Filling up a removal van with your belongings and heading to a new area can mean huge upheavals across every aspect of your life, whether it’s a new school for the children, saying goodbye to old friends or just a whole new neighbourhood to explore and find your way around. But for some, it can lead to another drastic life change: a brand new career.
Moving to another part of the country can allow renters and homebuyers alike – particularly those leaving London and its sky-high property costs – to not only begin afresh but also get more bang for their buck and start up that long-dreamed-about business, perhaps a coffee shop, a music venue or yoga studio.
Thirty-five-year-old Polly Donger’s unlikely change of career from actor to shopkeeper occurred when she decided to quit London and move to Margate in Kent two years ago. “I had major anxiety in London,” she says. “I had so much anxiety that I couldn’t go on the tube and had to stop working as an actor. I wanted peace, community and to make my money work – whether that was investing in a property or setting up a business.” Donger was not sure what that business might be, until one day when she looked at her colourful Pinterest board. “I realised I had an aptitude for seeking out awesome independent makers, and while I thought I can’t draw, I can put stuff in a space and make it look pretty,” she says. She found a two-bedroom flat with a retail space below. Her shop, Little Bit, which stocks independent brands, acrylic jewellery, clothing and gifts, opened in summer 2017.
“Financially, I wouldn’t have been able to do it in London,” she says. “Actually, I don’t think I could do this anywhere else. I’m lucky as the people who come down to the Turner [art gallery] are the people who want to spend money in this kind of shop.”
Although Donger misses the theatre, she says the shop keeps her on her toes and provides an unlikely source of inspiration. “Weirdly, I have met two of my comedy heroes in the shop, and I could write thousands of comedy shows based on the characters I’ve met in here.”
She is one of the growing numbers of people saying goodbye to the capital. According to Office for National Statistics data analysed by estate agent Knight Frank, 106,607 people left London in the year to June 2017 – a 55% hike from five years earlier. One of the reasons behind the exodus is, of course, house prices.
Amanda and Peter Jacques-Walker were in their early thirties when they felt ready to leave London. “I was working as a management consultant and Amanda as a barrister,” says Peter. “We’d worked in London since university, which was fine and we enjoyed it, but I was starting to feel done with London. I was more interested in climbing and hiking, and we started to look for ways to be closer to the country.” The couple were attracted to the idea of running a hotel. “We quite like people and thought it would be nice to get our teeth into running a hotel. We’ve always loved hotels and food.”
The couple homed in on the Lake District. “I’d holidayed as a child in the Lakes,” recalls Peter, 37. The couple bought Brownber Hall in Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, for £650,000, using a £450,000 loan and profits from the flat in Haggerston, east London, that they sold. They spent £70,000 on renovating the eight-bedroom property.
But making a fresh start in a new industry has not been without its challenges. “The biggest learning curve was actually starting a new business,” says Peter. “Challenges included: how do you actually do the books and submit a VAT tax return, and which suppliers should you work with for your laundry? It was also good fun but was challenging.”
The couple seem to have overcome those obstacles. Three years later and the hotel’s occupancy has jumped from 20% to 72%, and the pair have adapted to their new life in the north. “We were quite nervous about being outsiders and ‘soft southerners’, and thought we might stand out like a sore thumb, but we were shocked at how accepting everyone was. Neighbours dropped round with cards, another person showed us where the vets was. They’ve been really accepting.”
Alice Pearson, 25, only moved less than 20 miles away, but quitting her digital PR and marketing job in Leeds in 2017 to move to Ilkley in West Yorkshire with her boyfriend helped her establish her cake business, Copper Spoon Cakery.
“We were renting a flat in Leeds and it was expensive,” she says. “Our kitchen was really small and without a dishwasher, which was a nightmare when baking.” On top of the inadequately sized flat, she says busy city life and the stress of her job were taking a toll on her mental health. “I suffered anxiety daily and also felt physically ill most days. I was later diagnosed with ME/CFS.” One way she found relief was through baking. “I’ve always loved baking and used to bake with my mum as a child. When I moved to Leeds into my PR role, I started a baking blog. I would bring my test bakes into the office and everyone would go crazy for them. I realised I could turn the blog into a business.”
For Pearson, the move helped overcome the financial pressures of setting up a new business. “Our rent in Leeds was very expensive: we paid £825 a month before bills for a small two-bed flat. I needed to buy a car to deliver my cakes, but a car park space alone was another £70 a month. Our flat didn’t have a dishwasher, and we were told it wasn’t possible to have one fitted. Our new flat is twice the size of our previous flat, with a much bigger kitchen. We have the space to store everything without having to pay for a storage unit, which would be another £170 a month.”
The rent at their flat in Ilkley is £100 a month cheaper than their former home in Leeds, and also includes a private car parking space. “I’ve used this extra money to buy a car, which we pay off every month,” says Pearson.
She is the first to admit that the spa town of Ilkley is a contrast to buzzy Leeds, and she does miss her old life once in a while. “However, it’s been worth it to have my new business and a lovely flat,” she says. “Plus, we’re a stone’s throw away from the moors; it’s really lovely to be able to take yourself away from the hustle and bustle. I’ve found moving away from the city has been great for my mental health – I no longer suffer daily with anxiety, and my ME symptoms have improved as I’m less stressed.” Plus, she says, she can reach Leeds in 30 minutes. “It’s the best of both worlds.”
Despite the minimum one-and-a-half-hours commute each way, it wasn’t until about four years after swapping London for Margate that Kate and George Winteringham, a store designer for Alexander McQueen and an interior designer respectively, quit their jobs in the capital to open KG Winters, a greengrocers in the Kent seaside town in October last year.
Kate, 34, is the first to say that the couple hadn’t harboured an ambition to open a greengrocers. Rather, the switch came after discovering the area was lacking in greengrocers and fresh produce. “It being the ‘garden of England’, we expected there to be more fresh produce available, but over the years of living here, we found it difficult to get hold of,” she says. “We had to drive out of town to farm shops. And so the idea was born out of a couple of years of talking about doing something with food and produce, and realising there was demand. I don’t think we would have been interested in running a greengrocers in London.”
Also, she believes Margate itself is really open to ideas. “The council has been helpful, rent is achievable and affordable, and everyone is on your side. It didn’t feel like that in London.”
However, like any new business, they encountered obstacles from the off. “Initially getting the contacts with the farms and breaking into that circle as a complete unknown was a bit of a challenge,” says Winteringham. What did come naturally was the store design. “We used to work with brands about how to create a deeper customer connection, so that bit was easy.” The couple now plan to launch cookery classes and set up a cafe.
For those considering upping sticks and carving out their dream business, Skye Robertson, head of the “escape school” at Escape the City, which offers courses to those looking to change careers, says figuring out how much money you need to put aside, and how much you need to cut your spending by to reach your goal, are a key part of preparing to make the transition. “Figure out how much you need to save to give you a bit of breathing space, start a business or take a pay cut, and then you can work backward to find out how much you need to be cutting out every month so you can reach your goals,” she says. Having a goal really helps, and focuses your spending, she says.
Kate says it is important to be passionate about your future business. “Make sure it’s something you really want to do and believe in because even though setting up a business is amazing, it’s tough. You have to really believe in what you’re doing and also make sure there’s a market for it.”
Pearson says leaving a city can feel daunting, but if your dream is to work for yourself, it will end up being the right move. “I cannot tell you how rewarding it is to create a successful business out of something you love,” she enthuses. “I’m much happier and healthier.”
Setting up a business can also do wonders for your outlook on life. “When you start doing work that matters to you and leading the type of life you want to live, you’ll inevitably feel more fulfilled and happy,” says Robertson. “The long hours might remain the same, but the way you feel about them can really change.”
Still unsure? Take heed from Peter Jacques-Walker, who advises: “Just get stuck in. It feels hard until you do it. As soon as you’re there, you think, ‘why didn’t I do this five years ago?’”
