Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Senem Anataca, LL.B, LL.M, CPQC, CPCC, PCC, Founder of 180UTC, located in Dubai, UAE.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

180 UTC was founded as the sole establishment for the activity of lifestyle coaching under the Dubai Economic Department on August 22, 2019. 180 UTC is a highly trusted, qualified, and experienced partner for leaders who aim to live their authentic potential boldly. We provide a specialized range of coaching sessions and group programs that nurture the leaders' whole being and provide a transformative realm to design every area of life.

We have been co-creating coaching sessions and group programs with leaders from all around the world, including but not limited to the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Vietnam, Canada, Belgium, Thailand, India, Singapore, and Germany. With the inspiration of our sessions, the leaders have been achieving their personal and/or professional goals by taking accountability for courageous actions. While the leaders are achieving their specific goals, they have also been growing and developing into the greatest possible expression of themselves due to some or all of the following big takeaways from their sessions, knowing self fully (self-discovery and self-awareness):

  • Finding their unique values
  • Feeling self-acceptance
  • Processing emotions

Noticing negative inner voices sabotaging their desired outcomes:

  • Overcoming their fears
  • Letting go of preconceived limitations,
  • Building confidence (self-confidence),

Using self-authority and being conscious of self-power:

  • Accessing their inner wisdom
  • Developing a life purpose
  • Being centered, fulfilled, and alive

Making powerful choices

  • Creating healthy and sustainable habits
  • Developing a laser-focus
  • Exploring new perspectives
  • Turning challenges into gifts
  • Performing better
  • Becoming and feeling even more successful,
  • Being more productive, innovative, and creative
  • Building and/or improving relationships
  • Collaborating more effectively
  • Increasing work-life balance.

As the trusted partner for leaders, we provide the best coaching services and programs at the world's highest standards. These "thought-provoking and creative processes" inspire them to live their authentic potential boldly. By touching the lives of visionary, successful role models who lead their families, communities, teams, businesses, sectors, governments, and non-profit organizations, we generate radical changes and evoke positive and sustainable transformations at the greatest level due to the ripple effect.

While creating the ripple effect today by coaching the world's leaders, we dream and work for a world where every human is nurtured to keep innate access to his own authentic potential and held accountable to live it boldly as a fundamental human right. A thriving society of self-actualizing individuals may achieve things beyond imagination by understanding the importance of oneness, fulfillment, authenticity, integrity, respect, love, and compassion. Honoring such values contributes to human equality and world peace and supports diversity. As a result, we strive to leave a better world than we found for ourselves and future generations.

Tell us about yourself

I did not start coaching with a business plan. It was an unfoldment while I was on sabbatical leave to work on myself. While working on my own values and purpose and with other people's requests and interests, I learned about coaching. I truly believe that whoever feels purposeful about creating a better world than we found will meet with coaching at some point in their journey because coaching is the only answer as a vehicle for a clean transformation on the largest scale.

I am committed and passionate about holding authentic, trusted, and safe spaces for the leaders during their unique journeys, in which their whole being is seen without judgment in an intuitive, structured, and professional setting while they are freely expressing, discovering, and developing themselves. Because of the leaders, we can create a ripple effect.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My ability to successfully juggle all of my responsibilities and make my purpose my job is my greatest personal achievement. being extremely mindful of the decisions I make to become who I am. If we limit the biggest accomplishment to only business, then in 3 years, starting a multi-award winning international coaching firm talks by itself. This achievement always gives me energy and inspiration to achieve more and give more.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

There are several problems at various company phases. If your company's difficulties do not change by the appointed period, you are likely stuck. Work-life balance was a challenge during the first year (2019). Particularly in light of the fact that my second child was also born in 2019, the year 180UTC was formed. Finding the working days and hours that felt good for my lifestyle and maintaining my resources when communicating those hours to stakeholders required some time.
It was difficult to turn down numerous possibilities, but as a coach, I am aware that good priorities help us achieve our goals.

The challenge for the second year (2021) was COVID and the "new normal." It forced me to adopt new viewpoints on both failure and functioning mode. The lessons discovered over the first few months of the year enabled 180 UTC to switch to an online-only format for all sessions and expand its reach internationally. I decided that 2021 would be the year that I differentiated my responsibilities because I had been spending so much time as an elite international coach, receiving training, earning certifications, and instructing non-stop. My mentor once inquired about my perspective as a business owner during one of our meetings. It changed everything! I'll be disclosing this for the first time here, but that year I made the radical decision to say "yes" to all business opportunities, including awards, interviews, and webinars. It unlocked lots of doors.

The task was to use creativity between the end of 2021 and the start of 2022. The contract terms for my help and our domestic nanny were up, and due to the effects of COVID, everyone was feeling under the weather and eager to get home. I found myself suddenly without a single helping hand, both at home and at work. I had to take a month off to find people and rework things in order to restore equilibrium. It was emotionally and financially difficult to get the business into a financial flow and a working schedule before stopping for a month. Life goes on, though, and after taking the required actions, we were able to generate our highest cash flow level up until the second quarter of 2022.

Currently, I foresee the challenge of 2023 is catching up with the demand. I started to say "no" so often to opportunities because I could not allocate that time on top of my already full plate, and I am also very happy with everything I have on my plate. It means it's time for expansion, for a bigger plate. It is clear that partnerships will play a crucial role in 2023, and 180 UTC will redesign its structure.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Work with a coach and align your life purpose with your potential business vision. I am not saying you will enjoy every moment of the journey, but you will feel fulfilled regardless of what happens.
  2. Work like you do not need money.
  3. Create strong connections to your inner and outer resources. The journey is not an easy one, so you will need authenticity and connection to stay grounded and balanced.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://180utc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/180utc/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/senemanataca/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.