Climbing Mount Possible
9 Months Since Leaving Base Camp
I registered my limited company McConnachie ( Training and Coaching) Ltd around this same time last year,January 2022 whilst attempting to shake the usual new year blues and find “the new me”.
I’d always kept hold of a vague idea that I may one day, start a training and coaching business for myself.
After 31 years as a public servant in 2022, most of my experience had been in social services and social care where I’d been delivering and managing services across directorates and as we then called it “corporate training”.
I had an instinct that as an independent trainer, coach, facilitator “I’d be alright somehow” with all my years of knowledge and experience!
On 31st March 2022, without any thought of creating any kind of strategy and in the absence of that cunning plan, I dived off rather than taking a side road, from the path of my well paid job, where I felt safe and almost secure and landed at the bottom of my very own mountain trek towards being a director of my own destiny and company.
“Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking” (Antonio Machado 1875-1939) First introduced to me by my good friend Kellie Beirne
First Base, Networks
I woke up on day 1 with my Office 365 set up to work in the same way as I’d always been used to. Here I was logged on ( early) and there was my Team(s) with nobody in it, no groups, networks, messages, and strangely, no dinging noise or meeting requests.
Being hugely motivated by affiliation and used to being part of a tribe, this was an unusual experience for me. (it was slightly eased by the fact that 2020/21 had got me accustomed to being alone/on my own in the lockdown shelter of home.
My Line Manager “retiring” just a few months beforehand had planted a seed of thought, that it might be my moment to cut the chord. I loved my job, it was like being in the best band in the world at times but I couldn’t ignore my instinct to “do at least one solo album”
The first tough lesson I took on board was the power of having a good solid network of peers, advisors, critical friends and people who are specialists in all the areas where I actually know/knew very little!
In a local authority such as Monmouthshire County Council or any large company I would assume, the place is full of specialist knowledge, experience and skills and there is always someone who knows about legal stuff, G.D.P.R, tax, pensions, finance and IR35 Regulations as well as sales and marketing via digital and traditional platforms, and I’d naively neglected thinking about any of this as I was all consumed with “where the work would come from”.
My solid and dependable network had disappeared, almost in the instant that I left my good old status quo and delved into self-made chaos.
The former colleagues who have kept in touch, thought I was living the dream, which I suppose I was, but alongside that, the feeling of being woken up abruptly by all the stuff I didn’t know.
I have since had access to some great help, learning and advice by developing new and old networks and saying “yes” to a lot of initially scary opportunities. I took part in some amazing training (Grow Digital) funded by the Alacrity Foundation and in my first 9 months of trading, have won an award for digital sales and marketing. The mentoring support from Henry Purchase (Rough Water Media) has been incredible as has been the support of James Lewis and Lauren Thomas
I was able to implement my new digital skills immediately, by doing a lovely piece of work for Fred Weston and the BE Community and delivering a whole suite of digital learning modules for volunteers.
Today we launch our newly created website which has been “crafted” bycrawford. The award winning Sam Crawford was introduced to me via Alacrity.
I work very closely with colleagues in the private social care sector and have had particularly brilliant support from Lougher Home Care, where collaboratively we have recruited and trained Ukrainian refugees towards employment and paid work in the care sector.
I’ve hooked up with and now also work for Coleg Gwent as a Professional Trainer, with tremendous support and guidance from Suzanne Unsworth.
I’ve worked in a steel company, for the NHS, in a brewery, in offices, in care homes, in factories, colleges and importantly, in community centres in and about my own community.
My Accountant katie Bladen and (BDHC) are my finance and legal support and continue to offer a great service to my baby business and help me to stay compliant and focused.
My 1-1 Coaching and solution focused hypnotherapy regulated by (NCH) and (Afsfh) offer has continued to grow and I am now able to offer much more flexibility to people seeking coaching and or therapeutic support, as well as accredited NLP Training courses through (INLPTA).
McConnachie Training is now a UK training centre for QNUK and with great support and guidance from Rob Shaloe (CEO) Sarah O’Neil (EQA) Deb Barber from the Quality Assurance Network (IQA) my company continue to offer fully accredited qualifications in important areas such as Mental Health,Social Care and First Aid.
McConnachie Training now collaborate with the fabulous E and T Medical company to provide Mental Health Support and recognised qualifications for organisations across the UK.
It’s only been 9 months and I now know, more clearly, where the tribe is evolving, who I can depend on and who to call on. They know to call on me too.
I have joined particular groups related to the purpose of McConnachie Training and Coaching online and via social media sites, local and national business networks as well as meeting lots of new people everyday, mainly by walking and talking to people in my community.
Mark Williams (Wyeden Ltd) has been a constant supporter, encourager and mentor during my initial trek to the ltd company summit of possible with his wealth of knowledge of all things business and digital.
What I have learned is that there is always someone out there who can help solve the problem and those who continue to stick around will always be part of the tribe, whether we work together or not you are there for me online, in person, in the town and vis versa. So Im saying thanks to my evolving tribe and reminding everyone about the importance of looking after yours, building and developing your networks, new and old, and keep sight of the path that you wish to create, although the path won’t be visible until you begin the walk. I hope to meet many more of you along the way.
