Michelle is a writer, podcaster, coach and consultant. She is the founder of Growth Sessions business performance coaching and hosts the Creating Cadence podcast channel. Michelle received support through Boost’s Growth Support Programme in 2018 and now operates an established coaching and consultancy business. She was even invited back to deliver her own coaching sessions as part of Boost's Startup programme. Michelle shares her thoughts with Boost on leading a business in Lancashire and advice for new entrepreneurs.
When I first launched my coaching and consulting business in 2018, I benefitted from attending several training workshops hosted by Boost. They helped me to decide on the structure of my business and learn more about the key elements of running a good business, from marketing to product development to accounts.
One of the things that resonated was to think much bigger than the immediate thing you are offering. What are your business goals and dreams for two years and five years from now, so that you can structure your business to grow in a way that helps you reach those milestones more easily.
Locally, I’m inspired by the founders of Society1 Coworking Space. They bootstrapped their business from the ground up to become one of the keystone companies in Preston for creative and digital businesses. Their success is due to a combination of providing excellent hospitality and service, an inspirational space to work in, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded people in a relaxed setting, as well as their individual personalities. Internationally, Brendon Burchard has been an influential mentor. He is a successful executive performance coach who has published multiple books and runs training courses, online communities and events around the world. I’ve learned a great deal from his approach to coaching.
The research shows that better selves are better for business, and yet stress and burnout are the most common outcomes of our current way of working. It’s my aim to revolutionise the way that we work, helping people to activate their potential in a way that supports their creativity, productivity and wellbeing better.
I have a structured morning routine that helps me start my day with focus, purpose and intention. After reviewing my tasks for the day, I usually do creative work (such as writing) first thing, and check emails and have meetings later in the day.
The people here are lovely, and there is a lot of support available for someone wanting to start a small business or entrepreneurial endeavour. From a sustainability perspective, the public transport links between major towns and cities are good and the cost of living is slightly lower than in bigger cities. And we have some of the fastest broadband cellular networks in the UK. You can be based here and work online anywhere in the world.
Go for it! When you’re starting out on a new path, you need all the help and advice you can get at low or no cost, so take advantage of what’s being offered. It’s an incredible fully-funded service and you will also meet wonderful people and establish connections that can help you in the future.
It’s good practice to build a healthy runway of business savings and manage your regular cash flow fastidiously. Erratic cash flow, or a lack of funding when you need to scale, can threaten the sustainability of your business and scupper any growth plans.
Would you like to see your business grow? So would we. To speak to someone from the Growth Hub about business support, contact Boost online or call 0800 488 0057.
Michelle's photo is courtesy of Rachel Ovenden
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