How we've helped Oliver James Gardens

Turning over a new leaf and starting a business at the beginning of 2020 was the realisation of a long-held dream for Oliver Huddlestone.

His business, Oliver James Gardens, launched at the very end of January this year. Hopes were high, ambitious goals had been set. COVID-19, however, put much of this on ice.

After graduating from the Eden Project in 2019, and following a lifelong career working with nature, Oliver wanted to take the plunge and be his own boss.

Based just outside of Falmouth, his work was to see him travel the length and breadth of Cornwall offering a range of garden services from pest control and annual hedge cutting, all the way through to lawn renovation and garden design.

Unlike many other businesses, where work can be shifted online and temporary office spaces set up at home, garden work is certainly not one that can be conducted over a Skype or Zoom call.  

“I lost a few clients immediately after the lockdown announcement. Initially it was a bit of shock, as for everybody. I took a decision that I’d inform clients I’d stop working due to the uncertainty,” Oliver said.

However, after a reassessment of how work could look without the need for client interaction, Oliver kickstarted his business and the results have been nothing but fruitful.

“To be honest, I’ve actually been busier during lockdown,” he said.

“People are spending more time at home and understanding the need to be outdoors, utilising their own space.”

With existing clients coming back from a pause in their operations, and lockdown restrictions beginning to ease, Oliver is using the limited spare time at his disposal to further his learning and development in the areas of accountancy and bookkeeping.

Time is precious as a new business and improving your expertise and building upon your skillset is vital at any point in time, but perhaps now more than ever before. Contacting the Skills Hub to assist with this is an investment Oliver acknowledges as being crucial to his future success.

“The contact I’ve had with the Skills Hub has been beneficial for me and the business, and it has taken a weight off my mind. It has been a real help as I’ve been recommended training that I’d never have been able to find myself,” he said.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub from October 2017 - June 2023 was part funded by the European Social Fund and match funded by Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. The project  received £2,885,993 of funding from the European Social Fund as part of the 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme in England.