Who Do You Think You Are: Business Lessons from the Past

My family were very pleased to get our hands on this picture of my great great Grandpa and his first shop in South Shields in the early 1900's. The little boy on the right is my Grandpa's Dad who died young so I didn't get to meet him.

The family moved to the north east from Germany. It is unclear whether they were always going to shop keepers or whether they took this route after struggling to find employment, but the outcome is the same. After this, there were pork butcher shops ran by my descendants in the area until the 1980's.

In fact, they are even mentioned by Catherine Cookson who used to visit for a saveloy and remembers my great great Grandma handing out meat stock to the less fortunate to make hearty soup.

Although they were just plain old 'self employed' back then, this entrepreneurial spirit and desire for change has run through the generations. The biggest shock and delight for my family is you don't need to stand at a shop counter busting a gut for 15 hrs a day to make a living. They're still not convinced you can actually make money sitting at a desk as it looks too easy!

The world keeps turning and change is rapid, but we must always remember how we got here and the legacies we've inherited. For good or bad, this is what shapes who we are today.

Having left home at 18, one of things I miss most is a saveloy dip with pease pudding and stuffing- a must try if you're in the area. Just don't ask what's in it 😁.