michelle said: “Virgin StartUp were straight away able to advise me on how to access the right level of financing to set up my new business but I also needed to get my business plan in order to give me the best possible chance of securing financing”

“James was really quite invaluable as I prepared to apply for the loan with Virgin StartUp. He fired every question at me you could possibly think of so I not only had to know my business inside and out but I had to be clear on my goals and plans for the future.

“Thanks to the support of James, I was successful in receiving an £11,000 low-cost business loan from Virgin StartUp to fund the set up costs of Roseberry Funeral Services.

“I have an apprentice training with me now to learn the trade as I wanted to be able to help young people into the industry in a way that other funeral directors helped me many years ago.

“I am a passionate supporter of local businesses and have used independent firms as much as possible in the set up process – even employing local photographer Stuart Brown to get shots of the local area to populate my website and office.”

“We are now open for business and have been overwhelmed by the support from people who are happy to see a small, independent business now offering funeral services in the local area. “