A Tyneside woman has told how she overcame the challenges of having ADHD and went on to set up her own business.
Kayleigh Taylor was told she was naughty as a child but was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after she left school. Despite her struggles, she went on to set up her own food business, Klee’s Kitchen, in Gateshead.
She took part in a course with The Prince’s Trust and has now won a top award, recognising her achievements.
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The 27-year-old, from Wallsend, said: "When I was in school, The Prince’s Trust came in to do a talk and I vividly remember switching off. I thought there is no point in me listening to this, because I’ll never own my own business.
"I remind myself of that every time I give talks about my successful food business now, and it makes me so proud."
Kayleigh left home during her final year of school and moved around a lot, living at friends’ homes and in supported housing.
"ADHD is one of the biggest struggles I’ve faced," she said. "I was academically intelligent at school, but everyone thought I had behavioural issues because I couldn’t focus on lessons like others could. It wasn’t until I left school that I was diagnosed with ADHD – as a child, I was just told I was naughty.
"I’ve had some amazing jobs since I left school but I found it hard to stay at any of them for long. That’s when I decided I should start my own business.
"I’ve only been cooking for the past four years but quickly found out that I had a talent for it. I use food to show my love to my partner, friends and family, and it became like therapy for me after a long day at work."
Kayleigh set up Klee’s Kitchen in 2020, a healthy meal prep delivery service which takes away the hassle of cooking, food shopping and washing up for people with busy lives. She got to a point where she wanted to concentrate on the business full-time, so she turned to The Prince’s Trust’s Enterprise programme for support.
She added: "Because of my ADHD, I’m not always good at planning ahead, so I needed the course to give me some structure. My Prince’s Trust business mentor helped me with tax, registering my business, and accounting.
"It was massive to me to have people believe in me. I’d never done anything like this before, and in the past people hadn’t been taking me seriously and didn’t think I could make a proper business from my meal prep."
Now Kayleigh has moved Klee’s Kitchen into a permanent premises in Felling, Gateshead, and employs four delivery drivers, two full-time apprentices and one full-time member of staff.
Klee’s kitchen has launched a Sunday lunch service and Kayleigh is also looking at opening a takeaway that serves Afro-Caribbean soul food.
"My ADHD makes it hard for me to stay focused on one thing, so I always have two or three things on the go at the same time," she said. "Being my own boss lets me come up with new ideas while keeping to my focus of making tasty and health food. This business is definitely the longest I've stuck at anything."
In addition, Kayleigh volunteers with The Prince’s Trust Enterprise courses as a speaker and gives motivational speeches to other young people.
Her efforts have won her the NatWest Enterprise Award for England at The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards, which recognise young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their community.
Julie Baker, head of enterprise and climate engagement at NatWest, said: "Congratulations Kayleigh – you are a worthy winner of the NatWest Enterprise Award and a shining example of a young entrepreneur. We wish you all the best for the future and we have no doubt in all you will go on to achieve great things with your business."
TK Maxx and Homesense have been partners of The Prince’s Trust since 2013 and are one of the charity's partners for the Get into Retail programme.
