Bernard Walsh - Hot Irishman
This company has gone from being about 40pc to 90pc export-based in five years.
ENTREPRENEURS
Anthea Newburn
Awaken
When Anthea Newburn first went to see a life coach back in 2005, she was so impressed with the impact it had on her own life that she decided almost immediately to train as a life coach herself.
Because she was working full time in the HR area at the time, she felt her life-coaching skills would complement her role, but an opportunity presented itself and, in 2008, Newburn set up her own life coaching business called Awaken, which is based in Naas, Co Kildare.
“A break actually came in work sooner than I expected – I was doing maternity cover and when the manager came back I decided I didn’t want to go back to my own role and that now was the time to set up on my own.”
As she had been doing life coaching part-time in the evenings and at weekends, Newburn had already built up some contacts, so it wasn’t a huge transition for her.
Mentoring from DCEB
The mentoring advice she received from a mentor at Dublin City Enterprise Board (DCEB) over the course of 10 sessions was invaluable at the outset.
“It’s quite an affordable option. He really helped me with the marketing side and putting press releases together. He suggested I focus on areas that I know.”
Getting feedback from friends, past colleagues and family also proved to be a great help. Plus, Newburn’s main method of getting referrals is via her clients.
“They are also the best people to explain what coaching is about and the impact it can have.”
Start-up costs
Financially, she says she didn’t have big start-up costs because she had already trained as a life coach.
“I spread the cost of setting up over a number of years and I’ve done quite a bit of training since through Skillnets. That has made it a lot more affordable.”
Networking
A great believer in the power of networking, she is a member of Irishbusinesswomen.com, which has networking groups that meet around the country.
Newburn also saw a niche for an informal networking event, so together with a fellow entrepreneur, Anne Coudert, she started Open Coffee events in Naas and Maynooth. “It’s a great way to meet businesspeople and you also meet potential clients.”
Expanding the client base
In terms of her service portfolio, since setting up Awaken, Newburn has also trained as a stress-management consultant. “That means I can go into companies and do well-being seminars. I also bring some of the techniques into my sessions with some of my life coaching clients.”
She also helps secondary students fine-tune their study and exam preparation skills. And as well as being a certified trainer, Newburn is a certified emotional intelligence assessor. “That’s how the company has evolved: I keep adding new aspects. I have a lot more tools that I can now offer my clients,” she explains.
The benefits of having your own business
One of the benefits of running your own business is the control it gives you, she says. “You don’t necessarily have that steady salary coming in every month, but I have control over what direction I want to take my business. If I see an opportunity, I can go for it. It gives people a chance to use their skills in the way they want.”
