Thinking ‘inside the box’ has helped a caring Sheffield mum see her dream of starting her own business take to the skies …

Tina Gordon has been declared the champion of Sheffield Enterprise Agency’s entrepreneur-based competition ‘Winner X’ – and has gone on to launch her own business, ‘Letting Go’, as a result.

Letting Go involves a bereavement box including a balloon designed to help adults and children say a personal goodbye to a loved one who has died, in a way that need not be linked to a particular religion or belief system. The balloon is released by the bereaved person and signifies the ‘letting go’ of grief and upset.

Tina, (39), first released a balloon as a memorial to her grandfather. She later saw how son Joshua, then aged four, was inspired to talk about his feelings when they performed the process together after the death of a much-loved aunt.

The Meersbrook mum - who has a BSc in Psychology and has undergone counselling skills training – has used balloon releases in her job as a support worker for vulnerable people.

Her dream of starting her own business began after Tina entered and won Winner X, the ‘X Factor’-style event staged by Sheffield Enterprise Agency (SENTA) last year.

Contestants pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges in a similar style to BBC television show ‘Dragon’s Den’, but it was Tina who won them over with her novel product aimed at helping people cope with bereavement – and bagged Letting Go a great start with the first prize of a £5,000 business support package.

Beating 12 other people on the shortlist, Tina wowed judges with her environmentally friendly latex-based balloons which disintegrate on their descent and are biodegradable.

Tina, who has more than ten years of professional experience helping people move on with their lives, said: “Starting out on this new business is terrifying but exciting! It’s like being on a rollercoaster ride because you’re full of anticipation and excitement. You’re scared – but you’re also very happy!

“Knowing that professionals thought my idea was innovative, interesting and workable enough to get me through to the Winner X finals was great. But knowing that it was me and my business idea that the judges believed in most really boosted my confidence.”

Explaining the concept behind Letting Go, Tina said: “Losing someone we love is painful. It can be difficult to know what to do with the grief we feel. And for children, coming to terms with these complicated new emotions can be particularly hard.
“The box offers tools to help people of all ages cope with bereavement and pay personal tributes to their loved one in a special, meaningful place.”

Since winning SENTA’s competition, Tina has spent the last few months working with the agency’s advisors on key elements of her business including marketing, building a website and graphic design.

“There’s a lot involved in starting your own business – buying a P.O. box address and telephone number, accountancy, logo designs and other things that could have been overwhelming were it not for the support from SENTA,” said Tina. “I can’t thank SENTA enough.

“They are a great bunch of people and I couldn’t have done this without them. Not only is their advice free, but I have found it to be invaluable.

“Letting Go would still be a pipe dream if it wasn’t for SENTA – if I hadn’t entered Winner X, then I may never have got round to giving my own business a go.”

Tina’s Business advisor at SENTA, Manjit Dosanjh said: "Tina initially went to the Winner X competition for feedback on her idea and never thought she could win it.  The competition has helped her to pursue her dream and develop it into a reality.  Tina has worked hard in doing this and has shown how to get the perfect balance between her working life and her family life."

SENTA’s Head of Enterprise Mandip Dosanjh said: “Tina is obviously a very caring and very creative individual and it is lovely to think her business idea will hopefully help many people struggling to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.

“The aim of Winner X was to encourage anyone in Sheffield who had a unique business idea to come forward – we knew there was untapped entrepreneurial spirit in the city and were determined to discover and support it.

"Tina’s experience of Winner X just goes to show what can happen when you take a chance and we hope anyone who has an unexplored business idea will read her story and be encouraged to get out there and make their business dreams a reality.”

Sheffield Enterprise Agency (SENTA) is part of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and provides fully integrated support to new business start-ups and businesses up to two years old. Its start-up programme is funded by Yorkshire Forward under contract with Business Link South Yorkshire.
 
The Letting Go bereavement boxes cost £35 including P&P and are available now. For more information on Letting Go telephone 0845 2578092 or 07879 061170, write to Letting Go, PO Box 4179, Sheffield S8 2EB or visit the website – www.letting-go.co.uk.