A results coach details her business journey and how Buckinghamshire Business First has helped, and shares the six key lessons she has learnt.

Let me tell you a little bit about Anna. She describes herself as an ambitious and keen individual who recognises that a sense of achievement is very important to her. There’s this nagging voice inside of her head that echoes an old teacher’s voice. “You won’t amount to anything without a degree,” according to Ms. Jones. Since dropping out of university, Anna has worked really hard to identify the right career path. A hard working soul, she’s racking up 60 hours a week. And yes, she could argue her sense of achievement is being fuelled by financial gains such as buying her first house at the age of 20 – but more dominantly there is an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy, lack of direction and low confidence.

I’ll let you in to a little secret….Anna is a fictional character, but the story is very real. In fact, it is my story.

The power of the mind can overcome business challenges

My name is Debbie Brown, and this was me ten years ago. Now, as a Results Coach and a business owner, I am all too aware of the power of the mind, and the impact that those little voices inside your head can have. Affectionately known as gremlins, these negative voices are technically not true, however, we, the host may live our lives as if they are; affecting mindset, decisions and relationships, to name a few. Now, I know that Ms. Jones wasn’t being malicious, but her remark could have had very cruel repercussions. I could have proven her right for starters! Where would I be then? Fortunately for me that was never going to happen. In many ways, perhaps I owe Ms. Jones a thank you.

Fast forward a few years. I’d always known that I wanted my own business. What I was certain about was that whatever the service or product, it would have to be something I was truly passionate about. I learnt that my passion was people. Now, my business - DB Coaching & Consultancy Limited - is five and half years old. The power of coaching has enabled me to achieve my business ownership dream; and live a life in balance with my core values of credibility, choice, flexibility and control.

Support from Buckinghamshire Business First

In my first year of being a member of Buckinghamshire Business First I have been able to tap into their support on a number of occasions. Having worked all over the country in my first few years of business, a meeting with Buckinghamshire Business First’s business support team really helped me build a strategy toward sustaining business in the local Buckinghamshire area, something that I am really passionate about doing.

What’s more, a new associate found my details through the Buckinghamshire Business First website, and following a couple of introductory meetings, I just know that we will be supporting each other in business for years to come. Thank you Buckinghamshire Business First!

Mistakes made & lessons learned

Back in 2012, fresh in the world of business ownership, I made a number of mistakes. I said ‘yes’ to contracts all over the country. My rule of not working more than three days a week away from home was broken within a month. I remember contracting in Leeds, Gloucester and the Isle of Wight, all in the same week! I’m a passionate believer that a mistake can only be a mistake if you don’t learn from it, and you fail to put those learnings into actions.

Here are my biggest lessons, which I passionately share with my clients:

• Identify your business and personal values, then live and die by them
• Create guidelines and stick to them
• Have a vision (no matter how vague) and selfishly protect it
• Have a mechanism for controlling the voice in your head
• Have written down goals, and get yourself a great coach who can hold you accountable
• Give yourself permission to be successful and live your dream

And do you know what’s weird? That nagging voice, the one that echoed Ms. Jones’ off the cuff remark, the one that I would say dictated a lot of my early 20s, as I consciously fought to prove it wrong - it fell silent, the moment I mastered the above lessons.

Thinking of starting a business?

If you are thinking of starting a business and need support to develop your ideas and give you the necessary confidence to push ahead with your plans, you can join Buckinghamshire Business First for free as a start-up member. Our business suppirt team will be on hand to help you in your business journey. Contact the team: BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com / 01494 927130.