A retired couple from Selkirk are set for success after accessing training to improve their new art businesses.
Virginia and John Nelson set up 'John Nelson Art' and 'V I Prints' in April 2003. John a retired art lecturer, paints while Virginia concentrates on promoting his work and marketing his prints.
Virginia said: "We set up the businesses when we retired as I really couldn't bear the idea of sitting around the house all day while John was painting.
"John is a very talented artist, but doesn't enjoy promoting his work, so I decided to take this on board.
“It became obvious fairly quickly that we needed to improve some of our skills in order to maximise our success.
“I attended some local business seminars, but the information provided was very basic.
“I had heard of learndirect scotland for business, and made contact with the service when I attended an event at the Borders Enterprise Centre
Lindsey Mason, the local training partner for learndirect scotland for business got in touch with Virginia to discuss the company’s training requirements.
"Lindsey came out to our studio and discussed the various options that were available. I was keen to develop my Photoshop and Excel skills – Photoshop to help me produce better quality images for prints, and Excel to allow me to create systems for our businesses."
Virginia opted for online learning, because of the flexibility it afforded her.
“Accessing the courses online was much more appealing to me than attending a training course. The flexibility is a massive bonus when you are running your own business, as you have to manage your time very carefully.
“It also meant that I could learn at my own pace, going over sections that I found difficult or complicated. And it didn’t matter that I wasn’t up to date on the latest computer jargon, as I was learning on my own.
“The courses have been extremely helpful. I have used my Photoshop skills to produce fliers and improve photography, and have created a whole new book keeping system using Excel.
“The service provided by learndirect scotland for business was really helpful, and the courses Lindsey helped us to identify and access have made a big difference to the way we run our business.”