However, finding the perfect part-time job was so difficult that Annetta and Julia started to consider running their own business.  With Annetta's background in nursing and Julia's in personnel, they felt they would have to change direction if they wanted to work at home!  The answer to what type of business to run came from Annetta's husband, Ari, who had a bright idea in the shower one morning.  He had been using a compant to make his business appointments and run his database.  It was an expensive service and he suggested that Annetta and Julia could do it as well, if not better but offer better value.

           "It was such a good idea, without expensive overheads that we were soon in Annetta's sitting roon in Byfleet with two telephone lines and a second hane computer.  (incidentally that computer is now sitting in their garage as Ari is hoping it will son be a collectors' item!).  Ari helped by mentioning our service to both an advertising agency and a training company he was in touch with and on our first day we had a meeting with them and the telemarketing business was launched.  To say we hit the ground running would be an understatement!" Julia recalls. 

           "Our next big client wa a charity that wanted us to provide 10 people a day for seven weeks and wanted us up an running in 2 weeks!  We could have panicked an said that we didn't have the rescourced, but we took the challenge and said, 'we can do this', and somehow we did!" 

Annetta and Julia managed to find business premises in a friend's outbuilding in West Byfleet despite there being no heating or plumbing, and definitely no teleohone lines.  There was a goat living just beside the building that sometimes got out and wouldn't let us park our cars.  Healther and Safety eat your heart out!  We put an advertisement in the local paper and were flooded with calles from other women, like us who wanted to do something interesting, we found an assortment of computers, telephones and chairs and we were up and running in two weeks."        

           "We did manage to get the telephones lines put in but not without BT having to close the road to install more telegraph poles causing road chaos for some weeks to come.  We tended to keep quiet when people bemoaned the temporary traffic congestion in the area!

            On the first day we found that not all the lines were in so we had to hot-foot some of the team back to the house and have additional lines put in the kitchen and dining room." Annetta remembers.

Through sheer determination and a knack for employing the right staff, Annetta and Julia quickly built up a respected and progressive company.  Base Connections now employs over 50 people and is based in Woking.  It has an impressive reputation and is proud of the low turnover of staff.  Respecting their employees has always been of great importance to Annetta and Julia and they have a flexible approach to working hours.

           "Our children are now able to look after themselves," says Julia, "But we never forget how limiting it can be if your children are at school.  Although we now employ a lot of full-time staff, many of our staff leave work at 2.45pm in time for school pick up and that's fine with us.  In the hours that they are in the office they work very hard and we have many brilliant, proffessional people working with us.  We treat them as we would like to be treated ourselves and we celebrate our successes with them.  It's fantastic to see people developing with us and seeing staff realising their potential gives me a real buzz."

            In the past few years we have won awards commending Base Connections' service to clients and as a great place to work - for us that is one of the greated rewards of running our own company."

www.fabstuff.net is the new business venture which is receiving fantastic feedback from customers with a selection of products that can often be seen in style magazine wish lists. 

           "We can be your personal present-shopper and send to you or to your friends - gift-wrapped if you wish." they promise.  Goods from one off hand made products to every day itmes with a twist are sourced globally.  They can be "artisan" products made of vintage materials to luxury items from tio brands.  All come wrapped in green tissue with a personal hand written card from their packer.