Short answer yes, yes I am, but let me just expand this… hold tight!
Are you still an equestrian business coach and mentor?
It’s a funny world we live in, isn’t it? You start off down one path and things happen that open doors and opportunities… and you either say yes and crack on, or say no and stay in your shell and never leave. I’m an option one person. Even if I’m not entirely sure what that opportunity looks like or where it’ll lead, I say yes, then worry about it later.
Let me take you back
A few years ago, I was in a pub beer garden with my friends and my then puppy, Indy. The phone rang, I didn’t recognise the number, but I answered it. It was BBC Radio 5Live asking me if I’d come on the radio and discuss a PR story as they had me on their system as a PR expert and would like my insight. I remember walking loops of that beer garden doing a briefing call, wondering what on earth was happening, sure that someone would say ‘hahah, gotcha!’. But they didn’t. In fact, I did go on the radio and it was a catalyst to a lot I didn’t see coming. In the weeks that followed I did a lot of TV and radio – I think my max was 15 interviews in one day. It blew my mind. I was able to put my YEARS of experience, learning and everything else into words on air… and people loved it. More than that, I LOVED IT. Since then, I’ve been on BBC News, ITV News, Channel 5 News, Talk, LBC, Heart, lots of BBC radio stations… and the list goes on. I even have my own radio segment each week now on BBC Hereford & Worcester, BBC Shropshire, and BBC Stoke.
And just like that, the niche that I’d be in for many years, wasn’t the only place people knew me. My experience, my insight, my analysis, was being sought on a much larger scale. And that attracted attention. And that opened up doors.
And when these doors open, you decide whether to walk through, or whether to stay put…
I think we all know what happened, don’t we? I walked through. This ‘walk’ allowed me to do additional qualifications, land Bloomsbury as a publisher, appear on more TV and radio, write for newspapers and magazines, speak on stages in front of over 2000 people. It didn’t change who I was, but it meant people saw me for who I was, and what I could do for them.
This meant that instead of just equestrian businesses, I had enquiries from people with looser connections to the space – still very much equestrian, rural, canine or country at first, but working alongside Help to Grow and Small Business Britain as a mentor, far more diverse than that.
This gave me the opportunity to think about who I want to coach and mentor
…and when I did that deeper dive into this, when I had the confidence to look beyond a niche, I realised that my clients are often equestrian, canine, country or rural, BUT most also have the following traits…
- They’re female founders (this doesn’t mean I don’t coach and mentor men, but this is the theme!)
- Driven
- Talented
- Think outside the box and aren’t content with mediocre
- They usually have a dog, horse or cat – and those animals are discussed or sometimes appear on calls
- They want to grow and develop their businesses and make them work for them. This doesn’t necessarily mean multi-million pound turnover, it means a business that does what they need it to do.
- Have a sense of humour
- They are incredible – they have done the work, they don’t BS, they’re inspiring and brilliant
…and all of this has led me here. To writing this blog. To sharing how my identity has evolved and changed but how my core values, my experience, my skill, the transformations I support, haven’t. And that’s led to a post I’ve felt weird about writing for SO long, but one that’s important for me.
And if you’re reading thinking you fit my ideal customer and want to grow and take things to the next level, then I might have a few slots coming up in the near future. If this is you, I’m inviting you to send me a message so we can arrange to jump on a call with me for a chat to see what magic we might be able to create together…
