Claire Hibbert left a career in the video games industry to launch her own beauty salon in the late 1990s. She ran her own company for seven years so she feels she know what small businesses really need - and what just gets in the way. Owning her own business inspired Claire to think about tools that actually help people to grow their businesses. This ‘eureka moment’ would ultimately lead to icomplete.com, and the concept of a fully integrated, complete business management solution, launched in May 2007.

From an early age Claire always wanted to work for herself but didn’t pursue this dream until her mid-30s. It was after getting a serious eye infection (which resulted in a corneal transplant) that she gave up her managerial role in an IT company to pursue her dream. The eye condition limited Claire’s use of PCs for a number of years, and influenced her decision to re-train and run a beauty salon. At this stage in her career she felt confident in her business skills and experience to consider self-employment.

In the early stages Claire took a part-time job selling new houses as it gave her flexibility and enabled her to continue her re-training and build up her client base before looking for premises. She got business advice and support from Business Link, Great Western Enterprise and her local small business advisor at her bank.

Claire built her beauty business from scratch and funded it entirely on her own. Claire helped to fund the business’ growth by re-investing the working profit back into the business. She consulted with ACAS for advice on employment law as her business grew and she started to employ staff.  By the time she sold the business in 2006 she had grown the venture to incorporate four members of staff.

icomplete.com has been funded by Claire, her husband and his previous business partner, which included the funds from the sale of her beauty business. They rely heavily on the internet which is a great business resource. They currently run the business from home, which is fortunately a converted chapel with plenty of space.

Claire had not appreciated the amount of time and commitment a business would require to grow and succeed. For her, the hardest part of being a business owner was employing staff and learning how to motivate, retain and grow the team.  Although she had previous experience of managing a team, she feels running a business requires having the skillset of an HR department.

Claire feels extremely proud to be a business owner, to have the drive and courage to build something from an idea on paper and manifest it into reality. It has been a great journey and has tested her character and skills to the limit at times, but she would never have changed the experiences she has encountered.

Claire has found her best business leads through the Women in Business Network group. She enjoys this group as it has five local groups in the South West area of 15-25 members, and is really supportive and welcoming. She has also found on-line business networking sites such as Linkedin, Ecademy and social media networks such as Twitter to be of great use.

Claire believes that to be a successful entrepreneur you need drive, determination, dedication, passion and most of all self belief. You must be flexible and adaptable and always keep up to date with market trends as well as understanding your customer’s wants and needs, even when they change:

“Be prepared for good times and bad and have the can-do attitude that will pull you through any obstacle. The ability to take criticism constructively, to listen to others and learn the art of delegation is important. Most of all show your team appreciation and reward accordingly and never take anything for granted.

You must be prepared to work the hardest you have ever worked and more.  Planning and preparation are key, ensure you write a business plan, carry out market research and get your costings right before taking the plunge. Know your strengths and play to them but be aware of your weaknesses – if you can’t do it get someone else who can, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Keep organized - write lists and goals – I believe in action and by setting things down in writing makes it more real and it helps you stay more focused and productive.”


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