Meet Innovative Woman Els Deboutte coach, trainer, author and creator of Make me Fly!
How and why did you start your business?
I started my business after my second burn-out when I really hit rock bottom and decided I really, really had to make a change. It was a struggle, as I was taught to go for a steady job, a secure income, work hard and please the boss and slowly climb the corporate ladder. I did all of that. The climbing was way too hard. After my second burn-out I decided I’m not made to work for anyone else. So when my boss during a minor restructuring ‘forgot’ to assign me a new position, I called my husband and told him I was going to resign. That’s what I did. I walked into my bosses office and told him I quit.
I secretly had this dream. Of helping and coaching people to reach for better ground, to stay true to who they are. I tried doing that through my HR roles, but somehow that didn’t fit. I didn’t have a real big plan back then (5,5 years ago). It took me a while to see it clearly and find my niche.
What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
What in entrepreneuring is not a challenge ;-)… My biggest challenge was to find my niche and to start saying no to all the rest. First time I did that, I went through the worst financial year ever. I felt like a total failure, not being able to pay myself during 3 months. What an entrepreneur was I… I got myself a sales coach who really kicked my but and joined Ali Brown’s Elevate. It was the best decision I made. It was an investement, my accountant is still surprised when he sees how much I spend on my own coaching and training, but it’s starting to pay of. I consider it an investment, not a cost. So invest in yourself and in your business.
How do you define SUCCESS?
Being able to do what you love and what you’re great at and be known and pay for it. Living a life that makes me and my loved ones happy.
If there was one thing you wish you knew before you began, what would that be?
I wish I would have had a mentor from the beginning. I had no idea entrepreneuring would be such a rollercoaster. So I wish I would have known that I needed to invest not just in my ‘technical’ skills (coaching, training) but also equally in my business skills. And where to get training from the best. What I also would have liked to have known, is that fear will be my loyal compagnon.
What makes you an innovative woman?
My ‘industry’ is still rather traditional. Coaching and outplacement is mainly done by big firms with great people, however a bit anonymous from the client side. In building my new team (kick-off will be soon!) I want to keep the personal touch. We’re dealing with serious human things, our clients have the right to know who they will be dealing with and to try and test before they put their faith in our hands. I do that in a different way than our competitors. I share, through my blog posts and the free monthly webinars, I have a free e-book. All of that not very shocking but not custom in my industry. Apart from that, I use ‘modern’ technology a lot. Not to make my life easier but to be able to offer a maximal result to the client at an acceptable rate and because I firmly believe as a job seaker or job changer you can’t afford to be oblivious about technology. The people who will hire you were born on an iPad…
To find out more about Els visit www.makemefly.be or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.