A Derry woman has reflected on being able to take positives from difficult situations, having found a new career path discovered after taking the decision to close her small business.
Fiona Garrett opened Slothy Coffee almost a year ago in Cumber House, a stately home built in 1830 on the grounds of Claudy Country Park. While the summer months saw a lot of footfall and customers within the park, the autumn and winter proved too difficult for the business to remain viable.
Fiona took the decision to close in December, hoping to re-open elsewhere. However, her love for promoting her business on social media took her career in a new direction.
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Fiona told MyDerry: "When I established Slothy Coffee I wanted it to be instagrammable and a transferable brand. I loved creating the logo, the brand and leading the social media for the business to make it unique.
"When we decided to close, I helped UUP Councillor Ryan McCready on his Stormont election campaign trail, managing his social media feed and getting his message out there. He had seen what I'd done with the coffee shop and elsewhere.
"These things happen for a reason, a new passion had been ignited in me at this time and I wanted to use my creative drive for a new career."
Fiona is now the PR & Marketing Director for New Gate Arts and Culture. She hopes that her creative side will flourish in this new setting.
She said: "New Gate Arts and Culture are promoting British Ulster culture in a positive way. They do cross community work and youth engagement work to promote good work and good relations putting young people on the right path.
"I really wanted to be part of it. Growing up in England I never had a problem with either view coming out of Northern Ireland, so I felt that I held a unique perspective in making this place work in a positive way."
Without taking on the responsibility of creating the brand of Slothy Coffee and becoming an ambassador for a small business, Fiona does not believe she would have had the confidence to take this leap into a new adventure.
She said: "The responsibility that came with Slothy Coffee was not something I was used to. I had to learn so much, even just being responsible for other staff and having the confidence to approach people and call people on the phone and establish contracts.
"I certainly would not have found myself in the circles I ended up in if I had not found my confidence in creativity and branding, which has led me to where I am now.
"I don't regret my journey. Starting a business is incredibly hard, especially navigating during COVID times. But it is like a good friend said 'Learn to fail and never ever give up'".
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