March 2020 seems like an age ago.
So much has happened in my inner world
My 6 month old baby is now a 3.5 year old
He now has a 15 month old brother
I’m a completely different person
And in my outer world
I’m no longer employed
I’m fully focused on my Career and Life coaching business and don’t do any other freelancing
A global life changing pandemic
I’m a completely different person.
Handing in my notice to my 10 year corporate career was a hugely scary decision. It involved a change of identity. Financial instability. It was scary.
But sometimes we need to do the scary things.
Here are some of the things I’ve learnt over the last few years:
· Things will work out, but not always in the way you plan
If you asked me in March 2020 what my business would look like in March 2023, I don’t think I would have been able to predict where I am today.
Company coaching 121 and group coaching programs now makes up 70% of my business income and it just feels so aligned.
It was never my intention for it to be this way. In the early months my target audience was women looking to leave the 9-5 and create multiple income streams. I focused on 121 clients and then launched my first group coaching program ‘Discover your dream and ditch the 9-5’
I planned to launch the second cohort of this group coaching program and only had 1 sign up. This really shook me. I loved this program and thought it was so needed. I was launching at the start of summer as I was going on maternity leave in the September and the timing wasn’t right.
This setback drove me to revisit my offerings, packages and target audience and it was through this re-think that my company offering came into being and I won my first company contract to deliver my signature group coaching program ‘Elevate’.
I do believe that everything happens for a reason and that there is no such thing as failure.
Everything is a learning moment, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
· Reducing the financial pressure, reduces the stress
The biggest blocker for me as I was starting out, was the ability to earn money being self-employed. Because you see, I didn’t really have anyone in ‘my world’ who was doing something similar to what I was doing.
The corporate world had drilled into me that the only way I would make money, good money, was to be employed.
I knew it would take me a while to build up my coaching business. To create connections, a following and to build a network.
But the first thing I needed to overcome was to be able to earn a living working for myself.
So I utilized my existing skillset, put myself out there, created connections and then signed up to an agency and undertook program and project management roles.
This was a great first step for me. I overcame my obstacle and I also created some financial security during the early turbulent months of the pandemic. I also broadened my skillset and network - working with big Gulf banks, Tech/pharma companies, Marketing agencies and Charities.
This meant there was less financial pressure on my passion, coaching. Which I could then build more organically.
· Your passion will get you up in the morning
There have been days I’ve been motivated and there are days I haven’t been motivated.
But what gets me out of bed in the morning, other than knowing I can have a coffee in peace, is that I love what I do.
I love supporting and coaching women to be the best versions of themselves. To unlock their power and unleash their potential. Re-define what success means to them. Sit in the driving seat of their careers and get clear on their life goals and how to move towards that.
After every coaching session I feel a buzz. A fizzing inside of me.
It’s this feeling that tells me I am absolutely on the right path and to continue what I am doing.
Work is never just work. It defines us. Whether we like it or not. And we ALL deserve to love the work we do. Following your passions is how you find that love for your work.
· Curate your community
What I loved about my corporate career was the people. Different personalities and cultures from all over the world. I learnt so much from the people I surrounded myself with.
Being a business owner can be lonely at times. Although I spend alot of my working day with clients, I miss having colleagues. People to share how I’m feeling and what I’m struggling with at the moment. People that know what it is like to run a business and to have 2 small energy zapping children.
Curating that community through networks such as Found & Flourish and The Gather has allowed me to feel that sense of community and create a different kind of colleague.
There truly is a special type of magic when women come together and share openly and honestly.
I’d love to hear what your biggest learning in your life or career has been?