The Next Step is run in conjunction with the Entrepreneurs' Forum – a membership organisation that brings together business owners. For more details go to www.entrepreneursforum.net

Name of business: North East Bakery Ltd
Location: Newburn
Line of business: Bakery
Director: Greg Phillips

How long have you been established?
Three and half years

What have been the biggest achievements so far?
Continuing to grow the business during such challenging economic times and assembling a team of people able to take the business on to the next level has been very satisfying.

What have been the biggest hurdles so far?
Steering through the growing plethora of red tape that comes at you from all angles. Particularly with some elements of employment law that seems to be more concerned with jumping through hoops than applying common sense.

Where do you go for advice?
Stephen Silvester has recently invested into the business and his wealth of knowledge and experience is an unbelievable resource for myself and the business. I think you can learn something from everyone and one of the main reasons that I joined the Entrepreneurs’ Forum is to become more involved with people in business and tap into a network of different skills and knowledge.

How is running the business different from the early days?
We are now a much bigger operation so we allow other people autonomy and responsibility for decisions that would have previously been taken by me. This brings with it different challenges and it means having less direct contact with every member of staff.

Have you met your financial targets?
We are currently exceeding our financial targets and I believe the way in which the business is developing will allow us to continue this trend.

How do you attract sales?
The majority of our wholesale trade is specifically targeted by us or gained through word of mouth. The refit and rebranding programme for our retail shops is designed to make all of our premises more attractive and increase the amount of customers we get through the door.

How has your business plan changed?
Our overall strategy has not changed much. The goals we have for the business are what guides our decision-making on a daily basis. You have to constantly adapt to unforeseeable circumstances that can try and throw you off course, and be flexible enough to meet those challenges, but that doesn’t alter the bigger picture.

What does the future hold?
I would like to see further growth in sales and profitability. The refit and rebranding of our retail outlets should position us as a premium brand in the North East and this will see the continued development of the business process; adding premium retail sites to our portfolio is central to this.

Are you glad you did it?
Yes, without a doubt. I love the challenge of being in business, the responsibility and the need to adapt to an ever-changing environment. I get a real buzz out of our success and I go into work every day full of enthusiasm.