Why I decided to set up my own business

Doing a 24hr Fundraiser for CLIC Sargent has given me the confidence to do this!

The Background

After a couple of years of working at The Accountants Millionaires’ Club (AMC), I feel equipped to go out on my own and offer pure 1:1 coaching for those people who want a close relationship with their coach, a relationship that is difficult to get when working within an organisation.

It’s not something that was done on a whim, in fact, it is the realisation that I am now ready to do my own thing and backed up by a fantastic network, I know that now is the time for me to shine and fulfil my dreams and fuel my passion.

In fact, I am compelled to create this business and help people because I know that I can make a difference and if I do not do it now, I’ll never do it. I have left the AMC in a good state and as we increased our team I felt that by leaving now it would have less impact and allow the AMC to continue to grow and help their members with every aspect of their growth journeys.

How I work

I have been working with accountants since I started with Digita (Now Thomson Reuters) back in 2007 and have been welcomed into their world and have learned so much about the profession, the people and the issues that every accountant faces.

In recent years I have developed as a coach and have been in the privileged position where I know many secrets about what is going on behind closed doors and the inner workings of a busy practice owners mind. This has enabled me to help many accountants to face their fears and take positive action to improve their standing.

For some, this has been a transformation that is shown in much higher profits and turnover. For others, this has been an improvement in their outlook, or maybe becoming stronger and being able to say no, or maybe yes more often.

It is this part of the role at AMC that I loved the most and as we grew, the time that I had for pure 1:1 coaching eroded and I was dragged away from my real love of talking with and helping people overcome their issues. With my new business, this will be the core of what I do and I plan to keep it simple and try not to get sidetracked away from what I really wish to do.

Confidence

When you are thinking about setting up your own business you face all kinds of worries and fears because you are jumping into the unknown. If you now run your own business, can you remember what it felt like whilst you were wrestling inside your head as to whether you could make it or not? I’ve been doing that for a while now too!

You have a salary, a great job, a boss who loves you and regular cash coming in, even for leave and bank holidays. You have to say goodbye to this. You lose your security and it is all on your shoulders. Who do you turn to for advice and if anything goes wrong there is nobody to pick up the pieces.

I have recently had a bit of success with a fundraising project that I did for CLIC Sargent. Because a dear friend was helped by CLIC Sargent while his young daughter had cancer treatment, I was keen to help give something back. I decided to organise and host a 24-hour Virtual Open Mic that I had to set up in less than four weeks. This whole project was pretty much driven by me. I enlisted help from many different quarters drawing on individual strengths and expertise and we managed to raise more than double the original target, this was actually three times what I had first imagined could be raised.

This incredible event, that brought musicians together from around the world, has spurred me on to make this giant leap from safety to danger and start Full Cup Coaching. During lockdown I have grown in confidence and gained a deeper understanding of what I do for people, how I make them feel and how, using all of this I have an impact on them and enable them to make the changes that they need to improve their situation.

Deep Knowledge

During my time at AMC, I have learned so much and have been developed with expert help from Heather Townsend. She has taught me how a business runs and guided me to ensure that I keep learning and taking in new information. This has given me the skills, knowledge and experience to be able to go it alone and help people myself.

I have been fortunate to be able to take part in coaching training and even been on a course all about Neuroscience with the wonderful Dr Lynda Shaw. I have been given the space to understand these new skills and have used them to help members of AMC to grow too.

I have coached many accountants during my two and half years with AMC and have a relaxed and open style that enables my coachees to open up and get their desired results. I am easy to talk to and listen intently and find that people enjoy their time spent with me.

My Own Values

Because I want to help and not turn this business into a money-making machine, my goals will always be to strive for the individual who needs a hand. When you get a message from someone saying that ‘you are more to us than just a coach” you know that you have something special and I want to share that with people on my terms and not as part of a package. I may be naive, but if I let the money and growth get in the way of my business I’ll not be delivering my very best to my people.

I believe in a great customer experience which has been ingrained in my DNA from a very early age when I started out working as a waiter at my uncle’s hotel before I was even old enough to shave and my voice was squeaky. Seeing people delight in their holiday was a real eye-opener and I have kept those values close to my heart in everything that I have done since.

I know my WHY!

When I talk to business owners, not all of them know exactly why they are running their own business. My WHY is very simple. I want to help people be more confident to get done the things they know they need to do, but struggle with the “getting it done” for whatever reason that may be. I help to inspire people to come out of their comfort zone and just do it.

I intend to have a lifestyle business that will allow me the freedom to spend more time doing the other interests that I have rather than stressing out trying to please all the people all the time. I will have a very small client base whom I will work very closely with and whom I’ll inspire to make more time for themselves rather than being in the same position and putting up with the status quo.

If you want to know more about my plans please get in touch and let’s have a chat. Feel free to book some time in my diary for an initial discussion. That could be to wish me well, ask any questions, or who knows, talk about being one of my few clients. Link for diary here