Small Business Counselling

Prior to me deciding to do my degree in Counselling I was a Brand Photographer.  I created Image Libraries for small business owners so they could market their business, attract their ideal client and live a lifestyle centred life. Their definition of Work/Life Balance. I am also a small business owner so have lived experience of those nagging doubts and fear of not succeeding, for which I have done the work and am living life by my design. For me. 

 

The reason I decided to study counselling was because many of my Photography clients came to me, to create an image library, without knowing what images they needed. They didn't know who they were, who their clients were, or what they wanted from their business outside of; I can't work in the 9-5 world because (insert reason). They were usually going through a transition in their life, as we all do, and knew they didn't fit the old 9-5 model they had been in but were unsure what the new world would look like.

 

It's pretty hard to market yourself,

if you don't know who you are. 

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Another common presentation was they wanted to change what they started as they realised it wasn't working. It could be that they were attracting the wrong clients, not getting enough work, or they were working too much - more than they were in the old 9-5 world. And of course many people tried to be what they thought their clients wanted them to be. I worked with people to understand how to tell their story, so they built a business that was perfect for them. Well as perfect as perfect can be. 

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I realised that they needed; to do identity work; support to move through the transitions; building confidence and self-esteem and I wasn't qualified. I created a workbook and worked with people to understand, which worked really well but, I thought it would be great to "know" what I was doing. 

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So here I am offering the service that I became a counsellor for, now without a camera. Since I opened my private practice I have been working with people who run their own business or who want to start their own business - understand what they want from it. This can involve

• Creating and prioritising a self-care plan to avoid burn out

• Dismantling old conditioning about what the term success means.  After all the biggest benefit of being self-employed is that you create the rules. This is something we are not used to doing.

• Reducing anxiety by creating safety plans and risk assessing

• Building confidence, overcoming fear

• Recognising current skill set and transitional skills and understanding their worth

• Defining the business, the ideal client and their role

• Connecting with the right people (perhaps disconnecting from the wrong) 

• Clarifying direction - as opposed to changing direction and goals often

• Believing in YOU

If you are running your own business or wanting to start one and feel you would benefit from counselling, I invite you to book in a Connection Call to see if we are a good fit. 
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