November 8th 2021
Global Entrepreneurship Week
When a friend reminded me that it was Global Entrepreneurship Week and that I was an
entrepreneur, I did a bit of a double take. With my love of definitions, a quick search on
Investopedia.com gave me a sense of well, yes, I am!
Entrepreneur: an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying
most of the rewards.
Since developing, planning and finally launching The Wellbeing Pathway, I’ve definitely gained a
lot of new skills, experiences and connections and thought it might be useful to share some of
my learning with others who are thinking about taking that leap of faith, particularly in this
time of Entrepreneurship Week.
I’m calling this my ADAPT approach:
Ask and listen – I’ve asked a lot of questions about setting up a business,
listening to
guidance and advice from trusted sources and giving myself time and space to consider the
answers and how that relates to my situation. Asking for guidance, support and listening to your
gut are signs of strength!
Decide and plan – I made a decision that I wanted to use my skills, experiences
and knowledge to
inspire others to thrive in their lives, and I loved that the context of wellbeing would allow
me to do that. My plans included setting up my website, piloting a few ideas and putting small
steps in place that would allow me to achieve my goals and see my plans come to fruition. Small
steps, small habits are the best things you can do to affect change!
Acknowledge and learn- I acknowledged that there might be some barriers to
moving forward,
personal and other. Learning to recognise my thought patterns, identify the gaps in my learning
and surround myself with evidence-based information and people who I could observe, and increase
my understanding of the world of business was key. Knowing that you don’t know it all and that
learning is lifelong is useful!
Prioritise and network – I set aside some time to prioritise what I knew was
going to be a busy
schedule, making that transition from over 20 years in paid employment as part of a team and as
a senior leader, to the world of self-employment and the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. I
knew that I would feel better with some people around me who I could use as a sounding board,
time factored in for networking and meeting new connections, for reading, for developing
resources and for my own wellbeing practice. There will always be a to-do list, make it SMART
(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely!
Take action and reflect – I selected a date to go ‘live’ and I went for it. My
social media
presence increased, my confidence increased, my doubts reduced and things became busy really
quickly. In my business I provide 3 key services to inspire wellbeing, and support people to
thrive (i) coaching & mentoring on a 1:1 or group basis (ii) delivering and facilitating
workshops and discussions with groups around wellbeing in communities and (iii) facilitating
workplaces to talk about and embed a wellbeing approach to values, leadership and planning.
Reflection is therefore a key part of my approach to my business, taking feedback, recognising
where I might need to make changes and importantly, giving myself a pat on the back for a job
well done. Unlearning and knowing what
not to do are as important as knowing what you do well!
Entrepreneurship is exciting, scary, hard work, unpredictable but energising too. I love that
it’s about my purpose, my true intention and genuinely wanting to provide opportunities and
solutions for people to be the best versions of themselves and feel a sense of wellbeing across
all aspects of their lives. It’s not about fluffy concepts, shirking responsibility or avoiding
difficult conversations. It’s about being courageous, compassionate, confident and caring about
the people you connect with but importantly, caring about yourself and creating boundaries that
protect everyone involved.
One of the best things about running my own business is the people I’m meeting along the way.
Internationally, nationally, locally through face-to-face and virtual platforms, connections
with others are key. Connections are powerful ways to learn, explore and develop your
entrepreneurial skills. There are a lot of people and businesses around and many more set up
during the pandemic. Ask yourself:
- What sets you apart?
- What value do you bring?
- Why should people want to engage with you?
What’s worked for me is following speakers, practitioners and experts in the field; reading;
listening to podcasts; attending events; making time to get to know people who you admire, who
inspire you!
For me, this includes individuals and organisations with a focus on and track record in
Leadership, Wellbeing, Entrepreneurship, Coaching, Networking and aligned to the values that are
important to me.
This week is a great week to celebrate Entrepreneurship for me as I take part in a range of
activities in my business that allow me to use and share my skills and knowledge in a way that
achieves my mission to inspire and enable others to thrive. I’m doing this through:
- Facilitation of a wellbeing workshop with older people in a local community to improve health outcomes
- Delivering a Wellbeing & Menopause workshop to a group of women to inform and empower women
- Supporting a charity in it’s strategic planning process around Mental Health and wellbeing to be more sustainable, flexible and responsive in the future
- Facilitating learning with a statutory agency around teambuilding and wellbeing to reflect on the impact of covid, recognise challenges, create space for conversations about the future and identify ways to support each other as a team
- Connecting with other entrepreneurs to develop my social media skills and new opportunities for collaboration
- Planning for new events and engagements in the run up to Christmas and beyond to support my goals
Although there’s been a lot of hard work gone on behind the scenes in planning, developing,
studying, networking and just believing that I can do this, the feeling of accomplishment and
achievement already is powerful. I am very glad to call myself an entrepreneur and wish any of
you the very best of luck in your journey, whatever that might entail.
A few quotes that I love, just to finish off:
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” Milton Berle
“It always seems impossible until it’s done” Nelson Mandela
“The best preparation for tomorrow, is doing your best today” H Jackson Brown Jnr
“You don’t lose if you get knocked down, you lose if you stay down” Muhammad Ali
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” Maya Angelou
Catherine Murnin
The Wellbeing Pathway Founder