A Facilitator's Journey: Real Life Stories Kirsty Lewis

To Niche or Not to Niche - That is the question!
Many are told early on in their foray into freelancing that niching is a good idea. whilst logical it can still leave us scratching our heads about how to start, where to start, how to do it and maybe even asking if it is worth it.
In this episode, Cat Hase and I talk about finding our niches and how to discover and refine your niche. We share the value of networking, seeking external validation, and conversing with others to gain clarity. Cat reminds us to stay open to opportunities outside of the niche and the importance of aligning the niche with personal values and interests.
Cat is a creativity coach and helps facilitators and trainers to bring more play into their workshops. Cat loves designing and creating activities. her favourite question is "Do you have any ideas for....."
In this episode we cover the following
The Topic of NichingKnowing What You Want to DoDefining What You Enjoy and Don't EnjoyThe Decision to NicheFinding Your NicheThe Importance of Retreats and ConversationsThe Moment of ClarityThe Value of Conversations in Refining Your NicheAdvice for Finding Your NicheNoticing Signs That Your Niche Isn't WorkingMyth: Niching Means Saying No to Other OpportunitiesShowcasing Your Strengths Through NichingThe Importance of Clear Communication and MarketingBuilding a Network of Niche ExpertsThe Role of Timing in Niching and Offer DevelopmentInvesting in Yourself and Your Business
My invitation to you is to grab a cuppa, join me on the pink seat and tune in your ears.
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A Facilitator's Journey is the podcast that looks at how you run your businesses as a facilitator or trainer.
You started this work because you have a passion that you want to share with organisations. However, there is the small detail that you are now running a business and this requires a whole other set of skills and knowledge.
Join me, Kirsty Lewis, Founder of School of Facilitation, as I interview trainers and facilitators about how they manage their businesses. I will explore how people run their finances, price their work, scale up, scale down, decide to retire, market themselves, manage clients, and much much more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, Kirsty and Claire Vintiner discuss various aspects of freelancing, including valuing oneself and one's work, reframing budgets, setting boundaries, and having great client conversations.
Claire Vintiner is a coach, a facilitator, and someone who isn't afraid to bring leaders and organisations together to play a transformative role in addressing people, planetary and systems challenges. Claire has experienced being an associate as well as working with her own clients.

As the conversation unfolds, Kirsty and Claire emphasize the importance of evolving and continuously working on one's relationship with money. They also highlight the significance of trust, both in oneself and in the process, and the power of saying no when necessary. They discuss the process of client conversations and how to effectively engage with clients through open questions, deep listening, summaries, and probing questions to understand the clients' needs and objectives.
Here are some of this episodes themes

How We Value Ourselves and Our WorkUnderstanding the Worth of Your WorkBuilding Comfort with the Reframing of BudgetsSetting Boundaries and Saying Yes or NoHaving Great Client ConversationsThe Client Conversation ProcessAsking QuestionsSummarizing and ParaphrasingProbing on AnswersBuilding Rapport and Small TalkAsking the Next Logical StepBudget DiscussionsProposal vs Concept NoteWinning Work on Quality
About the School of Facilitation Podcast, A Facilitator's Journey: Real Life Stories
A Facilitator's Journey is the podcast that looks at how you run your businesses as a facilitator or trainer.
You started this work because you have a passion that you want to share with organisations. However, there is the small detail that you are now running a business and this requires a whole other set of skills and knowledge.
Join me, Kirsty Lewis, Founder of School of Facilitation, as I interview trainers and facilitators about how they manage their businesses. I will explore how people run their finances, price their work, scale up, scale down, decide to retire, market themselves, manage clients, and much much more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, Ged shares with me his journey of leaving the world of retail and starting his own business. We discuss the challenges he faced in his early years and how he managed to overcome them. Ged emphasizes the importance of accountability and external motivation in driving his success. He also talks about his strategies to expand his reach and find new opportunities. Ged's story highlights the resilience and determination required to build a successful business
Ged is a Negotiation skills trainer and GSCOP specialist. He can be found commentating on the world of Retail on the BBC, writing in the Grocer or the UK papers.
We discuss a myriad of topics
Leaving the World of Retail
Year One: Starting the Business
Year Two: Getting By
Year Three: Financial Struggles
The power of external Motivation and Accountability
How Finding New Contacts and Opportunities is Essential
Building Relationships and Staying Relevant
The Power of PR and Using Media to Build Credibility
Utilizing Introductions and LinkedIn for Networking
The Power of LinkedIn for Business Growth
Resilience and Adaptability in Business
Grab a cup of tea and take a seat on the pink chair, enjoy!
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A Facilitator's Journey is the podcast that looks at how you run your businesses as a facilitator or trainer.
You started this work because you have a passion that you want to share with organisations. However, there is the small detail that you are now running a business and this requires a whole other set of skills and knowledge.
Join me, Kirsty Lewis, Founder of School of Facilitation, as I interview trainers and facilitators about how they manage their businesses. I will explore how people run their finances, price their work, scale up, scale down, decide to retire, market themselves, manage clients, and much much more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Gairdner started out in the corporate world in a variety of roles from commercial to marketing for a well known drinks brand and then diving into Banking in 2007 as that world started to collapse. He chose to leave corporate life to help a coach build their business and from there joined Heresy Consulting.
In this episode two parts of the conversation with James jumped out at me.
The first is his challenge to me as to whether I run a project shop or a business.
The second was a quote from Elliot Jacques which suggests the way we construct our businesses is a mirror of our psychology.
Both conversations have me thinking more about what it is I am doing in my business which is both supporting and hindering SOF's growth and development.
We talk about
The mental and emotional transition that occurs after leaving a corporateWhy James wanted to build a business vs evolve his craftThe benefits of having products in your training businessThe difference between being a business and a project shopThe triangle of projects, retainers and being a trusted advisorThe relevance of referral feesElliot Jacques thinking that we construct our businesses as a mirror of our psychologyWhy developing a reflective practise benefits us, our business, and our clientsWhy facilitators and trainers should have supervision
Come on in and have a listen.
If you enjoy this conversation let us know, hit subscribe, leave a rating or review
https://www.heresyconsulting.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-gairdner-1192a76/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about moving from working in-house to becoming a B:Corp business, how associate relationships benefit from transparency and communication and how niching is beneficial.
Phil Walsh is a man with a big heart who works with purpose-led organisations as a facilitator.
The conversation in todays podcast follows the natural curve of Phil's career. We cover a multitude of topics:
How to grow your facilitator or trainer skills in a corporateOur love of NLPLeaving the corporate world and finding those initial gigsThe world in 2007!A Kirsty rantAssociate green and red flagsWhy niche and the benefitsFinding direct clients and professional persistence
Grab a cup of tea, tune in your ears and take a seat on the pink chair
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A Facilitator's Journey is the podcast that looks at how you run your businesses as a facilitator or trainer.
You started this work because you have a passion that you want to share with organisations. However, there is the small detail that you are now running a business and this requires a whole other set of skills and knowledge.
Join me, Kirsty Lewis, Founder of School of Facilitation, as I interview trainers and facilitators about how they manage their businesses. I will explore how people run their finances, price their work, scale up, scale down, decide to retire, market themselves, manage clients, and much much more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kate Jones was a consultant with PA Consulting until she realised she needed to make a change and get out. For the last 11 years she has run Neon a boutique consultancy which aims to help leaders create more deeply human organisations.
In this episode, Kate and I discuss why she chose to leave the corporate world and how she thought she had associate work lined up, but it was retracted. What to do? Resign or Stay?
The conversation continues and we dive into these topics:
Leaving the corporate worldThe serendipity of finding the first piece of workExperiencing loneliness as a freelancerWhy community is important to elevate lonelinessThe need for professional developmentThe benefits of having a supervisorHow do you find work now?What happens when client work is quiet?
Come on in and have a listen.
If you enjoy this conversation let us know, hit subscribe, leave a rating or review

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About the School of Facilitation Podcast, A Facilitator's Journey: Real Life Stories
A Facilitator's Journey is the podcast that looks at how you run your businesses as a facilitator or trainer.
You started this work because you have a passion that you want to share with organisations. However, there is the small detail that you are now running a business and this requires a whole other set of skills and knowledge.
Join me, Kirsty Lewis, Founder of School of Facilitation, as I interview trainers and facilitators about how they manage their businesses. I will explore how people run their finances, price their work, scale up, scale down, decide to retire, market themselves, manage clients, and much much more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.