Longforgan-based Claire Standen is a life-coach who aims to help women build resilience through coaching and neuro linguistic programming (NLP).
How and why did you start in business?
I was led here by a desire to help women who’ve left their unhealthy relationships to rediscover their power. When I left my marriage, I realised I had a lot of healing to do, confidence to regain and it would be a massive investment in myself to do so. I’ve been on a mission to help other women do the same ever since.
How did you get where you are today?
I started with a course in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) which helps people gain flexibility in their thinking. It allows the recipient to start to see opportunities instead of barriers, solutions instead of problems. Humans use about 10 per cent of the intelligence available to us in our everyday thinking and I opened up to the deep intelligence within, which has taken me from struggling to make ends meet to starting my own business. Now I am studying for a counselling masters while doing numerous other courses.
Who has helped you along the way?
My friends have always been there and I can’t emphasise enough how important that’s been. Community-based enterprise support organisation GrowBiz has provided advice on marketing and finance. Business Gateway has given me practical advice and provide free business start-up courses. I’ve also invested in business and mindset courses, which have helped me focus. I have a life coach who helps me stay accountable to myself and pushes me.
What is your greatest achievement to date?
I occasionally spend time reflecting on how far I’ve come. Not so much on specific achievements, but if I had to pick one, it would be the day I made the decision to book my first NLP training course. It was one of the first times I acted guided only by a ‘feeling’. The rewards have been tremendous.
Hopes for the future?
I hope to have an online learning platform for clients to be able to connect with me from anywhere in the world. I know that one day I will have a physical premises in Tayside where women will be able to come for the respite and help they need to heal from emotional trauma, and to gain confidence and the drive to go back out there and make the most of their lives.
What is the hardest thing about running your own business?
Keeping your nerve! We all have times when we feel less hopeful or less optimistic. I know that other women see me continue to thrive, and that they know that there is a path they can follow to achieve the same. I just have to keep up the strength and determination to beat that path, day in, day out!
Advice to wannabe entrepreneurs?
It is possible! Build a dream that feels so real it becomes inevitable. You have to build up the contrast between what you have and what you want until the pain becomes so unbearable of staying where you are, that you take the leap into the unknown.
