Self employed ‘Cake Fairy’ Linda asked her local Seetec centre in Cannock for advice and guidance on increasing her working hours. She was claiming Incapacity Benefit and working 15 hours a week under the permitted hours rule making cakes from her home. With an increase in business, Linda needed to increase her working hours but was concerned about how she would cope with her Osteoarthritis, as her health condition varied so much from day to day as well as the pressure of working full time.

Through the New Deal for Disabled People programme, Linda was able to receive support and encouragement to build her confidence and manage her health condition so that she could grow her business. She was also signposted to Business Link to receive up-to-date advice and guidance regarding self employment.

Luckily for Linda, working from home is the ideal environment for her to manage her health condition and her business. She spends her working day in a warm kitchen and not on a cold market stall as she had first started out doing years before. She can sit, stand and move about whenever she wants. Her kitchen has also been recently adapted to suit her disability with specially designed cupboards and an adjustable cooker.

Being able to work from home gives Linda the flexibility she needs to cope with the increase in orders and the growing interest in her business. Linda has successfully made the transition from benefits to full time working with continued in-work support from Seetec to help her progress and provide her with advice and guidance along the way if she needs it. "I know financially I’m never going to be millionaire but at least I’m doing something useful and I love it", says Linda happily, "I hope I can continue until I’m 65". Linda is thrilled not to be dependent on benefits anymore and her business is going from strength to strength, with thanks to Seetec and a little bit of her own fairy dust!