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Meet Our Judge - Lorraine Thomas

We spoke to Lorraine Thomas, property developer, property investor, property mentor, and owner of View from My Window, about her business and what she looks for as a judge at The Best Business Women Awards.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I am a firm believer in helping young; disadvantaged adults get onto the property ladder, where they can be safe and have a decent place to live. The basic need for shelter is key to development and stepping up. On one part of our business, my business partner and I focus solely on renting properties we’ve developed to these young adults to give them a great start in life with affordable rent.

How did your business evolve?

My career background is in business development and marketing in law firms. I did this for almost 20 years before giving up my job to provide full-time care for my father, who was diagnosed and suffering from Parkinson’s and Dementia. During this time, a close friend of mine reached out to me asking if I could assist in finding accommodation for a young, vulnerable adult who was looked after by the Borough. My objective was to sell into landlords the concept of renting out their accommodation for this particular young adult. This was not an easy sell; however, I seemed to be quite good at it, leading onto the birth of View from My Window.

My business partner and I started going to property auctions. Initially, this was about us renovating properties with no other purpose until we decided to redevelop these properties into somewhere where vulnerable young adults could live.

View from My Window is all about lifting others, so we decided to start mentoring. Over the years of buying at auction and renovation, my business partner and I have made countless mistakes. We want to save people time, money and give them the confidence to dip their toe into the world of property.

What makes an award entry stand out to you as a judge at the awards?

The critical bit of advice I would give is, what sets your business apart from the others?

We are all going through unprecedented times at the moment, and it has turned into the new normal. As a judge, I’m looking for evidence of how your business is supporting this new normal.

I’m also looking for the obvious such as financials, case studies, and testimonials. I understand it’s been a difficult time for all businesses over lockdown, but I’m more focused on what you’ve done over the last couple of years and what you will continue to do in the future, which makes your business stand out.

What would your advice be for anyone thinking of entering the awards?

ENTER, ENTER, ENTER! It’s not just about winning. The awards are such an empowering and inspiring experience. Whether you’re a winner of a category, a finalist, or a runner up the PR result of these awards is incredible.

These awards are giving you such an excellent opportunity to showcase your best self. Being a judge at the awards, we want to hear your journey; we want to hear your story. So please enter and show off your business; it deserves to be recognised!

Click to watch the interview with Lorraine here.

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