Barclays Female Founder Accelerator 2023 member
Private House Stays

I grew up on a farm in Devon, and moved to London at 18 working as a broker in Lloyds of London, an estate agency and then for Dialog corporation at the start of the .com era, when the internet was in its infancy.
I settled in Edinburgh in 2000, where I ran a successful B&B while raising my children, working as a freelance photographer, a passion that remains with me to this day. It was during this time that I had the idea to create Private House Stays. The concept was developed before OTAs became the norm, as a way to support small business owners in a sector that was soon to become highly digitised. In 2012 our hard work was recognised by the national tourism organisation Visit Scotland invited us to become a partner.
Today, we are just as committed to helping small businesses thrive as were 10 years ago. During the pandemic when the hospitality industry saw a troubling lull, I seized the opportunity to upskill and develop both myself and my company. In the last year Private House Stays has grown into a close team of six, which includes skilled young people taken on through work placements – reflecting my passion for supporting young people and making our team the best it can be. In 2020 I received a scholarship to undertake the award-winning HIT Scotland leadership training course and most recently have completed a Destination Leadership course run by Edinburgh Napier University.
Why did you apply for the Female Founder Accelerator?
I need help and assistance to grow my business.
Do you think there's a need for programmes like this for Female Founders?
Yes very much so.
Why did you want to start your business?
To help educate businesses how to be less reliant on the greedy online travel agents.
What are you looking to get out of this programme?
Connections and a firm grounding on how to scale my business.
Which entrepreneur inspires you the most and why?
Joanna Jensen
Holly Tucker
LindziBoyd.
What has been your biggest win in your entrepreneurial journey?
Finalist on Great Britsh Entrerpreneurs.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Building trust in our brand.
Where did you go for business advice and how did it help you?
Scottish Government
Mid-Lothian and East Lothian chamber of commerce
Federation of Small Businesses
Traveltech for Scotland.
What drives you to make your business a success?
Private House Stays was born directly from my own experience, and the frustration I felt with the percentage of profits I was handing over to third-party sites. This lost revenue felt unavoidable as the big companies held all the power. I founded Private House Stays to combat this inequality I saw was rampant in the tourism industry.
What advice would you give other founders thinking about starting their own business?
Follow your dreams however hard it gets there are so many small business ideas and so many bright and clever people.