Following many years of working in the publishing industry, Mary left to start her own business, selling her own art, unique handmade home furnishing items and painting holidays. The prospect was extremely daunting, and Mary says...
“As an employee, I hadn’t had to think for myself in quite the way I needed to now. I wanted structure and advice and to build my confidence up to feel I really could do this.”
Mary joined the Flourish programme because...
“Lorna posed questions I hadn’t thought to ask myself, helping me to understand what I did and didn’t want and to focus on what I really wanted. We can get so caught up in everything and the coaching questions helped me to question where I’m at. If you don’t ask yourself these questions, you don’t face up to what’s in front of you and that makes things more daunting.”
In the coaching we worked on Mary’s vision, goal setting and planning...
“Getting me to write things down and pinning me down to a timeframe gave me the structure I’d been after, setting goals that I found manageable. And it helps make my decision-making easier.
When I plan for the day, I achieve much more. And when there are difficult days, I can still do something that will give me a sense of achievement.”
Mary had been under-pricing her work, so we spent some time looking specifically at the numbers for her business; something that Mary had been avoiding...
“Understanding what is commercial and the right price for my work helped me enormously with my confidence to charge more. I am better able to divorce the personal from the pricing and I am getting better that this.”
The prospect of sales and marketing and putting herself ‘out there’ had been frightening for Mary, so we worked to reframe her understanding and perception of communicating about her business.
“Thinking about marketing as the building of relationships through the telling of stories about me, my co-workers and the work makes it more appealing. I feel more comfortable that I can communicate in a way that I don’t feel is too salesy.”
Having concluded the Flourish programme, Mary says,
“I feel much better about the issues I was facing when I started my business. The changes I have made have been incremental and, when I look back, I can see how much I’ve done and how much I’ve grown.
The Flourish programme has really helped with my confidence and putting myself 'out there' has created opportunities for me that wouldn’t have otherwise been there.”
When asked if she would recommend the Flourish programme to others, Mary says,
“Yes! Listen a lot, be open and receptive. You’ll be asked questions you didn’t think to ask that turn out to be really important. And in contrast to the overwhelm you’re feeling, Lorna creates such a relaxed, jargon-less approach to bring sense and order to your head. The coaching clarifies everything, puts it in order and you’ll get some ‘f*ck really?!’ gems.”
I have changed my client's name to protect her anonymity, but this is her real story and I have quoted her actual words. My sincere thanks to 'Mary' for generously allowing me to share her experience in this way.
To find out more about how Lorna Thomas / Be The Best You In Business coaching and mentoring could support you to increase your confidence and grow your business with clarity, focus and control, book a call...