Hi Everyone
I thought about starting a franchise originally, but my financial situation just did not support the risk of investing so much money and also my gut told me not to trust the other people involved. I was lucky because a bit like when your house move falls through at the time it seemed like the end of the world (and my dreams of running my own business) but the next house is even better and sure enough something better for me then came along! Linda has done great to carry on with no support when she was expecting support, I'd guess as Emma suggested it must be a firm belief in your products that has enabled you to continue. I once had a very valuable session with a life coach who helped me work out my own personal values which was invaluable in giving me a clear sense of direction with how to deal with my rapidly expanding business so that it didn't take over my life or end up draining me rather than energising me. I'd support the idea of working out those values with someone experienced in this, as they are not always what you think they are or should be! mine were quite a surprise to me, some things I would have steered clear from as being too far out of my comfort zone and just not me are actually the things I love doing now! I would never have realised this and been brave to accept those challenges if I hadn't had this help. You should tell us abit about what you do and what your services/products are and what you genuinely get passionate about.

The whole issue of personal development can become addictive though! I think running your own business is such a roller coaster of discovery (maybe I analyse too much) but that is why it's exciting and fun and why you need friends to scream and celebrate with. The only comment I disagree with a little, is this whole thing of strengthening your weak points, I suppose most of us go into businesses we are passionate about and naturally excell/have strengths in but the weak areas normally we simply don't enjoy or it's just difficult, so its not very motivating to always be working on your weaknesses, so I say get someone in to do those if you can! partnerships and sharing resources like that are great. I'm not saying we all are incapable of developing skills and learning new ones just that to always be focussing on trying to developing areas that do not naturally suit you is not always the best use of your time. What do you guys think?
Nina

Hi Nina

You did well to listen to your gut instinct and my project management experience always suggests the logic behind research and elimination, when making such important life and career decisions. It is great to hear your positive and enriching experience of hiring a coach. Personal development for me consists of a multitude of layers of self discovery and positive change with the overall goal of happiness and fulfilment. I assist individuals to realise these options and facilitate and support the changes that are likely to develop.

As you described change can be uncomfortable but provide long-term life benefits, I enjoy assisting people to feel more freedom in their choices. Assisting clients to face personal obstacles, currently preventing them from stepping outside of their comfort zone. Importantly it's about having a successful career but not compromising health and enjoyment of life outside of work. My project management experience lends to a practical and grounded coaching programs I specialise in all aspects of career coaching, from assertiveness skills, returning to work after a period of long term sick or maternity leave, career management. In particular I have recently launched a new program called My Dream Career - Career Change. To assist those who are considering a career change but are really unsure what career and how to go about it. I also enjoy coaching 16-24 year olds discover their career potential and give them focus and motivation to reach for their career passions.

For me I am continually refreshing my coaching skills and I am about to add to my skills an NLP practitioner qualification. These are areas of interest and will also continue to provide my clients with the best possible service. Initially when starting your business money is usually tight for investment in external services. You have to prioritise the services you use. For me I detest book keeping and cash flow, so I have outsourced this. However, as a responsible business owner I need to understand the concepts of VAT, TAX and cash flows etc so that I can make informed business decisions from the service my accountant provides. Also I want to continue to grow my business effectively through marketing and advertising and part of me enjoys the creative side of this business function. Though I did a business degree, what I learnt was applicable for multinational companies with big budgets. Therefore I have attended low cost marketing workshops by Karen Skidmore and invested in mentoring by fruitful marketing who teaches you how to write effective PR campaigns, plus a whole range of other marketing necessities. These areas of learning cost a fraction of the price of outsourcing these functions. Of course as your business grows you will spend more time delivering the services and products that you enjoy and feel passionate about and outsource or recruit specialised individuals to manage other aspects of the business.

I have realised I have gone completely off track from the topic of career management so please keep sharing your career dilemmas, experiences and questions.

Hi Emma

Thank you for this it is very helpful. The reason for buying the Beautytek franchise was because I was passionate about the product which is an alternative to plastic surgery that really works. I still feel this passion. A typical example of this was yesterday when I giving a lady a breast lift treatment. She had been unhappy with her breasts for years and decided to take up my treatment rather than undergo the knife. It was her first treatment with me but I could actually see her breasts changing on the couch in front of me. I was so excited that I just wanted to get to the end of the treatment so that I could take some after pictures of her to show her the change. She was over the moon with the result achieved with the first treatment and even shook my hand before she left and said thank you. To have made someone feel that good is a wonderful feeling.

My long term goals are to have my own beauty salon where I can offer Beautytek and lots of various treatments as well. I still believe that I will achieve this long term.

On a positive note about franchising. To enable me to create an income I recently purchased a franchise from The Athena Network the largest ladies network in the UK. My experience with them has only been positive. Their training and support is wonderful and I am extremely happy to have purchased the franchise which has restored my faith in franchising.

Maybe we should tell people about the British Fanchise Organisation, I attended a workshop once - it wasn't for me but they could be helpful for others, obviously there are a lot of successful franchisors and franchisees out there. My advice would be similar to Linda's, check what support you are going to get especially if it is a newish franchisor - it all tends to be experimental and the first franchisee's tend to end up supporting the next ones which is not necessarily what they bargained for. One lady I met recently by chance said exactly this, she'd had no support but was being used as a advert and asked to help the latest people who'd bought a franchise - she felt it was in her interest to join up with these new people and pool resources or at least not let them make the same mistakes she had on advice particularly with advertising investment she'd been given. We live and learn.