WHO ARE YOU?
I’m Gethin, and I run the business NODAU together with my partner, Elin. We now live in the Dyffryn Nantlle area with Celt and Smwt, our two dogs. The business is brand new and we were incredibly lucky to be part of Llwyddo’n Lleol’s Mentro initiative in 2024.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ESTABLISH NODAU PIANO? WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?
I love playing the piano; it’s one of my main interests and something I really enjoy doing. I was lucky enough to be able to buy an electric piano recently, in order to increase my interest and develop my skills in the process. Because of my interest, my family and friends knew I loved playing the piano (most have had to endure me looking for a piano on a night out while the beer was flowing!). As a result of this, I was lucky enough to have some members of my family and closest friends ask me if I would be willing to play the piano at their weddings. This was a shock at first, and I was terribly nervous. What if I make a mistake? Or what if I forget the song? Thankfully, that didn’t happen! By being part of their special celebrations, I realised that I really enjoyed the experience. After this, Elin, my partner (and business partner), and my family and friends started to suggest that I should think about doing this as a side business apart from my full-time job. This was a constant discussion between Elin and myself, and something we’d been thinking about for a while. Elin mentioned one day, as we were on the sofa watching a film, that she’d seen something on social media about help for Welsh businesses in the ARFOR region. The advertisement said that the business did not need to be one that existed at the time, but that it was an opportunity for individuals to get help to start a new business or to develop their existing business. This was “music to her ears”, as they say. An application form of some kind had to be completed, and Elin set about trying to help me with this, and from there, we were informed shortly afterwards that we’d been successful.
It wasn’t such an easy process after that, as we wondered for a long time what to call the business. There was a lot of going back and forth, asking for comments, ideas and so on. We’re lucky enough to have very kind (and smart) family and friends, and one friend mentioned the name NODAU. It’s simple, relevant and unique (a shout out to Mared – thanks!!). And that’s it, that’s the start of our NODAU business, which is pianist services for events and special occasions, such as weddings – which is just one example.
DO YOU HAVE ONE ‘TOP TIP’ FOR SOMEONE WANTING TO START A BUSINESS?
Wow! It’s hard to think of just one ‘top tip’ when it comes to starting a business! As part of the Mentro initiative, we all attended weekly sessions with the rest of the group and the organisers, and each week, different guest speakers came and gave us a presentation on their business as well as different advice.
This was a fantastic aspect of the Mentro iniative as we got a wide range of different ‘top tips’ from a variety of individuals who ran successful businesses. Looking back and thinking about what helped us, I think what needs to be done at the beginning is to ensure that you have clear objectives – that is, what exactly is your business idea, and what is the main purpose of the business. By ensuring that the objectives are clear, that will help you to proceed with your business effectively and successfully. Another small one too (sorry, two ‘top tips’) is not to put too much pressure on yourself. Life is busy and trying to start a business while working full-time is a challenge in itself, so don’t worry if it takes you a while to get going. We continue to develop slowly. We now try to ensure that we give a certain amount of time each week to focus on the business, so that we can enjoy the process of starting our own business and try to make it a successful one.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT BEING PART OF LLWYDDO’N LLEOL’S MENTRO INITIATIVE?
Wow, these questions get harder as we go along! Being part of Llwyddo’n Lleol’s Mentro initiative was an incredible experience for us, especially considering that NODAU is a very new business. The weekly sessions were an opportunity for us to be able to develop our business further, giving us the opportunity to also build our confidence in the field. I must admit, listening to the guest speakers was a worthwhile experience, and indeed one of the reasons we have continued with our business, I think. Seeing other Welsh people succeeding in their fields was a great experience in itself, but even more, having the opportunity to listen, get help, and ask them about their experiences was key in our journey as business owners. In addition to this, we were so, SO lucky with the rest of the crew who were with us on the Mentro initiative. There was a wide variety of different businesses and everyone supported each other – and that went a long way. It’s great to keep in touch with all the businesses and see how great everyone is doing since the Mentro iniative ended.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND OTHER PEOPLE TO APPLY FOR LLWYDDO’N LLEOL OPPORTUNITIES?
100%!!! As I said before, Elin and I feel so lucky that we’ve been chosen to be part of the most recent Mentro initiative cohort. NODAU was just an idea when we applied for the opportunity; we didn’t even have a name for it at the time! Being told that we had been successful was exactly the motivation we needed to go for it with the business idea, and the help we received from everyone at Llwyddo’n Lleol and the guest speakers was so valuable. We have made valuable friends, and the help everyone gives each other is a valuable experience. This opportunity gave us the confidence to really go for it, and we’ll be forever grateful. Thank you so much, Llwyddo’n Lleol!!
PS – Remember to follow us on social media – @nodau_piano on Instagram and @Nodau on Facebook. Website coming soon!