Life in the fast lane

BUNDLE of energy . . . Alison and daughter Danielle

Martyn Meets: Alison Hornsby: A fizzing, frenetic, frisson of unbridled effervescence!

SPENDING time with Alison Hornsby is always a joy . . . she is such a bundle of energy, of unrequited enthusiasm, it is a case of hang on in there and don’t get washed away in the slipstream.

Pinning her down to an interview was a trial in itself and I had to journey to her home in the delightful village of Tottington, near Bury, to enjoy a proper cup of coffee and watch her struggle to sit still for an hour.

People tell me that I am like a whirlwind, that I rush hither and thither to cram in all the tasks I have to complete. Maintaining the weather metaphor, Alison is veritable tornado.

Perhaps that’s a little unfair, for such phenomena are destructive and our very own Lady of the Link is anything but.

Alison is a force for good for so many people in Oldham that if, as she threatens, to upsticks and work from home, she will be missed. Massively.

Alison promises me that she will continue to work for Oldham. While we spoke she was framing a a bid for funds that may yet see her retain her office space at the Earl Business Centre in Hathershaw. Let’s hope this is the case, Oldham is losing too many good folk right now.

At a time when the borough is on the up, with the sunny horizon looking ever closer, we should be striving and straining to retain good people and I certainly put Alison in that category.

Before I travelled over to Tottington I was in a meeting with a young entrepreneur, an ex-student from my days as a service lecturer in media studies at The Oldham College.

I mentioned I was meeting Alison and his response was: “Is that the crazy woman?”

It was a compliment, of sorts, for Alison is anything but crazy. She is a fizzing, frenetic, frisson of unbridled effervescence.

I am often reminded of an uncorked bottle of energy ready to pop. Such enthusiasm cannot be bottled, not contained. But it should be retained.

Alison’s closing remarks as we said our cuddlesome goodbye brilliantly sum up her philosophy: “When a door closes it is simply a stepping stone to the next task.”

How refreshing is that?

Alison, who I seem to have known forever but I haven’t really, such is her infectious, contagious, unrelenting joie de vivre, described herself as a “sad person . . . a workaholic.”

Ali? Sad? Do me a favour.

This is a woman who started her own hair and beauty salon aged 18 and declared on entering the demanding world of self-employment: “I’m going to have a Mercedes sports car soon.”

OK, “soon” took 33 years but there on the drive was a sleek, chic two-seat Mercedes sportster with a very private reg, “SXY”.

The journey from being a beautician to running the inaugural Manchester Achievers’ Conference — which she staged and underpinned with her own money right here in Oldham in November, 2011 — has been long and eventful. And far from boring, let me tell you.

Born in Blackley and educated in Middleton, Alison left school with five GCSEs and studied hair and beauty at the then spankingly new Abraham Moss College.

She opened The Village Salon and for six years was happy in her work. Her father, a vice-principal at St John’s College in Manchester — what a small world, I studied there on day release for my journalistic qualifications — persuaded her into a new career in education and she started working part-time in the hair and beauty department.

Quickly realising that she needed qualifications, she enrolled at Bolton and two years later had a Certificate of Teaching.

The salon was sold to a member of staff and Alison’s rollercoaster ride of life was racing once again.

She progressed in curriculum management and though she missed the day-to-day involvement and connection with the students, this was Alison’s calling.

After eight years in education she was headhunted by The Thorn Group, owners of a warehousing and distribution business, and also the Radio Rentals Group (wow, remember them?)

“It wasn’t what I wanted, if I’m honest, but it was simply more money than I could say ‘no’ to,” she added.

Her national role involved supervising and training staff at 300 outlets but after 18 months on the road, with then seven-year-old daughter Danielle at home, Alison had had her fill of supporting the local economy.

“To keep the job I was employing local nannies, gardeners, cleaners, ironers, but it was false economy on my part. It was though, a massive learning curve.”

Such is the way of things in Alison’s life that she met a Mr Leonard Rosenfield, who owned a property in Manchester, the top floor of which was vacant.

Alison took one look and decided to open an incubation space for start-up businesses, saying: “I have these crazy ideas . . . my life has always been a bit like a dodgem car.

“There you are, going along smoothly when you bump into something and set off in a total different direction, seemingly in control, or you think you are, until the next car bumps you.”

What a sumptuous, thrilling analogy of life. Wish I’d though of it.

And so it came to pass that Alison, gilded by her £70,000 salary from her time with The Thorn Group, invested £52,000 to create her first business centre and so another chapter began to be writ. And this one has endured. For this time Alison really had found her true calling, in business support.

While working in Manchester came a chance meeting with the head of the Oldham Collective and when Ali met Sally Bonnie, led to what has become The Enterprise Centre, right here in Oldham.

“It was a social enterprise development gathering at The Lowry and Sally invited me to do some consultancy work for an enterprise project involving The Oldham College,” she said. Divesting herself of the incubation centre in Manchester — which proved costly but almost made her fortune — Alison moved to Oldham.

Initially, she was based at the Falcon Centre in Chadderton, before a short stay at the Honeywell Centre in Ashton Road, afore a return to the Victoria Street workspace.

And then, in 2005, she opened the Enterprise Centre at Earl Mill where she has been based ever since.

Her business delivers enterprise advice and education training programmes from cradle to grave. Her words, not mine, but I’m sure you get the gist.

Basically, it is Alison’s baby, a not-for-profit social enterprise focused on the development of entrepreneurship and enterprising individuals.

This is achieved by developing individuals and organisations, using capacity building and mentor programmes to stimulate growth and success.

Workforce development programmes support organisations from all sectors so they can build better business strategies using practical, easy to follow, fun and cost-effective approaches to develop proven marketing and sales techniques, budget management, procurement, planning skills and project management.

“We are unique in our holistic approach to enterprise coaching,” says Alison, adding: “We have a model which provides a co-ordinated delivery plan for lifelong learning and continuous professional development.

“Our Enterprise at School programme develops an enterprising culture and works on the belief cycle in young people so they are better equipped to manage themselves, their lives and their environments in a way that enables them to be the best they can be.

“Young people are our future and I believe that an investment in them ensures a sustainable tomorrow for us all.”

So there is most definitely a serious side to this woman, who, as I mentioned earlier, links so many strands and helps tick so many boxes. And right here in Oldham.

I’ll leave you with Alison’s favourite phrase, as I believe it is wholly appropriate:

“Remember, thoughts become reality, so make yours good ones.”