Diane Coral Turner - Anthias Consulting

Diane started Anthias Consulting in mid 2005 after launching and running an applications lab for a scientific instrument distribution company.

Diane grew up on the remote Isles of Scilly, moving to the mainland to complete her studies and pursue her science career.

One of the reasons Diane started her own company was to give her more flexibility, allowing her to make trips home and dedicate time to organisations including Coral Cay Conservation, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the British Horse Society.

She now works to ‘bridge the gap between instrument manufacturers and their users’. With an MSc and years of experience in industry, Diane had the technical expertise for a successful company, but lacked the business knowledge to go with it.

She found her initial business training through her local enterprise agency.

"The business training I got through the enterprise agency was really great, but when I talked to them, they said I might find starting a business difficult and isolating because I was a woman, particularly a woman in science!"

So Diane sought out support organisations that were more tailored to her situation. She found that the combination of Enterprising Women and the Cambridge Association for Women in Science and Engineering (AWiSE) met her needs.

"Between Enterprising Women for women in business and Cambridge AWiSE for women in science, I now have two great networks that I’m involved in," she said.

Diane has found business leads through Enterprising Women training. At an event focusing on building business collaborations in November 2006, Diane was referred to another business by a fellow training participant.

That contact led to a plan for a scientific instrumentation consultancy alliance in the Cambridge area, which Diane is helping to establish at the moment.

Although Diane has benefited from several training sessions, she values the social aspect of Enterprising Women the most. She has made some important contacts, both personally and professionally, through networking.

"I find that one of the hardest things about running my own business from home is the feeling of isolation, particularly on occasions like my birthday, which usually you can share with your colleagues, even if it’s just with a card and a ‘happy birthday,’ but that doesn’t happen if your working on your own at home."

As well as on special occasions, Diane says she appreciates having peers with whom she can share her business successes.

"I have met other women running their own businesses, such as Suzy Lynch, running Cambridge Manufacturing Solutions, who are a lot like colleagues for me now," she said.