How it started

Our company was taken over by a national firm, which resulted in a wave of redundancies, myself included. It was something she had never even contemplated but, faced with a mortgage to pay and limited options, she decided to take a leap of faith and start her own business, armed with nothing but her redundancy money to buy stock and sacks and what turned out to be an unreliable van that leaked and the heater didn’t work! This was in 2012 when there was also a recession to make things even more difficult.

From the outset, it was a challenging and round-the-clock endeavour. Callie would often find herself in Plymouth doing clinical collections, only to quickly change into some smart clothes in the back of the van to meet potential new customers or drop off leaflets before jumping back in the driver’s seat to continue her rounds. It was a whirlwind, but it was also a mission driven by necessity and a deep commitment to service.

Kernow Clinical is very much a family affair, though not in the traditional sense. Callie’s dad joined to handle clinical collections, and her mom took on the crucial role of servicing sanitary bins. Then her elder brother later came on board to assist with collections and administration, and a close family friend, juggling the demands of raising a young family, also contributed to our growing business.