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About Me
About Me
My name is Kirsty, and I live in Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders with my husband, and 4 kids ranging from 20 to 20 months. I love the beach, plants, forest walks, strong black coffee and a good white wine. I'm a bit of a Monica, and I'm always the host. I thrive in a world filled with routines, systems and procedures for everything, from our kitchen Echo Show command centre down to my freezer spreadsheet - my friends think I'm mad!
I have had a varied career path leading me to this point in my life. I qualified as a teacher at 21, and was given my first P5 class, which was challenging but I loved education. I then went on to become a nursery teacher, and thought I had found my niche, however teachers were removed from the nurseries in Scottish Borders Council so I had to move on. I secured a job within a new Early Years quality improvement team, which was very different to life in the classroom, but I found that I didn't miss it, and I loved the more organisational, business and strategic elements of the role. I also began creating and running leadership training programs, and fostering the development of nursery staff through mentorship and group networks, and found a passion for developing people and supporting them to do the best within their own roles.
I found myself struggling with work life balance after my second baby, and eventually met with the realisation that I couldn't do everything. I wasn't willing or able to work enough hours to reach a position where I could impact change, and I couldn't stay where I was without seeing some change happen fast.
I took a career break and focused on growing a charity close to my heart, Nurture the Borders, which I have been on the board of for almost 7 years. During this time I took on the role of Operations Director, which for a small charity of 4 staff was a vast and wide ranging role! Again I found myself drawn to the strategic, growth and system developments elements of the job, and effectively put in sustainable practices so that the small charity could then continue to function without needing to pay someone to fulfil this role. My experience here, and on the Board of other charities, has reinforced to me the importance of every penny for charities to survive, and the vast difference that can be made when efficient cost effective processes and solutions are implemented to support their growth.
I moved on to become a Fundraising Officer in a large organisation, and enjoyed the challenges of this but began the role just as the pandemic hit, then had another baby, so again found a strong need for a more flexible working solution. I also found myself drawn back to the magic of small businesses and charities, and being able to make a real measurable impact.
Grow Business Support combines my passions of *sometimes* excessive organisation (I'm sure many think I need help!), systems, strategy and procedures, with my tech skills and my personal skills to allow me to support small businesses and charities in the Borders to thrive. I know I have the skills to help those that struggle with the more strategic side of business ownership to meet their goals.
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