Have you identified a cause that you feel deserves extra support and attention but don’t know where to start? Well this Meet The Founder interview is for you.
Meet Michelle John
Michelle is the founding director of PEGS, a social enterprise committed to supporting parents, carers and guardians impacted by Child to Parent Abuse. With its own research showing that, of families affected, a quarter had to call police at least five times in 2022 because of fears over their safety, this is certainly a cause that needs greater awareness. Thanks to Michelle’s efforts, which won her the 2022 everywoman Gaia Award, affected families all over the UK are now being supported.
1. Why did you start PEGS and what were you doing before?
My background is in the family law and domestic abuse sectors, but it was my own experience of Child to Parent Abuse which prompted me to start an organisation specifically aimed at reducing its impact and supporting parents who were going through this. I felt like there was a real gap and that lots of parents were feeling alone and isolated, at a time when they should be able to reach out to professionals. I also felt like CPA needed to be spoken about more openly, as it’s been such a hidden form of abuse for so long.
2. What were the biggest sources of inspiration and support when you were starting out?
The parents we work with are always my inspiration. They cope with such difficult circumstances and all I’ve ever wanted to do is make a positive difference to their lives – my saying is that I’ve tried to turn my pain into power to empower others.
In terms of support, I’ve made amazing contacts who’ve supported PEGS all the way – from Bright Star Boxing, a fantastic social enterprise with its HQ also in Shropshire; to Tony, Ahmed and the team at the DWP; to Kenny and the team at NHS Safeguarding.
3. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting the business?
I think trusting the process has been a good lesson. When I started PEGS I really didn’t know what I wanted it to be and how it would look going forward, I just knew I wanted to support parents. Three years on, I really couldn’t have imagined we’d be where we are now. There have been frustrating days, sad days, and days where things haven’t quite turned out as I’d imagined. But on the whole, we have achieved so much in a short space of time and PEGS has grown into an organisation which has made a difference to lots of people’s lives.
4. What has been your proudest moment/biggest achievement so far?
There have genuinely been so many highlights that it would be difficult to pick one out. Launching our Covenant – only the fourth to ever be endorsed by the Government – was amazing, as was the first ever CPA Awareness Day held last year, our Progressing PEGS and CPA Conference events, and getting awards recognising our work is always phenomenal.
I have to say though, every time we reach a milestone in terms of how many parents we’ve been able to support, that makes me incredibly proud. It’s sad so many parents are out there needing this help, but we’ve now reached more than 3,000 people which is astonishing.
5. What piece of advice would you give to anyone starting out?
Networking isn’t just for specific events – you can network anywhere and everywhere! I’ve met people on the train, in bars, over breakfast at hotels, who have had an interest in PEGS or worked for organisations we can link in with. It’s become a running joke that I can’t go anywhere without meeting someone who then gets involved with PEGS in some way – but it makes such a difference if you’re willing to talk about your organisation and don’t see networking events as your only opportunity to do so.
6. What piece of investment did you make in the business that was worth every penny?
Hiring outside agencies and professionals to support the work we do. I recognised early on I couldn’t do everything and that it made sense for me to do what I’m best at, have an internal team who look after our parents, and bring in experts for everything else. We have an IT company, PR company, bookkeeper, accountant and funding consultant – they’re like our extended PEGS team and they all provide so much value to us that I can’t imagine PEGS without them.
7. Which element of marketing has made the biggest impact on your business?
We have certainly focused more on PR than marketing – the subject of CPA lends itself to being of interest to the media but we’ve been careful to work closely with reporters and producers wanting to do a story to ensure it’s done sensitively and with the utmost care towards parents sharing details about their lives.
Social media has also been something we have utilised to grow our network, share information, and raise awareness. We now have more than 7,500 connections across the four main platforms plus almost 1,000 parents in our closed peer support group on Facebook.
8. What do the next 12 months look like for you?
A big piece of work we’re doing this year is around accessibility. So that’s not only ensuring our services are as accessible as possible for everybody who might need them, but also raising awareness among professionals of how they can ensure parents with, for example, vision impairment don’t face any barriers in getting the support they need when experiencing CPA.
We’re working on events to mark our 3rd birthday in March and the second CPA Awareness Day in October, and there are plenty of other plans going on, as well as our main work of supporting parents and training professionals.
Do you have an interesting story to tell about how your business got started? Tell us about it.
