A business founded by Army veteran, military wife and mum, Laura Dolphin, has become the latest to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant.
Laura, whose business, Dolphin Outsourcing, is based in the renowned military hub of Salisbury Plain on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border, attended the 3 March event hosted by Barclays in Canary Wharf and organised by Veteran Owned UK in partnership with the Defence Relationship Management team within the Ministry of Defence.
Laura says she started her business “out of necessity for flexibility”. As a then Army Reservist herself, with a husband serving in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corp of the British Army, and with a young child, she wanted to build a career which could grow while being able to move to wherever the Army might need her husband to be. She also needed flexibility to continue to get the support she needs for the physical and mental conditions which she suffers as a result of her own Armed Forces service. Setting up her own business seemed the right decision and enabled her to continue to put her family and her own well-being needs first.
Dolphin Outsourcing has become renowned within the Veteran Owned community for providing affordable and flexible outsourcing services to start-ups, individuals, not-for-profit organisations and small businesses. It offers support such as administration, social media and marketing, start-up branding and set up packages, business consultancy, mentoring and coaching as well as training organisations in systems knowledge. Her team’s expertise and support make tapping into essential business services affordable and accessible for smaller organisations or those without in-house resources. As Laura says “If there’s anything a business can’t do, doesn’t have time to do or they just don’t want to do themselves, we’re here to help.”
Knowing the ups and downs of starting up her own business helped Laura put herself in her customers’ shoes and she understands the pressures and concerns they have, especially in the early days. She’s able to offer 1:1 support with flexible and fair contracts. One customer, a military spouse and business owner, says it all: “Laura has been nothing but exceptional in helping me start my business. From the initial consultation through to all the nitty gritty of starting a business, she’s been a God-send.”
And only too aware of the need for workplace flexibility, especially as a busy mum, Laura wanted to offer her own employees the opportunity to work around family and other commitments too. As a result, her team work mainly from home themselves.
On signing the Covenant, which represents a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly, Laura said “As someone with personal and family bonds to the Armed Services, it’s important to me and my team to do all we can to support the military community both as a forces friendly employer and in their business endeavours.”
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