Duloch Discovery

A native of Dunfermline, I survived Dunfermline High School only to be swiftly sentenced to service with RBS for a few years too long (I'm sorry, it's me not you.....)!

Released from service in 2004 I settled comfortably into loafing about, or as much as you can with a husband, a dog and 2 children to shatter the peace and quiet.

A year out and with no lottery win on the horizon, the only option seemed to be a return to work. But what to do?

I had got used to not travelling to Edinburgh every day and had no desire to return to that, thank you! Flexibility was my main motivation - to be able to be there before and after school it looked like I would have to become self employed.

After a quick skill check - uh oh, this isn't looking promising- I thought I would put it off until tomorrow. Time for a coffee and a magazine!

Lo and behold - there was the answer; an article on a lady who had set up a very successful business running a community magazine. There was only one other person I knew mad enough to want to do this too - Valerie!

We kicked off in Kinross in 2005 with our Loch Leven Directory - and it has just celebrated it's second birthday! With a few hours left over in the week we thought why not do the same in Duloch? It's in our home area so we had access to a whole host of local businesses and tradesmen.

Future plans? Well Dalgety Bay certainly looks like an attractive area - interested? Give us a call!

LOW POINTS SO FAR
 Forcing our relatives and friends to
help us deliver to ALL houses in the Kinross & Milnathort area. (yes, all 4,000 of them!).

Many thanks Mum, Dad, Jenny, Lorna, Sharon & Tracy!

 Realising that the benefit, of all that exercise, was cancelled out by the numerous bars of chocolate we ate on the way round!

HIGH POINT SO FAR
 Seeing our publications on the phone tables in residents homes.

 Positive feedback from residents.

 Meeting Susan King! I took my son, Luke with me who was 2 at the time. Inside Susan's office he kept mentioning a black dog, and proceeded to follow it from room to room. At the end of our chat Susan told me that her black dog had died 2 years before, but she believed he still visited! Amazing!

Susan owns Paramount Healing in Kinross - see her details on our testimonial page.

Valerie Dowie

Aaaaargh! What could you possibly want to know about me?

Well, I grew up in a town called Forfar, which is situated between Dundee and Aberdeen. On leaving school reluctantly (yes, I was a bit of a swot) I had the choice of studying physiotherapy in Edinburgh or earning some hard cash (something which I'd never had before) by joining the Royal Bank. I of course wanted the money...I know, I know...what a twit!

Luckily I was transferred to Edinburgh to work in training...which mainly consisted of lovely long chats, walks round the garden but mostly eating... the meals were heavenly (oh dear... I ballooned in record time) and oh yes I did a little bit of interactive training design while I was there too. I left eventually when my skin wouldn't stretch any further and stomach staples looked likely.

After a variety of jobs I finally settled down and now have my family...my husband, three children and two guinea pigs.

But something was missing... so many nights saw me tossing and turning wondering what was I to do with the spare 5 minutes I had every day? As luck would have it my good friend Audrey had the answer... ‘start a business!'

It's been two years now and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute... well almost every minute... we used to deliver all our magazines in the Kinross area... which was absolute torture despite the good excuse to munch my way through bars and bars of chocolate!