Name: Rachel Morgan-Trimmer
Age: 31
Occupation: Managing Director, SugarCat Publishing
Location: Manchester, UK
Launch date for The Career Break Site: 6 June 2005
Career breaks have been getting a lot of coverage in the press over the past couple of years, and I knew it was a growing market. Although there are some excellent books on career breaks, there was no independent website dedicated to them. I had lots of ideas for websites, but decided to start with The Career Break Site because it was a subject I knew a lot about.
I started my career in New York, working for a number of publishing houses (all print). When I moved to Leeds, I worked for a marketing agency, in the digital department, as a content manager. I then went to a gap year information company where I was a project manager before leaving for my own career break. I set up my own internet publishing company when I returned, and launched The Career Break Site shortly afterwards.
I went on a solo round-the-world trip. I started in Thailand and travelled around South-East Asia before going to Australia and New Zealand (where I spent Christmas). New Year saw me in Fiji, then I stopped off in New York on the way home. It took 4 months and I had an amazing time!
The most significant thing I learnt was what I needed to put on the site. Much of the content is the sort of thing I would have liked when I was planning my own break (eg a printable timeline).
It’s a terrible cliché, but I really did get more confident when I went travelling – and pretty much everyone I met has said the same thing. That really helped when I was starting the business.
It was the first independent career break website, and is still the biggest.
The main feature is a searchable database of career break opportunities, where companies can promote their services. We try to ensure all the companies who advertise with us are reputable (as far as we know, we're the only career break/gap year website to do this).
Other sections include new features every month which spotlight what to do and where to go, plus a huge section on planning and essentials. There's help and advice on what to do with your job, whether you want to quit or take a sabbatical. We have an inspiration area with case studies, plus a ‘stuck?’ section to help people decide what to do and overcome any obstacles they might have. There are also articles, a shop, competitions and a discounts page.
The site also has a large section of fun stuff loosely related to work and travel. It includes quizzes, lists of rude place names, funny pictures, and so on, plus a boss insult generator which has literally millions of insulting possibilities!
I like the printable resources a lot because I think they can make people’s lives so much easier. I also like the fun section because it’s enjoyable to research! Other people have mentioned that they love the ‘boss is coming’ link which is on every page. You click on it if you don’t want your boss to know what you’re up to, and it goes to a fake web page called ‘Workaholics Anonymous’.
My favourite viral was the World Cup Skiving Site we built, to help people leave work early and go and watch the football. It can be found here: www.thecareerbreaksite.com/worldcup
Make sure you’re doing what you really want to do rather than what other people say you should do. This applies to the big decisions – like whether to quit your job or apply for a sabbatical – as well as the little ones, like going to a place you really want to see, even if everyone else says it’s rubbish! You might only ever take one career break, so it’s important that you make the most of it.
The Career Break Site is owned and maintained by SugarCat Publishing, an independent company owned by Rachel Morgan-Trimmer. Its website is at www.sugarcat.co.uk.
If you need any more information, please call Rachel directly on 0161 4488846 or email her on rachel@sugarcat.co.uk.