Got a problem? Then ask Julie!

1:50pm Wednesday 6th August 2008

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Knowledge is the key to success for Julie Black, whose knack at problem-solving and organisational skills have earned her the quirky title Ask Julie.

When Julie set up her business in 2006 she launched under the name CJ Black Office and Recruitment Services. But she wanted something catchy and re-branded last year.

“All my friends say whenever they have a problem they ask Julie. It’s quite quirky and it has taken off,” says the 44-year-old from Queensbury.

“I like to think I am a problem-solver; I can sort out anything to do with paperwork for businesses.”

Julie’s says her catchline is “big admin support for businesses helping them save time and money, work faster, be more efficient and effective and competitive”. She describes her role as renting an office manager or PA – she also provides recruitment services for small businesses.

“I have four or five customers who I do Sage accounts for, doing VAT returns, expenses, mileage, all the bits people hate doing.”

She relishes creating proper filing systems for paperwork kept in boxes. Putting things in order and in their place is what Julie does best. She also poses as a mystery shopper checking companies are giving quality service.

Julie’s skills are highly sought-after among her clients countrywide, ranging from photographers to inventors and engineers.

Word of her work is spreading. She provides admin support for Bradford City Grid, the social enterprise encouraging new business start-ups, and more recently for Leeds Catalyst, which works in regeneration areas.

She works mainly in her clients’ workplaces but has a ‘virtual office’ in Bradford’s Gumption business centre.

Keen to expand her knowledge and skills, she’s currently undertaking a business studies degree through the Open University.

Julie’s working background is in banking. Being a Forces child – her father served in the left the family returned to their home city of Bradford where Julie followed a friend into banking.

She worked her way up from office junior to chief cashier and eventually sales and marketing coordinator. She helped to set up a mini telesales team and moved on to do admin and paperwork for a consumer finance company. She moved to another company, where she passed her manager’s examinations, but a car accident put paid to her progress.

She suffered back injuries and was off work for some time. When she returned to employment she had many jobs, working mainly in recruitment, head-hunting and customer service roles.

At 42 she decided to take the plunge and become self-employed.

“I’ve no children and no husband, and thought ‘if I don’t do it now I never will’. I’ve never looked back,” she says.

She admits it was daunting to start with. “I’ve never worked so hard and I’m now halfway through a degree, which is something I always wanted to do; it all relates to the business and it is advice I can pass on to customers.”

Her greatest job satisfaction is seeing the end result of helping a business. “I like seeing a job through to completion and making a difference to my clients’ lives.

“Every business is good at its individual skills but when it comes to paperwork it’s the biggest nightmare and one of the reasons why companies fail. Hopefully when I go in I can take that pressure off them.”

Bradford College runs business courses. For further information call (01274) 433333.