Norfolk magazine

Dyslexia sufferer Claire Ashford still smiles at the thought of being called a businesswoman. But with a growing client list and a name that is starting to spread across the county that's precisely what she is.

Claire wonders exactly what she would be doing now if she hadn't been inspired to set up her IT cleaning business after seeing a computer programmer friend's filthy keyboard. The Prince's Trust aims to help disadvantaged young people and Claire fitted the category when she approached the organisation four years ago.

Not only does she suffer from severe dyslexia and consequently left school with a "no-hope" tag from her teachers, she was also involved in a road accident which impaired her memory, something dyslexia sufferers tend to rely on in preference to writing things down. "I went through a very bad few years," she confides. "I had no qualifications and no direction."

She is blessed with a lot of determination and drive, however, and after seven months' research she set up Keep I.T. Clean - and set her mind to keeping it going. "We did grow together, me and the business. As the business started it was weak and small and tender and we nurtured each other," she says.

She confesses to attending business breakfasts and wondering what on earth she was doing there. But a few tips given to her by friendly businessmen and women, such as crossing people off a list when she had "networked" with them, helped her grow in confidence and reputation. It is a mark of her character that she considers her dyslexia offers some advantages to her working life. She tends to take a direct approach with businesses because it suits her better and as a result people remember her for it.

She's quick to offer thanks to her mum, Bobby Dowling, for her part in building her self-belief, especially in the early years. "My mum has helped me. She's a freelance book-keeper and administrator and she's been my strength. She's like an extension of me," says Claire.

Keep I.T. Clean is in its fourth year and Claire who is 28, has one main tip for reaching the top - never being afraid to ask for help. "You know how men, when they're lost, won't stop and ask for directions? Well my philosophy is, people like to be asked," she says. It seems like a recipe for success.

Norfolk magazine, Eastern Daily Press, October 2001