Amy Woodgate always dreamt of running her own business.
And now, the Dunfermline woman does exactly that. For the past eight years, she has run Woodgate Consulting.
With four staff, she creates short courses, learning platforms, professional development digital resources, and structured credit-bearing programmes for clients.
Amy answered our questions on her biggest struggles, achievements and more.
How and why did you start in business?
I always dreamed of setting up a business when I was little but had no idea what it would be.
Younger me would never have thought it would be an online learning company.
I always loved school and particularly loved homework (a geek and proud) but I fell into learning design by accident via project management of online learning investment projects.
I get to learn about diverse topics every day and bring them to life online to inspire others.
How did you get to where you are today?
I worked for the University of Edinburgh during the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) launch – free courses for all.
It was the most intense learning experience – I led the setup of the largest free online learning portfolio in the country – and I never looked back.
People started to appreciate the possibilities for learning fully online so I jumped into the unknown and established a consultancy to help inspire other companies.
Who helped you?
Everyone who ever took a chance on me. Be that to work with me, to join a small creative team, share a post online, or study one of our courses.
My husband is my biggest cheerleader but it’s nice to connect with other business owners.
When we moved to Fife, I found Fife Women in Business and the Federation of Small Businesses – both have been invaluable.
As a business owner, it can often feel lonely – these groups remind you that you aren’t alone at all.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
Use more emojis. Our digital world can sometimes feel hard to interpret, particularly when there’s no emotion attached, and you can’t see someone’s face.
I have a fully remote team and it is so easy to misread tone when it’s just text.
However, if you go down the GIF route, consider changing your browser settings to only play the loop once.
What is your biggest mistake?
Not always trusting my gut instincts. Sometimes they tell you more than you think.
I have started a few different businesses in the past but what’s not for ya, won’t go past ya.
Listen to the inner voice and protect yourself when it doesn’t feel right.
What is your greatest achievement?
Managing to find enough work to keep a small team employed during and after the pandemic. I never set out to create a team but I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved.
How are you managing rapidly rising costs, and how could the government help?
Bigger companies don’t realise the impact late payments have on us small businesses.
We have regularly had large clients not pay us for thee to nine months after handover and we often can only invoice upon delivery.
Cracking down on that is necessary to help SMEs thrive. I always pay my bills on time, why don’t they?
What do you still hope to achieve?
I’m currently looking to start the next chapter in my business. Online learning was radically changed forever by the pandemic and further again by the uptake of AI.
It’s really easy to just keep your head down and do what you’ve always done but our sector has been flip-turned-upside-down.
I know I can provide something of value in this new space.
What do you do to relax?
Usually go for a long walk. We’ve recently finished the Fife Coastal path. Highly recommended.
What are you currently reading, listening to or glued to on TV?
Stuff You Should Know podcast. I usually read non-fiction but was given The Gathering by CJ Tudor for my birthday and I couldn’t put it down.
I’m really looking forward to throwing myself into new genres; it’s good to mix things up.
What do you waste your money on?
Food, although it’s never really a waste. Good food, new restaurants, visiting international supermarkets to find crazy crisp flavour – the crazier the better.
What’s not to love?
What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
I’d love to say go to the gym or practice meditation, but more realistically a quick email check, promptly followed by a big morning hello to my WFH boss, Otto.
He’s a miniature dachshund with a lot of sass, who stares at the office door to start work (even at the weekend).
What do you drive and dream of driving?
I only recently learned to drive and passed my test last April.
I never thought I was that short until I started to drive and had to pull the chair fully forward to have any chance reaching the pedals.
An original Mini would be amazing. It would suit my little dog – he loves going in the car.
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