Be My Guest – Jen Waller – Coaching Confidence

December 11, 2014 by Ruby 2 Comments

Today I’d like to introduce you to Jen Waller who is on a mission to support, nurture and encourage coaching skills and talents from non-coach to coach and beyond.

As an experienced coach and trainer Jen is happy to utilise all skills at her disposal to assist clients from getting out of their own way and making a difference in the world with their coaching. She takes a pragmatic practical approach of finding the way that gets each client using their coaching with “real people.” At the same time her work encourages the coach to connect with their own wisdom and relax comfortably into being themselves.

1. Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

Passionate about supporting, inspiring and nurturing coaching skills and talents. I like to find practical solutions so that I find the ways that work easily and are fun, for each individual. Animal lover who has almost as many four legged members in the family as humans!

2. What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

There were lots of things that contributed to me starting my business. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight there were many things that pointed me in this direction before I even realised that’s where I was going!

The final aspect was when I was employed by a company in learning and development. It started as a family run business and went through several changes over a couple of years finally being brought by a multinational company – at that stage I was quietly given a heads up that the new parent company outsourced their training so it was possible that in 18 months time my role could be made redundant.

It took a bit longer than 18 months but that time gave me the opportunity to ask myself what I’d love to be doing and coaching, being my own boss was the answer that easily came to me.

Those 18 months gave me the opportunity to start my business on a part time basis – first in evenings and weekend after work then I used my holiday days to take a day off each week and go down to a 4 day week. Ultimately my old company paid me to go and do what I love doing – coaching and running my own coaching business.

3. Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

There’s been numerous teachers and mentors who have inspired me over time – and I’m grateful to all of them. However, it’s my clients who constantly inspire me – their willingness to be open and find their own way to make a positive impact in the world.

I feel very privileged to see/hear those moments when they light up and see the possibilities for themselves and then start moving forward with their own inspired action. They may have been stuck for years and yet it can take only one new thought for them to see new possibilities unique to them. I love that the solutions they often come up with are so tailored to themselves that it would never be found suggested in a business book.

4. What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

I’ve done postgraduate marketing qualifications, been employed by family and multinational business, attended numerous talks and read books by business experts etc. Yet the thing that immediately springs to mind is the advice I was given when I first started working in the hospitality industry whilst still in education – listen and ask questions when necessary.

That particular advice was given with regards to what to say when asked for a menu recommendation – a recommendation of a filling meal is not going to be much help to a customer who’s only hungry enough for a light snack.

From a coaching business perspective listening means you can then describe what you offer to your ideal client in a way that makes them drool at the prospect of working for you.

Listening also means being aware of your own internal wisdom and what that’s pointing towards – those solutions that may not be found in an academic business book but one that would really work for you and your clients.

I know that many coaches don’t feel greatly confident with the idea that they have many “business skills”. Generally because listening is also involved in the art of coaching most coaches are comfortable that they are familiar with this skill so it’s something that they feel they can start to do without getting too bogged down with thought about how it “should be done.”

5. What three tips would you give when working on your coaching confidence?

There’s a difference between your inner wisdom and general random thoughts. You’ll have your own description for when you experience your own wisdom – peaceful, kind, loving, safe are often used words. I mention this as it can be quite useful to know so you don’t mistake a random thought that is telling you that you are a terrible coach or some other nasty comment as some sort of inner wisdom to not coach.
Actually experience coaching – don’t just think about doing a coaching session, allow yourself to experience what that’s like (I know that can seem a big step and I promise I’ll talk more about that in question 7.) I also strongly suggest you put a support system in place and have your own coach (I may of course be biased as my clients are coaches but I know it makes such a difference to me when the roles are reversed and I’m a client with a coach)
The feeling of confidence is lovely to experience and there are lots of benefits to clients seeing that confidence etc. However, you don’t have to wait to have confidence before you ever run a coaching session – part of confidence comes from experience so if you set up your expectations that you must have confidence before you ever coach you’re setting up the rules of the game so you’re permanently stuck in a catch 22 situation.

What are the three biggest mistakes that coaches/people make when looking to develop their coaching confidence?

Listening to the “inner critic”/”gremlin”/”negative thinking” and giving those thoughts more importance than any other thought. For example, this means that they may have noticed that in a coaching session there was a question that they asked which may have been more elegantly worded. The stream of thought in their head no doubt actually went along the lines “That was a stupid question, it was terribly worded which obviously means that I’m are a worthless coach, I’m a fraud, who am I to think about calling myself a coach, no-one would pay me” etc etc The whole coaching session in their head then becomes about that one moment, ignoring the rest of the time and other thoughts that weren’t about that completely.

Not putting a “support system” in place to make it easy to comfortably take action. It’s often connected to some thinking that as a “coach” they should have everything in their lives sorted and be perfect – so they try and do everything by themselves. My suggestion is that each coach is also human, you’re allowed to have insecure thinking – so make it easier on yourself and get the support that will make a difference for you.

Putting off actually physically starting coaching. I hear a lot of yes I’m going to start coaching real people I’ve just got to:

do another course,
put up a website,
work out my niche,
get a social media presence,
write a workshop … etc, etc

That’s all stuff that can be really useful but is often a sign that they don’t feel good enough or ready to actually coach a “real person.” It is a list that often grows – as one thing is completed something else gets added that needs doing before you actually have a coaching session with someone.

I’m not suggesting don’t do all of those things if they appeal to you, I’m suggesting to do them at the same time as actually getting experience physically having coaching conversations.

It may be that for you to start coaching “real people” you want to start with doing some pro-bono sessions and then move onto exchanging your coaching for money later. Or you may be ready to start with a financial exchange right from the start. Find the way that will work for you to start physically coaching and take it from there because in the long run not physically coaching is not going to make a profitable coaching business!

7. What if I have no idea where to start with having confidence in my coaching, what do you suggest?

Confidence is one of those things that can mean slightly different things to different people – it’s not as if you can nip down to the local supermarket and buy a tin of confidence!

Very broadly speaking when I talk to people about what it means to them the descriptions can fall into two categories – one part is often the aspects that come from experience so when we’re talking about confidence in your coaching things like trusting that the “right” question will be there when it’s needed or that you will always know what to say/ do when coaching etc are often mentioned.

The second part is about relaxing into being the “true” you. Now for many that can prompt all sorts of thoughts about how the true them is actually something not worthy, or lacking in some way. There’s often lots of insecure thinking about all their terrible personal faults that must be altered before they can allow that to happen and certainly before the “true” you can be seen by the rest of the world.

Experiment invitation part one:

My suggestion about where to start with relaxing into being the “true” you is to give yourself a break – Literally take a week off, as best as you can, from having the job of beating yourself up with your thinking and see what occurs to you.

Experiment invitation part two:

With regards to where to start trusting your coaching skills – do more coaching and just gain experience.

Now, I’m fully aware that for many reading that will seem such a huge and undoable step so let me also suggest a smaller step to take, if you like an experiment to play with to move you forward. Invite someone to experience a conversation with you and explore something that’s on their mind.

In this instance just connect with that other person and as best you can listen with not a lot on your mind. It’s possible that occasionally “coaching” questions occur to you and you’re allowed to ask them if they do but that’s not the goal. If’s just as OK for you not to say anything if nothing occurs to you – just listen and connect as best you can.

So why am I suggesting this as a step to confidence in your coaching? Many coaches can get caught up in lots of thinking around the word “coaching”, which when doing a coaching session can get in your way. They are so busy paying attention to the thoughts in their own head about what they should be doing because this is “coaching” they’re missing what’s going on with the client.

The experiments above is about taking that pressure off and having an experience/reminder of what it’s like to just be present and fully listening to someone who’s in that role of a client. Having that reference point can be a great reminder if in an actual coaching session you start getting caught up in your own thinking.

8. How much time do I really need to spend on developing my coaching confidence?

The way I work with individuals is about finding the ways that will work for you (and your coaching clients) so my answer to this will be unique to each individual person and your situation.

I know that one of the ways that new coaches can beat themselves up is about the amount of time they are spending developing their coaching business and in turn their confidence in their coaching. I’ve spoken to people who by most peoples standards have a packed schedule but still seemed to be expecting themselves to devote the same amount of time as they would if it was their full time job.

For example, I remember talking to someone who told me that they had no confidence in their coaching because they hadn’t physically done enough coaching. When asked what was stopping them from physically doing more coaching the answer I was given was because they were disorganised and couldn’t get motivated. Further questioning actually revealed that this was a single parent of 3 school aged kids, who had a demanding full time job at the same time as completing an MA degree at night school. Disorganisation and motivation had nothing to do with it – only having 24 hours in a day and expectations of adding an extra 20 hours coaching on top was what was actually going on!

Which is a long way of saying let this be your way of making it work – I strongly encourage you to actually physically do something to develop your coaching business and coaching confidence (rather than just think about it.) But I also strongly suggest that you do that in a way that will work for you and the rest of your life, even if that means it takes a bit longer than you may ideally want it to take.

9. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Be aware of the rules that you are setting up in your own head around how a coaching business “should” be run and how a coach “should” behave. Whilst there will be certain aspects that will serve you well legally and ethically there’s more than likely stuff there that will also trip you up and make connecting with potential clients more difficult/long winded.

For example, you don’t have to do every single marketing strategy you come across – no matter who tells you about it. In my experience trying to do too many means you don’t develop any well and often lose confidence in the all of what you are doing.

10. If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you? (please give link for website)

The main site is taken up by a blog for coaches at www.coachingconfidence.co.uk that’s there to support, nurture and inspire. On there you’ll find a daily quote to provoke thought, as well as different features including a weekly guest post slot so there is lots of different coaching voices, experiences and approaches shared on there. Following the links at the top or the right of the site you’ll also find links that tell you more about working directly with me, how to contact me, or book a complimentary session.

Jen’s coaching blog, Coaching Confidence, is a blog for coaches of all niches. Containing daily quotes, alongside posts covering topics such as personal development, coaching skills and resources. Each Friday the blog hosts a guest post covering a broad range of different coaching experiences, styles and approaches. Jen has created a free 7 day e-course about how to create your own unique coaching welcome pack that works for you and your clients. Get your copy via the blog site here.

In her spare time Jen is a volunteer for the UK based charity The Cinnamon Trust who support elderly and terminally ill pet owners provide care for their pets. As a volunteer, Jen regularly walks dogs for owners who physically find dog walking more challenging. As a pet owner herself, Jen finds it really rewarding to be able to assist an owner stay with an animal that is like part of their family – particularly when the owners mobility outside of their home is often more restrictive.

Jen also loves theatre and has been known to watch certain popular science fiction films and TV shows!

Keep in touch with Jen via:

Her blog: http://www.coachingconfidence.co.uk

A busy twitter account for the coaching blog at http://www.twitter.com/thecoachingblog

Or if you prefer Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/coachingconfidence

Thanks Jen. I also work with coaches on the confidence side of things so it’s been great hearing another coach’s perspective on working with confidence to enable more coaches to help more people.

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Coaching, Confidence Tagged With: Be My Guest, coaching, Confidence

Be My Guest Susan Tomlinson – Speaking for Success

November 13, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

For today’s Be My Guest post I would like to introduce you to Susan Tomlinson, Business Consultant and Coach of Real Coaching Solutions. who I’ve been following for a few years now. It’s great to have her as a guest now on my blog. Susan is going to be sharing insights on speaking for success.

For many years Susan held senior roles in well-known international businesses and industry sectors. It gave her a fascinating insight into how businesses work, as she was often involved in start-up ventures.

Eventually, always being an entrepreneur at heart and feeling restless, she took the leap and set up her own consulting business winning large contracts and working with top names.

However, even with all her previous experience Susan soon realised the challenges of being a solo entrepreneur!

So early on she made the decision to make a significant investment of her time and money in hiring her own mentors and learning everything she could about marketing, sales and mind set to consistently grow her own business and continue to create the lifestyle of her choice.

Having worked with hundreds of people in business Susan now shares her hands on, real life experience and knowledge with other female solo business owners (from New York to South Africa), who know that the quickest route to success is working with a trusted business advisor and mentor.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

A yoga loving, spiritually minded, super foodie business owner who loves beautiful things. I work with female business owners and solo professionals who are stuck or struggling and want to develop a more authentic and feminine approach to growing a business and making more money

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

At heart I am a freedom loving, rule breaking individual who loves a bit of fun and excitement at work. I did have a highly successful corporate career which gave me the opportunity to travel all around the world first class! However, I felt trapped working for an organization and was always plotting my escape. I finally made the leap and set up my consulting and coaching practice 11 years ago.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

The amazing coaches I’ve hired from the day I started my business. I’ve really benefited from the high level of support, accountability and best practice that they’ve shared with me. Each of them has offered me unique ideas and insights which I have been able to implement and then share with my own clients.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

Get help! In my corporate role I worked in very male dominated roles where I thought that asking for support would be seen as a sign of weakness. It turned out to be a very lonely, stressful and hard path to success. Since starting my own business I’ve built a wonderful worldwide team around me who have worked with me for years and are just amazing.

What three tips would you give when working on speaking engagements to attract clients?

Design one or two signature talks and include your own personal stories/examples
Get lots and lots of practice in front of groups so that you can develop your content and delivery
Make an offer to the group at the end of your talk, whether this is a complimentary session, a business card competition or a sign up sheet for your newsletter. So many people miss this opportunity to form a longer term connection with their audience because they don’t want to appear salesly.

What are the three biggest mistakes that coaches/people make when speaking in public?

Letting fear of speaking in public get in the way of standing up in front of groups.
Lack of preparation and practice.
Trying too hard. It’s best to speak from the heart than from PowerPoint slides.

What if I have no idea where to start with public speaking, what do you suggest?

In my corporate life I had to deliver lots of presentations and talks so I attended presentation skills classes and then worked with a coach on individual areas that I needed to develop such as my content and delivery. I’ve read lots of books and also attended conferences and events so that I could learn from and observe professional speakers.

**How much time do I really need to spend on speaking engagements?**

When I started out in business I set up speaking engagements at least twice a month. It was a quick way to increase my visibility, grow my list and engage new clients

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Develop your own style as it will be much more interesting and engaging for your audience. And as this quote says, ‘Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and focus on what could go right.’

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

To get a copy of my Speaking for Success Guide which will help guide you through the process of effortless presentations please click this link.

Thank you so much for sharing your insights Susan. I personally want to get involved in speaking engagements so found it really interesting and know my coaches will too. Your Speaking for Success Guide is a fabulous read with lots of useful hints and tips.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed the interview. Whether speaking is on your list for now or further down the line I would definitely pop over and download your copy now. Have you done any speaking engagements or does the whole thing terrify you? I’d love to hear your thoughts, leave a comment below.

[jotform id=”41736893220355″]

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Business, Coaching, Small Business, Speaking, Success Tagged With: Be My Guest, Business, coaching, small business, speaking, success

Coaching From A Client’s Perspective

November 4, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

Coaching from a client’s perspective – Ever wondered how clients view the whole coaching process and what goes through their minds when choosing whether to work with you or not?

Check out this great article from Catherine Arnott of That Extra Hour.

Catherine is a Virtual Assistant who loves to work with business owners to ensure they can focus on running their business, and improving their work / life balance, while their admin and social media work is completed.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

I’m as organised as Monica from Friends and as ditzy / kooky as Elle Woods from Legally Blonde.
I support Sunderland Football Club (so am used to disappointment) and would love to dance with Pacha from Strictly Come Dancing – although he would have to teach me first!
My most important things in life are my hubby / my family, developing my business and plenty of quality viewing time with Gene Hunt from Ashes to Ashes

How did you go about finding the right coach for you?

I was playing with Google looking for career change websites and then I saw a link which sounded intriguing. I clicked and saw it was for a career coach – I had no idea what a career coach was so spent an hour reading the website.

What qualifications did you look for when looking for someone to coach you?

I read the FAQs section of the website which detailed training the coach had undertaken. Then I logged onto that website and made myself familiar with the courses they were offering and how the training was delivered and assessed.

What was your ‘criteria’ for working with a coach? i.e. the hours they worked, the amount they charged, that they’d been through what you’d been through… etc?

What immediately drew me to my coach was that she had left a job behind she wasn’t happy with and she had made a major change. As I was looking to plan my escape from teaching. I knew that what she had gone through was the scale of what I needed to do.

I considered her fee to be high but not unreasonable and I actively managed my spending to ensure that I was happy paying the fee. She even arranged to move her 3 month course into 4 months so I had extra time to pay and sessions were 6 weekly instead of monthly.

What outcome were you hoping for by working with a coach?

To come up with a possible options for my new career and a plan of how to ensure I could move forward and make the change. I knew nothing would happen overnight.

What was your perception of coaching as a way of moving forward in your life?

I was hoping it would work and looking at the testimonials on my coach’s website made me feel confident that I had chosen someone who could really help me.

What was the single biggest thing that coaching helped you with?

Realising that I was a stronger person than I thought I was – by losing the mind monkeys in my head I knew that anything was possible. Even to start my own business and walk away from my teaching career.

What other areas of your life were impacted as a result of being coached?

I grew in self-confidence and started to consider my needs instead of everyone else’s (I’m a real people pleaser). I was strong enough to cope with my Dad’s cancer diagnosis and treatment last year whilst managing at school post-Ofsted. Coaching made me look into mindfulness and meditation as ways of coping with life.

Coaching made me realise that there’s much more to me as a person than I thought. I was passive and quiet, avoiding the world but now I’m much less afraid than I used to be.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone that was considering being coached what would that be?

Having a trial session with the coach is a great way of finding out if you can work well together. Don’t give up if you need to try more than one coach.

If we want to connect with you where can we find you?

My website is www.thatextrahour.com

My email is

Thanks Catherine, it was great to get a different perspective on coaching. You’ve shared some great insights with us.

If you haven’t signed up for my Cappuccino Biz Course it starts today, you can sign up here. If you can’t make the calls no problem, there will be copies available.

[jotform id=”41736893220355″]

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Client Relationship, Client Support, Coaching Tagged With: Be My Guest, coaching, Interview Series

Be My Guest – Dee Blick – Writing

October 28, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

Welcome to another Be My Guest post – we have the lovely Dee Blick of The Marketing Gym with us today.

Dee is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing and a genuine Number 1 bestselling small business marketing author, regarded as one of the most respected and influential marketers in the UK. She’s the author of 3 bestsellers including: The 15 Essential Marketing Masterclasses For Your Small Business. Rated ‘an excellent read’ by The Sun Newspaper, CityAM, Elite Business Magazine, winner of the Bookbag nonfiction book award and one of Talk Business Magazines ‘Best books of 2013’. Her previous book, The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Book has sold 20,000+ copies to date. It has been translated in to Chinese after Dee was offered a publishing deal by CITIC publishing in Beijing.

Dee’s latest book The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Marketing a Bestselling Book on a Shoestring Budget has just been published and reached #1 in hot new releases in the competitive ‘Writing’ category on Amazon on the day of its release for pre-order. So over to Dee….

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

52 year old Mum, marketer and author with more laughter lines than wrinkles often found huddled in her log cabin writing her latest book, coffee to hand, hens tapping at the window for welcome distraction.

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I have never described myself as an entrepreneur. However I decided early on in my writing career that I wanted to be a genuine #1 bestselling author and I have become one which is how I prefer to describe myself.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

No one person but I admire any small business owner who has grown a successful business whilst overcoming adversity and I have had some amazing coaches along the way too that have really helped me unlock my potential and tackle my gremlins!

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

What other people think of me is none of my business! I remember that when I get the occasional stinging Amazon review.

What three tips would you give when working on a book?

Spend time planning your big idea, scoping out the content and identifying your readers before you start writing chapters
Invest in an editor; it’s impossible to edit your own work to the standard required to pen a bestseller
Know when it is time to stop being the author and start being the sales person for your book

What are the three biggest mistakes that coaches/people make when writing a book?

Rushing into writing chapters and then losing steam mid-way through their book because they have not thought the content through from the first chapter to the last. Underestimating their immense knowledge, know-how and experience and so not bringing this in its full capacity to their book
Writing a great book but not having a robust marketing plan in place to promote it coupled with not investing the time in marketing that is so needed in the first year
Your book deserves an audience but you have to make them aware it exists!

What if I have no idea where to start with writing a book, what do you suggest?

Well cheekily I would say buy my latest book because I have written the book I would have so welcomed when I wrote my first book. I was high on enthusiasm but low on know-how and didn’t have a clue about my publishing options and to be honest what was needed to write a bestseller. I was naive but thankfully managed to sell several thousand copies. I have put my heart and soul into this my latest and last book because I want thousands of authors worldwide to invest in it and then write to me telling me how it has helped them achieve bestselling status! But practically every book starts with a big idea and with great content so buy a gorgeous big pad with space to stash blogs and articles you have written. Get some lovely pens and start filling your pad with your ideas and existing content. Use it to decant the content that is in your head now, just waiting to to be mined!

How much time do I really need to spend on writing a book?

It depends. A book of 20,000 words will not take anywhere near as much time as one of 40,000 words and so on. The most important thing is to sweat over your book. Craft it, don’t rush it but have a deadline at the end to inspire you to invest the time on a regular basis and allow time for editing it.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Coaches are incredibly talented and resourceful people. You have great ideas for a book that will really help others but what’s often holding you back is the nagging voice saying ‘what can I bring to the table that has not been covered before?’ Remember you have a unique voice, unique experiences and case studies. Don’t worry that there are thousands of coaching books. You can still make the bestsellers by virtue of your powerful voice. Back yourself big time. Quell the voices of doubt because they do not serve you well! On April 18^th for the first time ever I am running a one day author workshop appropriately called an Author Book-camp. I have been asked to do this for years and at last have got my finger out and will be running it with a publisher and book PR specialist. Any coach needing inspiration and practical advice will find it in abundance on that day.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

Please connect on twitter @deeblick and email me [email protected] Whilst you are at it, tell me all about the book you are writing or planning on writing! You can email me through my website: www.themarketinggym.org where you can find out more about my Author Book-camp and can call me on 07845 439332.

Dee has kindly shared the first chapter of her new book with us, just click this link to get your download – Free PDF First Chapter and Chapter overviews

Fascinating Dee, thank you for sharing! I have a book on my list of things to do, so will definitely be buying your book. Just reading your post makes me want to get my pretty book and coloured pens out. In fact, I’ve added your book to our Coaching Book Club board over on Pinterest as a possible read for the group. If you’re not a member yet come and join! It’s free and we have now have guest authors joining us for Q & A’s. It’s all about the books! Here’s the link, just pop on over and ask to join.

[jotform id=”41736893220355″]

Filed Under: Authors, Dee Blick, Interview Series, Marketing Tagged With: Authors, Be My Guest, Writing

3 Top Tips For Marketing Online

September 18, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

Welcome to another Be My Guest interview post. This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to Alison Wren, a marketing consultant who helps small businesses promote themselves online.

Having started out as a computer programmer, she had a varied career in IT working in local government, insurance and also had 3 years travelling round Europe delivering user training for Hewlett Packard.

In 2002 she decided it was time to try something different and explore her creative side. It was 2 years later in a classic light bulb moment that she had the idea of selling DIY wedding stationery supplies online. She set up The Wedding Crafter and grew it from back bedroom to a full grown ecommerce business with 6 staff, workshop and warehouse before finally selling it after 7 years.

She established Paprika Marketing in 2011 to bring the marketing skills she learnt to other small business owners through a mix of management, mentoring and training. Her clients include niche ecommerce firms (such as weddings, interiors) plus coaches and therapists and covers areas like search optimization, blogging for business, ecommerce conversion, paid advertising, email marketing and social media.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

My favourite things are cities, cricket, cats and computers. I’m passionate about the internet and the opportunities it brings. I’m very practical and love rolling my sleeves up to solve problems – there’s nothing like getting deep into Google Analytics and finding a little nugget that can help a client get more sales.

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

It crept up on me slowly – I had a successful career in IT and project management but really wanted to get out of the corporate environment. Looking back there were a couple of opportunities I let slip – maybe I just wasn’t ready. Finally, finding myself in a job I disliked I took the plunge and left.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

It’s not one person but all the thousands of small entrepreneurs who believe passionately in what they do and work so hard to keep their businesses going.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

Get off your bottom and go make things happen (that’s the polite version!).

What three tips would you give for marketing online?

Understand your target customers, what they are looking for and where they go to find it. Then work out how best to get in front of them. If no-one actually searches for your service then Adwords won’t help you – you may want to use social media to raise awareness. Conversely, Twitter may not be the best place for promoting your Twitter for Beginners training!
Don’t try to do everything. Especially with social media. It’s best to pick one or two social networks and do them REALLY well.
Ask for help. It’s a huge topic and one that’s constantly changing. And there’s so much mis-information out there. Join Facebook groups, discussion forums or get yourself a marketing mentor. Invest in training. Learn which of the experts you can trust and follow them

What are the three biggest mistakes that people make when marketing online?

Believing that if you build it they will come. Time and again I hear people say they have spent their entire budget on building their website and have left nothing for marketing it.
Looking at the wrong numbers. Website visitors and Facebook fans mean absolutely nothing unless they become paying customers.
Cutting corners. Good enough doesn’t work these days. If you want to attract high paying clients you can’t get away with a free DIY website and a blurred selfie as your profile picture. So often people cut corners to save a few pounds and it ends up costing in the long term.

I’ve been told I should be blogging but I have no idea where to start, what do you suggest?

Firstly, understand why you are blogging and what you want to achieve.
Blogs can, indeed, help with your search optimization, showcase your skills and help you engage with potential customers – but each of these requires a slightly different approach and it’s hard to achieve all three at once.
Think about the people who will read your blog. What do they want to know? What can you help them with?
Now you can start thinking about what you will write about and the style you’re going to use

How much time do I really need to spend on blogging?

Once a month is the absolute minimum for blog articles – any less frequent and it’s not really worth doing.
Weekly is great if you can manage it, but fortnightly is fine. It’s better to go for quality, regular articles. Try to avoid feast and famine and don’t publish something poor just because it’s overdue.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

There’s lots more on blogging (and more) on my blog!

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

My Website and Twitter: @paprikamktg

Alison has kindly shared a great freebie, Blogging 6 Top Tips. Thank you Alison for some great hints and tips about blogging and marketing. It’s been great having you as a guest.

———————————————————————-

Did you know I run a group coaching club, called Cappuccino Coaching Club? Group coaching is a great way to grow your coaching business. It can help you build your coaching confidence and skills, get known in your area for what you do and add another income stream. Come and join us.

ps – if you haven’t signed up to my newsletter yet then you can do so below. Each week I share bitesize coaching hints and tips for boosting your coaching confidence, skills and business. Know other Coaches? Send them my way 🙂

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Blogging, Business, Cappuccino Coaching Club, Marketing Tagged With: Be My Guest, Blogging, Business, Cappuccino Coaching Club, Marketing

3 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Selling

September 4, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

Not one, but two guest posts this week! I’m spoiling you lol. If you missed the guest post on Tuesday you can find it here – you’ll learn 3 copywriting tips to avoid at your peril!

Today I have the lovely Lyn Pornaro as a guest and she’s going to share how selling authentically can be easy – when you know how! Over to Lyn who’s going to tell us the 3 biggest mistakes people make when selling and more!

Growing a business is hard work and takes up lots of time. Three A’s Business Coaching is all about helping you take action so you can achieve your goals. I’m Lyn Pornaro, the Sales Signora, who works with women business owners helping them to find their voice and get seen so that selling, authentically, can become a breeze. As a mum of 5 and gran to 1, I understand the difficulty of the demands of a busy lifestyle and commitments.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

A fully Scottish lass (with an Italian flair) who shares the love…..of growing businesses! Actually I am a mum of 5 and a gran of 1 who balances running a business, looking after the kids and who laughs a LOT! I bring fun and ease into the world of selling!!

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

My dad owned his own business when I was a little girl so I got the business bug early on in life. However, I was brought up with the belief that you should get a job after school and stay there. I didn’t as I am fiercely independent and love to prove everyone else wrong! I do, however, love to develop myself and others so what other way than running your own business!

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

My partner – who set up food recycling in Scotland – when everyone else was laughing about it saying that will never work!

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

That’s easy. BE YOURSELF. So many times we try to take on the characteristics and methods of those we perceive to be successful and then wonder why it doesn’t turn out like that for us. We need to find our own way and bring in our personality and values – that way success is definitely within our reach.

What three tips would you give when working on selling?

Know your target market – if you don’t know who you want to attract/work with, then how can you sell?
Build relationships – don’t go all out sell sell sell. People want to get to know the real you, trust you and then they will buy from you.
Have a process – think about what responses you will give when people ask you questions. What information do you want to get across? How much time do you want to spend with them? Do you want to talk it all through or direct them to a brochure/web page etc. Know this from the start so that when you get to that stage of the conversation, you can flow from one aspect to another.

What are the three biggest mistakes that coaches/people make when selling?

They talk about what they can do for the client – rather than what benefits the client can receive.
They set up a website, go on social media and hope that the telephone will ring! You need to be marketing constantly in many avenues and it takes time.
They stop marketing/selling when they gain some clients. Once the client stops working with them, it is panic stations again as to where the next one is going to come from. We need to be selling all the time regardless if we can work with any more people or not.

What if I have no idea where to start with selling, what do you suggest?

Get some help! Ask a peer or someone in your area how they do it. What about watching a webinar or reading a book. Find yourself a mentor or coach who specialises in sales and take your learnings, practice and make it your own.

How much time do I really need to spend on selling?

More than you think! Selling and marketing flow into each other. By marketing and building up relationships and credibility you make the selling part much easier. If you have no clients then all your time should be spend marketing/selling. If you have enough but are just building your pipeline then I would recommend 25% of your time each week is spent on selling.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Remember that it takes time and any sale is a success! When you make a sale, especially if there has been a bit of rejection beforehand, then work out what was different. Did you spend longer getting to know the client, were they recommended to you (and who by), what words you used when asking for the business, did you meet face to face or online etc. Try the approach again – you may just have found YOUR process!

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you? (please give link for website)

My website. You’ll quite often find me on Facebook too!

Thanks Lyn, for those that were on my webinar they’ll know that selling is my least favourite so I’m honoured to have you provide that expertise on my upcoming Coaching Rocks Programme and am really super excited to announce this fab course you’re offering to those that sign up.

FREE Bonus Added To Coaching Rocks Programme

Lyn is kindly giving away a FAB bonus, worth £197, to help you get paying clients – FREE when you sign up to my 12 week Build Your Coaching Biz programme. Sign up quick to grab your spot and get this amazing self-study course free at the end of the programme. Not only will you have got your coaching biz up and running, but she’s going to help you create a sales process that she uses herself with her 121 clients.

Over to you…

What do you find challenging about selling? Leave a comment in the post below

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Business, Lyn Pornaro Tagged With: Be My Guest, Business, Coaching Rocks Bootcamp, Selling

Interview with David Taylor – Coaching

August 21, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

I love learning different ways of doing things and my guest today has a completely different way of enrolling clients. He says ‘needy is creepy’ and I totally agree! I won’t steal his thunder, I’ll let him tell you all about it and will introduce him to you now.

David Taylor is the owner of The Freedom Factory Ltd, a coaching and training company. David is also the founding partner in Enterprise Blueprints, a specialist consulting firm.

David has worked with many corporations at a senior level and has been featured in some of the world’s leading press. Now David lives his true purpose and focuses his efforts on powerful personal transformation and leading a small number of elite coaching apprentices in their first year as powerful coaches. David has clients from California to the Gold Coast in Australia (this leads to some interesting diary challenges!)

David is the leader of a powerful coaching community on Facebook, Coaching Unlimited.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

I love LEGO, I am a passionate coach and trainer and I am a Facebook-aholic in my spare time! (Step away from the keyboard, it doesn’t add value!).

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I am not sure I consider myself an entrepreneur? It is all relative! I set up my first business, The Freedom Factory Ltd in May 2005, and it has had great success. In reality is has been a lifestyle business, a vehicle for me to work as a coach, trainer and business consultant. I am also the part owner of a small consultancy that has a seven-figure turnover. The equity was a gift from one of my coaching clients!

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

I have had many people who have inspired me in my life’s journey. Tony Robbins has been a huge part of my journey in personal development. Attending the Unleash the Power Within weekend was life changing for me. Pa Joof, Rich Litvin, Steve Chandler and Steve Hardison have also inspired me. These are all powerful coaches with one thing in common – they come from their hearts.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

I am sure that over a very long career I have had many great pieces of advice that were important to me at the time. Over the past eighteen months the one that really sticks out is from Steve Chandler, “NEEDY IS CREEPY”.

To be a successful coach you want to enroll powerful clients that inspire you, and that pay you high fees. What I discovered is that when you are enrolling powerful clients, if the slightest hint of need shows up somewhere in your energy, it will create a blockage and the client will not sign up.

What three tips would you give on client enrolment?

Almost all coaches I come across or work with could be so much better at client enrolment (and that includes me!). The impact of this is that almost all coaches I come across are struggling coaches. Not enough clients, not enough fees. And yet it is possible for this to be easy. By doing what you love.

When you meet someone, love them, serve them, be present for them. Make a massive difference in their lives. They might then become a potential client.

If they want to explore coaching with you DO NOT OFFER TO COACH THEM. What you might do is offer to invest (never say free) some time in a conversation with them. Take two hours, take your time, get to know them, start making a powerful difference. Ask them, “What will make this conversation so powerful that you will remember it three years from today?”.

If they want to talk more then invest again, again and again. Unconditionally serve them. Whether they eventually become a client or not DOES NOT MATTER.

Unconditional service. I really mean it. NEEDY IS CREEPY.

Then they might ask how to become a client, HOW TO CONTINUE working with you. And when they do, keep coaching them, ask them why they want coaching, what they want to achieve, what will be possible for them. Make sure they don’t NEED a coach, make sure they WANT a coach.

Then you can make a powerful proposal.

People say to me – BUT it takes too much time before they pay!!

The difference with this approach is staggering – I went from being a struggling coach not ‘selling’ a $1,000 coaching package, to averaging ten clients at any one point in time paying $6,000 to $10,000 for a six month coaching programme of between two and four sessions a month.

What are the three biggest mistakes that coaches make?

I think this is easy. So many coaches spend WAAAAAAAY too much time at their laptops making websites, doing Facebook (guilty as charged here!), building marketing funnels, building email lists, doing You Tube, writing blogs. I could go on! If you are at your laptop or sitting with your web designer you are NOT in a conversation, you are not enrolling clients.

Going too fast. Take your time. Slow down. It will come. Is it better to take your time to enroll a $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000 or rush to sign 5, 10 or 20 lower level clients. When you can be bold and increase your fees, you need less clients, you can take your time.

Holding back. Coaches often ask how far they should go before the client pays. GIVE EVERYTHING IMMEDIATELY. Give your best. Be so good they know everything you can do. If you think you can go deeper then go deeper. If you think you can be more fearless then be more fearless. NEVER HOLD BACK. Do this whether they are paying or not.

What if I have no idea where to start with client enrolment, what do you suggest?

What a great position to be in. There is nothing to hold you back. You are a coach because you want to serve. So make it easy. Get out there and serve people. Give your best. Learn. Fail. Succeed. Experience it all.

When I have coaching apprentices I have them commit to having at least 20 conversations with people in the first month. The only outcome is to serve as powerfully as they can. They are NOT allowed to enroll any clients.

Learn to serve powerfully, fearlessly and unconditionally then client enrolment will come to you with ease and grace.

How much time do I really need to spend on marketing?

None. You have my permission to spend no time on marketing. Spend ALL of your coaching time on loving and serving people, giving your best.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you? (please give link for website)

I would like to share a gift and an offer with you.

My gift to you is a recording of a conversation between myself and Rich Litvin, world class coach and author of the best selling The Prosperous Coach. This is following our recent trip to Liberia together leading over 20 coaches to teach and coach teachers.

In September I am running the first of my new LOVE SERVE CREATE EXPERIENCES which is a two day experiential event where I tell the story of how I took the bold step to replace marketing and sales (website development, blogs, business cards, auto-responders, Linked-In and networking events) with fearless coaching and unconditional service to create powerful, inspiring clients that pay up to ten times my old rates.

This is already a deeply discounted event and I would like to offer three places at £97 plus VAT. Find out more here.

To qualify for this rate can you please email me at .

Thank you for taking the time to share your inspiring message, David. It’s refreshing to hear a different take on how coaching can be done. I’m looking forward to learning more from you.

Remember everyone, Needy is creepy!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Before I go I’d like to share with you a FREE live webinar that I’m offering –

Building The Foundations Of Your Coaching Business in 12 Fabulous and Simple Steps

Book your place here

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Business, Coaching Rocks, David Taylor Tagged With: Be My Guest, Business, coaching, Coaching Rocks, David Taylor

Interview with Sophie Jewry – Branding

August 7, 2014 by Ruby Leave a Comment

It’s time for another Be My Guest post. If you haven’t come across these before on my blog then they are basically guest interviews with various people in business. My guests provide lots of inspiration, hints and tips for you. Today we have the fabulous Sophie Jewry – ‘The Queen of Brand’!

Since 2003, Sophie Jewry, AKA ‘The Queen of Brand’, has helped thousands of women in business create an awesome brand, be more productive and achieve a better work life balance. Sophie, an award-winning entrepreneur, has launched and run 3 successful businesses, all while being a full time mum. She was blessed with a daughter at just 19 so knows exactly how hard getting the work/life juggling act right can be. An advocate of continuous personal development, Sophie applies leading edge techniques to help others make a healthy income from a business they love while enjoying a better quality of life.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

Sophie asked what others for feedback – aren’t these lovely! (Much better than trying to think of 3 yourself – Like your style Sophie!)

More organised than Kirsty Allsopp on her best day!
Someone every woman aspires to be because of her successful business, brilliant network and support system and above all totally committed to helping people become the professionals they have always wanted to be!!
Sophie is an inspirational sharer of knowledge and positivity, always upbeat, gives great constructive criticism and is totally reliable

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

It wasn’t so much a choice… or at least it didn’t feel like it at the time, it just felt like the best thing to do. I was just 20 when I moved back to live with my mum with a 9 month old baby girl; No A-levels, no work experience, no confidence, no job prospects. I was fortunate to have the support of my family which meant that I could start my business and grow it slowly and around my daughter as she grew. Running my own business just made sense. I’ve never looked back and I can’t imagine not being self employed!

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

Wow! I’d struggle to choose just one person really, as I find different aspects from lots of people give me the aspiration to achieve more. Some people I follow include: Marie Forleo, Richard Branson, James Dyson, Claire Mitchell, Louise Hay, Glen Bridges, Wayne Dyer, Brendon Burchard, Tony Robbins, Dan Bradbury, Nigel Botterill, Dan Kennedy, Jamie Smart, Zig Ziglar, Tom Shadyac, Manda Scott and many others. Not forgetting of course are all my clients, who amaze me on a daily basis at their determination to succeed and the passion for their businesses – they are all inspirational to me and through them I grow and develop too. I love to surround myself with motivational, inspirational and supportive people so I can continue to strive to be better and do better for myself and others.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. There is of course lots of advice given but I have a tendency to over complicate things at times. When I feel overwhelm creeping in I have to step back, take a deep breath and just think ‘how can I make this simpler’. It forces me to re-assess and make it better. If it’s simple for your end user (i.e. your target market) then it’s got a far higher likelihood of being a success.

What three tips would you give when working on branding?

1. Market – Know who you want to work with and get into their head. Know who they are, what keeps them awake at night, what excites them and what they need.

2. Message – Know what your brand stands for. Speak directly to your Ideal Clients and be consistent with your message. Figure out what truly makes you different and why you are the best choice – and then shout it loud and proud.

3. Media – Now you know who you’re aiming at and what they need to hear, you know where you need to be. Have a strategy when it comes to getting your message out and use the media that will get you the results you want; whether that be on or offline or a mixture of the two, know your clients and you’ll know your media.

What are the three biggest mistakes that coaches/people make when thinking about their brand?

1. It’s all about the logo – this is just not the case. A bit like thinking of your hairstyle defines you as a person; a logo is just a small part of the bigger picture that is your brand.

2. I am in control of my brand – you are, but only to a certain level. You brand is ultimately owned by your customers and potential customers. There is a great quote that sums this up perfectly: “If Coca-Cola were to lose all of its production-related assets in a disaster, the company would survive. By contrast, if all consumers were to have a sudden lapse of memory and forget everything related to Coca-Cola, the company would go out of business.” Remember that the real power is in what the public think of your company – make sure it’s what you want it to be by creating a strong identity and delivering on your Brand Promise.

3. It’s going to be expensive! – This is also not true. Of course it can be expensive, much like decorating your house can be expensive, but in both cases there are cheaper options that involve savvy shopping and a bit of DIY. You brand grows and develops over time and you don’t have to go crazy with graphic design, however tempting it may be. Keep it simple and always keep your brand promise and brand story at the fore front of what you do. Branding doesn’t have to be expensive to be great.

What if I have no idea where to start with brand/branding, what do you suggest?

I would suggest that you read up on it – there is a multitude of websites with information on that will help you understand it more.

I’d obviously also suggest that you read my blogs here and here because you’ll find loads of articles that explain more about branding and what it really means, along with other business subjects too. If you would rather watch a video then check this out: It’s a Value’s Thing

How much time do I really need to spend on creating or developing your brand?

Much like anything in life, you can invest loads of time and money in it upfront or you can take your time and build it slowly. The key to creating a really strong brand it to have a clear idea of who you’re aiming at and how you’re helping them and also having a set of brand guidelines that keep your look and feel consistent (a big part of your branding!) EVERYTHING you do is part of the brand; emails you send, letters you write, events you attend, cards you hand out, word you write on social media and blogs… it is all part of the picture. Consider how you can bring it all together to be a cohesive message about what your business is really all about: your core values, your brand promise and your relationships with your customers.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Many people find the whole branding thing intimidating, you really don’t need to. It’s quite simple really; it’s like telling a story about your business and spreading that message out to the world. Or, think of it like getting ready for a party; you can just chuck on some clothes and run out the door or you can shower, do your hair, apply make-up, choose the outfit and matching shoes, find jewellery that suits and sets off your eyes… the whole works. Branding is very similar. On a basic level all you need is a logo and some simple guidelines of how you want your business to look and then you have the option of adding more glam as you go to make it come across more polished and ready to party.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

A good place to start is my website where you’ll find both my blog and a few other freebies to get you started and then a range of other options if you want to get stuck in with more detail and support.

You can also follow and connect with me on Facebook.

I’m sure you will agree that Sophie’s guest post has been a fascinating read. So tell us, what have you been doing on your branding? Leave a message in the comments section below. She is very kindly giving away a little freebie, 9 Tips for Branding. Download your copy here.

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Branding, Sophie Jewry Tagged With: Be My Guest, Branding, Business, Sophie Jewry

Be My Guest … Ros Kitson (Interview Series)

February 11, 2014 by Ruby 1 Comment

Today’s Be My Guest interview is with a lovely lady called Ros Kitson who is a Kinesiologist. Knowing nothing whatsoever about Kinesiology I had a treatment with Ros a while back to find out what it was all about and it was absolutely fascinating what she was able to tell me about myself. I felt so much better after working with her.

Ros is passionate about personal development. After suffering from depression in the late nineties, she discovered various holistic therapies and found that she could get better without taking medication. She has continued to get better ever since and now is living a happy and healthy life, helping others do the same.

She discovered kinesiology during her recovery and immediately knew it was the one for her. Having received kinesiology treatments for many years, and now has been offering them for many years, she is still in awe of how insightful and effective it is.

Ros has been qualified since 2006 and works from the Wellbeing Centre in Newbury, Berkshire and Herongate Leisure in Hungerford, Berkshire.

1. Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

I’m passionate about wellbeing and personal development. Having greatly improved my own life over the years, I’m now committed to helping other people transform theirs. I’m a light hearted and fun person who can often be seen treading the amateur boards or local shows.

2. What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?

A desire to be my own boss; to be able to choose exactly how I live my life each day. Also, I wanted to do this job and it’s very difficult to be a holistic therapist any other way. I’ve loved it, but it has definitely been challenging. There have been times when I’ve wished someone else made some of the decisions, but those times haven’t lasted long.

3. Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

I’m inspired by people who are running a successful business while being 100% in their truth. You can tell instinctly from someone’s energy if they are doing this. I’m never been someone who could compromise my values for the sake of making money so it’s always brilliant to see that others can make authenticity work in self-employment.

4. What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

To be completely authentic. If people are going to buy from me, then they need to trust me. If I’m not being completely authentic in myself, then people will pick up on that and something won’t feel right to them. I would definitely pass this advice on, particularly to anyone following a life-purpose career.

5. What three tips would you give when trying to manage emotional issues?

Wow! Just three? I have a whole blog on this subject.

Firstly, be honest with yourself that you’re not managing as well as you’d like. If we try to pretend we’re OK when we’re not, then we’re heading for trouble.

Secondly, identify what you need, both practically and emotionally, and take steps to get these things. It might be you need some time out before you tackle the practical details. You might need a friend to turn to when you’re feeling low. It might be that you need professional help to sort out the problem. It might be that you need to make some changes in your life to be free of things that no longer serve you.

And thirdly, be gentle with yourself. Sometimes, we just don’t manage. We’re all on a journey; maybe you needed to learn something from the experience. Maybe that opportunity wasn’t right for you at that time.

6. What are the three biggest mistakes that people make when they’re stressed?

The first one is reaching for chemical “crutches”. Things like cigarettes, coffee or chocolate. Or even alcohol or processed food. All these unhealthy substances put more stress on our bodies. The reason we like using them is that they distract us from the problems we’re facing. However the problems will still be there afterwards and we’ll be in a worse place from which to deal with them.

Secondly, projecting our stress on to others. What I mean when I say this is that sometimes we see a situation as being someone else’s fault rather than owning our own feelings. If we own that we feel angry, jealous or out of control, then we are in a place to make a change. We can look at changes we can make in order to feel happier and calmer. If we focus on someone else being at fault, we are powerless as we can’t change another person.

And finally, constantly moaning about our situation. Please don’t confuse this with sharing how you feel with a friend. It is important to be able to be open. What I’m referring to, is those people who constantly have an air of negativity about them; those who never seem to have anything happy to say. What you put out, you attract, so these people will generally attract more negativity and things will spiral downwards. It is always possible to break out of the cycle, but it starts with you.

7. What is your favourite strategy for feeling happy and healthy?

Only put good things in and get rid of everything that doesn’t serve us.

This includes the food we put in our bodies; the more natural and organic, the better and also our environments, which can be full of toxins. Think about the ingredients in your skin care products, chemicals in cleaning products and air pollutants.

However this doesn’t stop there. Our physical clutter affects us. Are you hoarding negative or sad memories from your past? Who are the people you interact with? Do they make you feel good about yourself or do they drag you down? Think about the activities we spend our time on and whether they are things we look forward to or things we dread.

This covers a huge topic, but if you make just one change in one area, you will start to see improvements in your life.

8. There are so many different therapies, how do I know which one to choose?

We are all different and as such, we like to work differently on our health. Some people like to work emotionally, some prefer physical therapies. And there will always be therapists we connect with and those who we don’t, even if we can’t really put a finger on why.

The Wellbeing Centre, where I work has a large selection of therapists and has a growing website and blog with useful information on how to choose. Our receptionists are available to talk things over with you as well.

If you are still confused, I suggest you follow your instincts. If we put out to the universe that we want someone to help us with a particular problem, we usually find someone appropriate to our needs appears.

9. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I used to be one of those people who walked around under a personal rain cloud. If I can transform my life into the joyous and fulfilled experience it is today, then anyone can. I’m not different from anyone else in this, but I am able to help and support people who wish to make changes and absolutely love doing so.

10. If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

I work at The Wellbeing Centre in Pound Street, Newbury and at Herongate Leisure in Charnham Park, Hungerford. I can be contacted on 01635 581682 or [email protected]. I write a blog on emotional health at www.roskitson.co.uk.

Ros has kindly shared a fab eBook called ‘A Guide To Our Emotions’, it makes fascinating reading. To grab your copy just pop on over to the Freebies page where you will also find other freebies to download.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this interview. Thanks Ros for spending some time with us and for sharing some insights.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Filed Under: Be My Guest, Interview Series, Ros Kitson Tagged With: Be My Guest, Interview Series, Ros Kitson

Be My Guest .. Aloted Omoba

December 17, 2013 by Ruby Leave a Comment

Today is the last Be My Guest (Interview Series) of the year.

I’d like to introduce you to one of the ladies from a business networking group I’m part of, Aloted Omoba. Running a business with a family can sometimes feel like a pull in all directions where you want your business to be a success but also want to spend time with your family and it’s often a juggling act. Aloted works with working mums and has some hints and tips to share with you for how she makes it work for her.

Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences

I am married with two children a 4 year old daughter and a 5 month old son. I am jovial, a doer and always willing to help others around me. I am passionate about the empowerment of women especially mothers.

What motivated you to set up in business to help working Mums?

I was motivated to start Super Working Mum because I am passionate about mums and I noticed that a lot of working mums are overwhelmed with so much to do at home and at work.

I wanted to share my knowledge, journey and practical tips, which I have found useful to help working mums, particularly Christian mums, all over the world achieve balance and fulfillment in their lives.

Who has been your biggest inspiration?

First of all, my Mother. She was a working mum (she is retired now) and was able to raise 4 children with the help of my Dad of course and was still able to work. It still amazes me till today that she bagged her master’s degree with three toddlers under 5 with not much help. How she did it, only God knows.

Mothers out there who are still fulfilling their dreams whilst managing a family also inspire me. Yes motherhood is a great calling but we are still individuals before we are mothers.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

The best business advice I have been given is that I am a scientist so I cannot fail. Scientists experiment till they get it right. Every seemingly failure is just a closer step to finding out what works.

In business I have to keep experimenting, tweaking and trying out different ways of doing things till it works. There is no room for giving up. If I am persistent and hardworking I will succeed by God’s grace.

What three tips would you give to people when trying to juggling work and family life?

Take care of you first – your spiritual, physical and mental health. If you do not take care of you, you won’t have the ability and energy to juggle family and work properly. If you keep running on low one day you will crash.
When you are at work focus on work, when it is family time focus on that. Try not to mix them up. Set clear demarcation. This will help you stayed focus and be the best in both worlds.
Get support, you cannot do it alone. Build relationships with other working mums, join a support or mastermind group and share your victories and trials together. No (wo)man knows it all. The Faith Family and Financial Inner Circle that I run for working mums provides this kind of support for the working mum who needs spiritual, physical, mental and financial development.

What are your top three tips for creating calm for a working mum?

Sometimes things will happen and not go according to your plan for the day. Stay flexible; adjust your expectations accordingly so you don’t get worked up.
Learn to laugh- things are not always as bad as they look. Having a good sense of humour does wonders for keeping calm
From the start of your day, choose how you will respond to every challenge that comes your way. Affirm to yourself that you will be calm no matter what. You may not always get it right but the key thing is you are now aware that you can choose how to respond to circumstances on a daily basis. I have to add one more tip please 🙂 ..
Learn how to say no. You don’t have to say yes to every request thrown at you. You are not doing yourself any good by taking more than you can actually do. Also learn how to delegate. You will feel less overwhelmed and be calmer when you do.

Confidence levels can change for Mums returning to work. What strategies do you know help when it comes to feeling confident?

This happened to me when I went back to work after my daughter was born. I lost my confidence. One main strategy I will say that works is to write out the different things you have accomplished over the years before you had a baby. Write out your strengths. That person is still there somewhere inside you and just needs to be brought out. Surround yourself with positive people and take each day as it comes.

I share a whole lot more tips in my ebook – Boosting Your Confidence, 15 steps to success in the workplace. You can get a copy here.

You run a series where you feature Super Working Mums, what would I need to do to be considered?

The main thing to do to be considered as a featured Super Working Mum is be a member of the Super Working Mum group on facebook and be interactive on the group. That simple! 🙂

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I would love to share with your readers a free webinar I did for working mums called 7 Secrets to Faith, Family and Work Balance when they sign up to my special updates newsletter. I share some secrets on how to achieve balance in life as a working mum. Some of the secrets I share are based on biblical principles but any working mum from any background or faith can apply the practical secrets I share.

For those who prefer reading instead they can also download the report instead. Get access to the free webinar and/or report here.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

Sure, I love connecting with other working mums

I can be found on:
facebook, twitter or my website or via email [email protected]

Aloted has kindly shared a great freebie for us today, Boosting Energy At Work. You can download your copy here. Thanks Aloted for sharing with us today.

Need a last minute gift? Want something a bit different?

I have set up two Cappuccino Coaching Sessions for the New Year. These would make a great Christmas pressie for someone, or a fab treat for you to get a great kick start to 2014. To find out more and book your place click here. Gift vouchers are available.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Filed Under: Aloted Omoba, Be My Guest, Uncategorized, Work-Life Balance Tagged With: Aloted Omoba, Be My Guest, Work-Life Balance