Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emma Gleadhill, a speaker, trainer, and professional coach, based in Hereford, United Kingdom.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am a speaker, trainer, and professional coach in the field of psychological well-being, healthy relationships in work, school, and family life. My customers are forward-thinking businesses that run well-being programmes - especially for parents and carers. I also work in over 60 different schools, mainly in the UK. My coaching clients tend to have come across me from the coaching and training work I do, word-of-mouth recommendations springing from that, or they subscribe to one of my newsletters. As a coach, it's really varied. Leadership training with CEOs and school leaders, parents of children and teens who find themselves wanting a dial-up connection, or have some fresh thinking to strengthen long-term frayed connections at home, or work through thorny mental health issues where the system - rightly focuses on support for children and teens- but often parents don't get support. So that's what I provide.
Tell us about yourself
I was a school leader specializing in well-being, school culture, and ethos. And the part of the job I loved most was supporting children, families, and often teachers too, in stuck situations. In the educational world, teachers do a lot of this work - but with no real training. I decided to take some time out to do a master's - the pre-clinical training to become a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist. That was when I got my second vocation - to take insights from the clinical world out into the mainstream - to help teachers support kids better through the rather neglected but crucially important emotional aspects of teaching and learning. The teachers I trained were passionate, and I also worked with the parents and pupils; things went on from there. My mission is to help people reconnect with themselves, their wants, needs, and higher selves - and empower them to manage their minds and their relationships better in the relentless culture we live in.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Having the confidence (professional and financial) to walk my own talk in terms of self-care and connection: to be more present for my daughter and husband, to care for my elderly mother, to work well, with discernment - and make time for doing the things I enjoy.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Remembering that you should always use your star cabinet of dudes who really have your back or who really get your work to consult more widely. It's so easy to just forge on as the lone hero - you sure get things done - but you miss stuff!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Really know your 'whys' - the values, purpose, and meaning of what you want to contribute.
- Connect with the people who are going to be your target customer or audience and bring curiosity and humility to listening and learning from what they want and need - what the impact would be and why it matters.
- Be really discerning about how you interact with social media to create your digital presence. It can be a bottomless pit of time and expense - be really sure and cutthroat about how it ACTUALLY serves your core purpose rather than taking your eyes off the prize...Less CAN be more.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://emmagleadhill.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gleadhillemma/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-gleadhill-40a487166/
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.
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