Jacqueline Hart : Jackie Hart Personal Development Coaching

I have worked with men and women from a wide range of backgrounds and occupations including Senior Executives and Classroom Assistants. Personal Coaching helps each person in a different and unique way because each person's situation and reasons for coaching are different and unique.

I am a chartered Fabric Technologist who has worked in the Garment industry for 16 years as a Technologist, both in manufacturing and the retail head office. As a mother of 2, I decided when I was on maternity leave with my second child, nearly 4 years ago, that I wanted to do something that would enable me to leave work feeling I had made a difference in someone else’s life.

I identified that the part of my job that I enjoyed the most which included managing a team of up to 12, was when individuals came to me with an issue, talked it through with me, went away happier and clear on how they were to proceed. I had a natural talent for coaching and so when I returned to work full time I undertook my first Life Coaching course in the evenings, after 9 months I dropped a grade at work and transferred to the sister company on a part time basis, I continued my studies and gained my second Life Coaching qualification and also trained as a Neuro Linguistic Programming Practioner.

I coached volunteers as part of my second qualification and through one of these individuals I received a referral in March 2007 which is then when I registered as a Sole Trader!

Now I am a Personal Development Coach, working with individuals on a one to one basis giving them the opportunity to step back and assess their situation and identify how they wish to move forward. This can be in relation to career, personal life, parenting skills or finding clarity and direction when they know they are not happy but they are not sure why. I also offer workshops for parents to be and mums with young families, who are at stages of change in their life giving them the confidence to take or remain in control of their situation.
Working as a professional Personal Development Coach has enabled me to fulfil that desire, the pleasure and satisfaction I gain from watching a client grow and move forward as a result of our working together is fantastic.
I am very good at planning and preparing, but not good at pushing myself forward, so became stagnant and stuck, waiting for business to start coming to me, which of course it did not. I was also very insecure regarding my own ability to understand the financial management associated with running your own business.

So a friend suggested that I get in touch with WBDA, not long after I had decided to start the project. I had attended two speed networking events at the Ricoh arena and when I felt I was stagnating WBDA seemed the logical place to go for some help.

I now have my own business advisor, Michelle Grindley, to work with. I have had four one hour long support sessions to date which have been very helpful in getting me focussed and motivated me to address my own insecurities and therefore move myself and the business forward.

Michelle has made me address the areas that I was avoiding. Her positive attitude and belief in the potential of my business to succeed has been re-assuring and motivational. She has made me aware of opportunities to have training in areas where I felt I was weak and this training has helped immensely. Knowing that I am seeing Michelle prevents me from avoiding taking the steps I know I need to undertake.

My financial planning is now much more accurate and realistic, I know what I have to achieve from a sales perspective to survive and I am clear and focussed on how to promote myself. The level of business I am receiving has increased although a lot more work is still required.

I feel much more confident that my business is a realistic proposition and not a pipe dream. I am not under any illusions regarding timescales involved in building up the business as the majority of work will still come by word of mouth, however I will not now give up and believe that my financial goal is achievable.

In the process of setting up this business I have also trained as a Domestic Energy Assessor to give myself an additional source of income so that I can stop my employed work, still cover the bills and invest the time necessary in the coaching business to build it up to the level required.

It is my intention to finish work at the beginning of September when my youngest son goes to school, the childcare cost is then no longer an issue and by working for myself I will have the flexibility to collect my children from school every day – my primary motivator. I personally feel I have missed out through spending so much of their childhood at work and that this is my opportunity to lead my life the way I want to.

Michelle has been brilliant in understanding and supporting me in this!
Just want to give a very big thank you to her and the WBDA team.

For more information on Jackie Hart Personal Development Coaching please call 0845 325 3393 or have a look at her website http://www.jackiehart.org.uk/