This month our spotlight is Anna from Guided Walking Tours of Penzance Town. Anna is a real character, I’m sure a lot of you will have run into her in the 14 years she’s been running her business. It’s definitely worth looking her up whether your local or are looking for an activity for visitors this season.
“The FWBN is supportive during low points and there is always someone who can give you advice on how to move forward.“ says Anna
Name
Anna – Adriana McClary
Business Name
Guided Walking Tours of Penzance Town
Tell us about your business – what service or product do you offer?
I provide guided walking tours in German and English to visitors to Penzance. Free tours and bespoke tours. I also work with coach companies and accompany them through Penwith.
How long has your business been running?
14 years
Why did you start up your business?
Redundancy and early retirement from my work with Social Services.
Tell us about a time you have taken a leap of faith
To start my business and believe in myself that I can do it. Even so nobody else was doing it and people asked me what I was going to talk about. There is nothing in Penzance . But I believed that Penzance had a lot to offer.
How has your business changed since you began?
From a strict route and no flexibility my tours lasted 1.5 hrs. Now I follow where the visitors guide me with their questions. Tours last 2 hrs now and I go lots of different routes.
What do you hope for your business in the future?
Increase in local tours and also doing more presentations for organisations over the winter.
What benefits/challenges have you found as a business owner in the Far West of Cornwall
The biggest challenge was and still is that I am out there. For more businesses to be more supportive of what I do and also what I can do for them and how flexible I am. The benefit is local people attending tours. They know little snippets you don’t find on apps or maps.
How has being a part of FWBN helped you?
They are supportive during low points and there is always someone who can give you advice on how to move forward. Just meeting with other business owners and listening to how they work and improve. There are little tit bits that you never thought of and that can be of benefit to yourself.
Do you have any advice for people starting out?
Ask for advice. Find a group like FWBN in your area and go. These groups are so supportive and non-judgemental.
Website: www.guided-walking-tours-of-penzance-town.co.uk
Email Address: tourguidepenzance@hotmail.co.uk
Want to be the next Spotlight? Or want to join the network? Drop us a line at hello@farwestbusiness.co.uk.