Captain Sarah Steel
Captain Sarah Steel served in the Army's Royal Logistics Core for ten years. After she left the Forces in 2000, she struggled to find childcare for her children. That inspired her to retrain as a nursery teacher and start her own business. She now owns a chain of 12 children's nurseries - four of which are on Ministry of Defence bases.
Sarah Steel said:
"Running your own business can be challenging at times but it’s certainly rewarding. I’ve learned that the key to business success is having a really strong business plan. Having easy access to mentors – people who had been there before – would have been a great help to me and I’m sure others will benefit from this service."
Lance Corporal Paul Kyriakides
Paul Kyriakides left the Army in 1999 after serving as a Lance Corporal in the Kings Regiment. Upon leaving, the Army paid for him to attend a two-week course on telecoms cabling. In November 2008, he was made redundant. However, RBL helped him to start up his own business last year. He was provided with advice and a loan to set up his own plant-growing business as a sole trader (Kyrian Plants). He now sells at farmers’ markets in London and the South East. He also works part time as a self-employed telecoms engineer.
Mr Kyriakides said:
"I started my business last year with the help of the Royal British Legion and I’m glad that more people will benefit from their support. Their help in developing a business plan helped me to overcome many pitfalls - although I wish that I had a mentor to bounce ideas off!
"These are difficult times and it would be wrong for me to suggest that starting your own business is easy. However, it is an incredibly rewarding experience and has allowed me to use the discipline and hard work that I learned in the Army."