Durasuite

06/06/2026

05/06/2026

A bit of honesty!

The last 12 months have been some of the hardest of my life actually the past few years have for many reasons 😂

I’ve spent months pursuing investment for durasuite, creating pitch decks, forecasts, demos, videos, and business plans, while navigating changing expectations, broken promises, and expensive “expert” support that delivered far less than advertised.

At the same time, life has been relentless.

Planning a wedding. Supporting my parents through significant health challenges. Supporting my sister who has a brain tumour. Preparing for a disability discrimination tribunal. Running a self-funded business entirely alone with empty promises of support from countless people and then today, my stepdaughter being taken to hospital with a serious infection after collapsing at work with blood pouring out her ear!

Somewhere along the way 8 months ago I stopped sleeping properly which for someone with my health issues is not ideal 😂 I entirely Stopped seeing friends. Stopped enjoying the things I’d worked so hard to achieve.

Including becoming a wife.

This week I’ve done a lot of reflecting.

Durasuite isn’t going anywhere 😃. I still believe in the vision and the problem it solves.

But I’ve decided to stop forcing the pace.

Instead, I’m focusing on consulting work that provides stability, including helping build global payroll technology that I’m incredibly passionate about. It gives me space to rebuild my health, spend time with my family, enjoy married life, and remember that success means more than simply surviving.

Building a business is bloody hard in every way but very courageous so I’m proud of my accomplishments to date!

Building one while carrying the weight of everything else life throws at you can be overwhelming.

So for now, I’m choosing sustainability over burnout and honestly, that feels like the right decision.

01/06/2026

💍✨ We did it… I’m officially a married woman! ✨💍

What a magical weekend.

The weather was perfect, the venue was beautiful, and we were surrounded by the most amazing people. ❤️

Of course, there were a few wedding dramas along the way 😂 My Maid of Honour had to pay £200 for a taxi from Kingston when all the trains were cancelled (and didn’t tell me because she knew I’d panic!). The day before, we realised we couldn’t fit all the guests into the planned space and had to completely rethink the setup. Then on the wedding morning, my dress zip got stuck and it took 20 minutes and three people to get me into it! 🤣

But every challenge reminded me how lucky I am. From my incredible stepdaughter and her girlfriend helping save the day, to my husband’s best friend helping me into my dress before driving me to the wedding in a bright yellow Ford Mustang (my dream car since I was 4!) 💛🏎️

The highlight? My best friend and Maid of Honour’s speech. We’ve been friends since I was 18 and she had us all in tears. It was beautiful.

A day filled with love, laughter, happy tears, and memories we’ll cherish forever. Thank you to everyone who was part of it. 🥂❤️

WeddingMemories HappilyEverAfter 💍✨🥂❤️

28/05/2026

Last run as an unmarried woman. 🏃🏻‍♀️💍

Wedding is on Saturday and honestly… I could not be more excited.

Of course, in true founder fashion, today decided to throw in a completely unplanned technical plot twist. What I thought would be a straightforward move from Microsoft to Google for the founder programme credit turned into a three-and-a-half-hour deep dive into domains, servers, Cloudflare, Outlook email issues, GoDaddy migrations, DNS settings, and the magical downstream chaos that happens when platforms stop talking to each other properly. 😅

You never quite realise how interconnected everything is until one tiny change decides to humble you.

But, crisis managed.

One thing I’m proud of is that I stayed calm, methodical, and solution-focused the whole way through. No spiralling. No dramatic laptop launches out the window. Just working the problem step by step, then reshuffling priorities and carrying on.

Now onto the final few commitments before the wedding weekend begins properly. ✨

Very excited.
Very grateful.
Slightly held together by caffeine and DNS propagation.

TechProblems BusinessOwner Cloudflare GoogleWorkspace LastRun OperationalResilie

27/05/2026

There is something incredibly powerful about discovering a brand built with intention, passion, and sheer determination especially when it’s created by a female entrepreneur!

I recently came across and instantly fell in love with the concept. Beautifully crafted alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, produced right here in the UK, designed to be delivered straight to your door.

Naturally…I had to order a selection for the wedding day, and I genuinely cannot wait to try them. 🍸💌

What makes this even more special is that the founder, Jennie Bayliss, is also part of the a phenomenal community of women who truly champion one another. The support, encouragement, celebration, and collaboration within this group is something really rare and inspiring to witness.

Because the reality is: building a brand from the ground up is not easy. Creating the vision, developing the product, launching it, marketing it, carrying the responsibility, showing up every single day with purpose and resilience, that takes courage.

So when I come across a business with fantastic feedback, an incredible product, and a founder with genuine clarity and passion behind what she’s building, I want to celebrate it loudly. 👏

Women supporting women should never be underestimated and neither should brilliant cocktails arriving through your letterbox. 😉 especially salted caramel martini! 🍸

If you want to check them out, have a look here:
https://lnkd.in/erMQgJSZ

Can’t wait to showcase these properly soon. Huge admiration for what Jennie is building. 💛

Letterbox Cocktails positions itself as an award-winning, family-run UK cocktail brand focused on handcrafted ready-to-sip cocktails and mocktails for gifting, weddings, and events.

26/05/2026

Now I met this amazing intelligent kind genuine woman through the … 💓

Sometimes in life when we put ourselves out there, show a bit of courage and self belief we create opportunities that may not have presented themselves if we had not done this.

I joined the BAWE - British Association of Women Entrepreneurs IWD event in March 2026 having joined in January as read some remarkable posts about the women members and loved how they elevated each other and found ways to help each other achieve their goals with no financial benefit just pure and simple kindness and respect

I remember feeling nervous walking into this event thinking I “won’t fit in” as I’m not as amazing as these women and I’ll feel inferior and be seen as such but how wrong could a person be!!

I instantly felt at ease and welcome by each and every woman in that room and actually felt equal and respected which I had never actually done before! Now that’s an amazing thing to be able to say!

I was inspired and empowered by every woman and Ali and I became friends and I’m even invited to speak at her summer event in June which I’m honoured to do!

This was an amazing gift to receive today especially after a few stressful days but actually now feeling bridal ready! 👰 💒

Thank you my lovely friend!

26/05/2026

Bridal experience?

What was yours like?

I’m not feeling well rested, chilled or relaxed 😂

Too much to do and of course my fiance mr laid back is like “don’t stress” 😂 trust me guys that doesn’t work well for a bride 👰 😜

26/05/2026

🚨 UK payroll professionals, this is your “save it before the panic starts in April” post.

The 2026/27 HMRC Rates & Thresholds guide is now live on DuraSuite. 🎯

From PAYE thresholds to statutory payments, NI bands, pensions, student loans, and payroll planning impacts, it’s designed to give payroll, HR, finance, and operational teams one reliable reference point instead of 47 bookmarked tabs and a prayer.

Because nothing says “character building” quite like:

“Why has everyone’s net pay changed?”
…at 8:02am on payroll day. 😅

🔍 What’s included:
• PAYE rates & thresholds
• National Insurance updates
• Statutory payment rates
• Student loan deductions
• Pension considerations
• Payroll planning insights for 2026/27
• Easy-reference format for operational teams

Whether you’re running in-house payroll, managing a bureau, supporting global mobility, or knee-deep in compliance reviews, this is built to be practical, usable, and actually readable.

📘 Access the guide here:
https://durasuite.co.uk/hmrc-rates-and-thresholds-2026-27