Headstart: Women in business - Sarah Withers.
A week in the life of: Sarah Withers, 19, founder of Aspect Event
Monday[QQ] Up at six o’clock. Half-hour drive from home in Wooton Basset to Swindon office where work starts at 8.15am. Get general administrative chores out of the way and respond to answer machine messages.
Also before lunch, schedule freelancers for forthcoming events. Lunch at desk, then down to serious issue of chasing up late payers. Leave just after 5.30pm. Go to gym for post-Christmas workout with personal trainer, before going home.
Tuesday
Morning spent organising extra audio-visual equipment for training courses for IT company, before heading off to Oxford for a working pub lunch at The Fish with a client.
Return to office later that afternoon for a shoot with a photographer from local evening newspaper the Swindon Advertiser for article on winning the Barclay’s young businesswoman of the year award. From 5pm until 9.30pm host a team-building party event for multinational client Lucent Technologies.
Wednesday
Head to Cirencester first thing to buy #800 worth of accessories for a 1950s rock and roll theme night for a large local drugs company at the prestigious Swindon De Vere Hotel. Haul includes teddy boy outfits, ra-ra skirts and plastic period toys.
In the afternoon, research locations in the Bahamas and the Indian Ocean for a five-day, 75-person conference next summer.
Seven and a half hours after arriving at the rock and roll theme night, get into car to drive home. Get to bed at 1.30am.
Thursday
Get 8.20am intercity from Swindon to London to go to Events Expo at the London Arena, and do the rounds of contacts, suppliers and fellow players in the conference and events industry. It’s all in the cause of getting better deals. Back at the office at 4.30pm to work through the day’s messages.
Resources & Whitepapers
Accounting Software The power of customisation in accounting systems
Friday
Back at the local landmark, the De Vere, to go through plans for a forthcoming event. Stay for lunch with a colleague. Straight into another planning meeting at 3.30pm to discuss venues for a Lucent Technology event.
And it’s home as soon as possible to get some rest before attending a Saturday night corporate function in Tewksbury which lasts until the early hours of the morning.