After many years working in healthcare Cath Wyatt took the plunge and opened her own first aid training business in 2019, six-months before the Covid pandemic hit. With the help of the Growth Hub, she has been able to move her business forward and has received support with expert advice throughout.
Wyatt First Aid was founded in July 2019 by Cath Wyatt. Cath, the principal trainer, has 30 years’ experience working in healthcare as a Registered Dental Nurse, Oral Health Educator, Healthcare Assistant, Phlebotomist, and latterly a trainer with the South Western Ambulance Service.
Wyatt First Aid is approved by Qualsafe Awards, an awarding organisation recognised by Ofqual to offer regulated qualifications in a relaxed and supportive environment. They train in person across Devon, Somerset, and Dorset, with Mental Health First Aid, and Mental Health First Aid qualifications also being delivered online to people anywhere in the UK. Their core values are high quality training and a relaxed, supportive environment.
At the start of the Coronavirus pandemic all first aid training was put on hold for Wyatt First Aid Training, and Cath quickly realised that they had to source extra equipment and PPE. She put together a robust plan for delivering courses going forward, including a plan to offer some courses, which do not need to be delivered face to face, via Zoom.
It was an unsettling and scary time for such a new business, but Cath explained, “a friend of mine saw an advert for the South West Growth Hub online and suggested I get in touch to see what help was on offer. This was during the first lockdown and as a reasonably new business I wondered how I was going to survive, so I thought, why not, I’ll see what they have to say!”
Cath was allocated a coach, Petra, who gave her ‘one to one’ support. Together, they talked about the business, how it was impacted by the pandemic and where Cath wanted it to go over the next few years. They set goals and Petra kept in regular touch with Cath throughout, providing expert advice and support where needed.
The Growth Hub were also able to recommend some courses that would be useful to Wyatt First Aid, specifically in Marketing and in using social media, which gave Cath the skills and confidence to make and edit videos, take better photos and use hashtags effectively!
Cath said, “I found it hugely beneficial to have the personal support and a listening ear. Petra was a positive and proactive influence both for the business, and for me personally. It was a real boost, and I really appreciated her cheerleading! She helped me to keep going so that I would have a business to get back to and specifically, the advice regarding marketing and online presence really helped my confidence with social media. Thanks to Petra, Wyatt Fist Aid now has a YouTube channel and we regularly post on our Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.”
www.wyattfirstaid.co.uk
Twitter: @wyattfirstaid
