Becca breaks the rules and the mould to build a new life
SUCCESS STORY: Becca McCoid
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As a schoolgirl, Becca McCoid refused to accept the stereotype of a broken home and a council house upbringing leading to a life on benefits.
She broke the rules to get a paper round before she was old enough, funded her own business by working in shops and cafes, and now shares the stories of her escape route to inspire others.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from,” said Becca.
“I grew up on a council estate and my parents never worked. People assume you don’t want to do anything in life and I want to prove them wrong.”
She already has. At 31, Becca has a husband, two children, two jobs and no debt. But in her own business and in helping others as an adviser for Making Changes 4 Careers (MC4C), Becca is inspired by the memories of when she had nothing but dreams.
Her parents never worked and were rarely together. She saw how other families lived and decided to change things herself.
“My friends always had parents who were together and going to work,” she said.
“I used to love going to their houses but I was envious. They had nice food, holidays, everything I wanted. That motivated me massively. That’s maybe why I worked from such a young age.”
Becca had a paper round when she was 12 even though she wasn’t allowed to do one until she reached 13.
She confessed: “I asked my older brother to get one in his name and then I did it. I earned £6 a week and gave him £1.”
Before her 15th birthday Becca started work in a Skeltons bakery shop, initially on Saturday and then whenever she could, going full-time in the months between leaving school and starting college, which wasn’t her preferred option.
She said: “I had good GCSEs but didn’t want to go to college because I had a taste for earning money. My mam told me I had to go.”
She continued working as Skeltons became Cooplands, and then joined a café where the owner equipped her with new skills.
Becca said: “Debbie, who owned the café, showed me how to cook. I had never tried pasta or rice until I worked at the café.”
She completed an apprenticeship in catering by doing a placement at the café, staying on after Debbie sold it and only leaving catering to take a job as a champion for MC4C.
‘IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM’: Becca with fellow business adviser Charlene Porteous
Beca said: “The training assessors came to the café. They thought my lasagne was phenomenal. I made my own sauce! I am also amazing at baking. I made some bread for one assessment.”
When 11-year-old Ethan and Olivia –11 this month – arrived, Becca was working at a take-away food and fish and chip shop.
She said: “I have only been on benefits once and that was when I was pregnant with Ethan. I was sick so couldn’t work with food and I had to go on maternity leave.”
Becca became aware of MC4C after setting up her own business, The Personalised Gray Rose, in 2018. She’s had an on-off business partnership with her friend Beth and they completed the programme together.
“I did it for about six months and it made a massive difference,” said Becca.
“They taught me so much about business. I didn’t know anything about HMRC or tax or how to promote my business or about target audiences.
“We got a grant from the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank to buy a vinyl machine which made everything miles easier. We were able to get orders out on the same day instead of waiting five days for the vinyl to come. We bought a heat press so we didn’t have to use the iron. The grant helped us become a proper business.”
The business took a stall at North Point shopping centre but gave it up when it became clear customers were only using it as a collection point. After saving just two months’ rent Becca was able to buy new premises – a summer house in her garden.
When she saw that MC4C had a vacancy she applied, was shortlisted and found herself in her first ever formal interview.
“I remember feeling so scared but I have always been passionate about supporting small businesses,” said Becca.
“I got the job promoting MC4C, going to community settings, observing workshops and one-to-ones to watch the participants and their advisers and sometimes I would tell them things from my experience. There was such a variety of businesses and ideas. Beauty, catering, personalised items, wax melts. I used to go to awards night and I won two myself.”
The next tentative step came when Becca heard there would be an honorarium vacancy for an adviser. After a more confident interview she again got the job and is now delivering workshops and looking after an allocation of six young entrepreneurs every week.
“You see people come in and they are like I was years ago, she said.
“Most of them are in their 20s but we had a 16 year old and another who was 17. To see the younger ones is really nice. Sometimes they say they are from Bransholme or Orchard Park and I always say that doesn’t define them.
“I have never wanted to be rich. I just wanted to live comfortably. I own my car. We go on nice holidays – Majorca, Ibiza, the Lake District, Paris twice last year –to the city and to Disneyland. But we live in a council house, we’ve been in it for 11 years and we are happy.”