Meet Rebecca Batstone: The Growing Club’s Coach & Trainer For Women In Business
Find Rebecca on social media!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live in Heversham with my husband, Rob and son, Matthew. We only moved to Cumbria 4 years ago after moving around the country quite a bit with different jobs and we love it. It’s definitely our favourite place to have lived and really feels like home.
I originally trained as a pharmacist, although that never felt quite the right career for me. I’m quite entrepreneurial having set up a number of different businesses over the years and have always found self-employment to be a really flexible way to manage the demands of work and family life (although it’s definitely not an easy option!).
I initially became interested in supporting women in business in 2011 when I owned a franchise of a women’s networking business and started informally mentoring and coaching the women in my networking groups. This was what really sparked my interest in coaching but for years I didn’t have the time or money to retrain as a coach. However, I never gave up on my dream and in 2018 managed to complete my coach training and very shortly afterwards set up my own coaching practice – Space and Clarity Coaching.
It’s gone from strength to strength over the last three years and I can honestly say it’s been the most rewarding and interesting thing I’ve ever done. Finally, at the age of almost 50, I’ve found my niche!
How did you get involved with The Growing Club and what is your role?
I first got involved with the Growing Club by attending one of their workshops. I then joined ‘Bloom and Grow’ as a participant, which I absolutely loved and through that I met Jane.
I’d previously done some enterprise mentoring and so I volunteered to be a mentor to women completing the Roots and Shoots course and since June this year I have also been delivering one-to-one coaching with women who are wondering which of The Growing Club courses might be most suitable for them or women who are stuck with some aspect of their business or career journey.
What is your favourite part of your role?
I absolutely love the interactions with the amazing women I meet through The Growing Club. As a coach I am, of course, inherently nosy and I love hearing about the journeys that the women have all been on to get them to this place.
Everyone has a story behind where they are and why they want to do whatever it is they are hoping to build a business from and those stories are fascinating. I love that by sharing my skills, knowledge and expertise I can be a small cog contributing to their success and that’s a wonderful feeling.
Have you any tips for women considering self-employment/entrepreneurship?
My biggest tip would be to seek out and nurture relationships with people who will be positive and supportive in your business journey. It’s never going to be all plain sailing so you need to know that you have supporters who will always have your back. At times being self-employed can be a lonely place but that supportive tribe will really get you through the toughest of days.
Self-employment is not always the easiest option but it really is worthwhile – for the sense of freedom and liberation that it can give you and the feeling of being in control of your own destiny.
Finally, never pay for advice until you have exhausted all of the possible free options or until you reach a point where you really do need a professional. I’m sad to say but I have seen so many people being ripped off thousands of pounds for basic advice.
There are clearly some areas where you absolutely need professional advice to stop you getting in a pickle – for example solicitors and accountants or if your business is in a highly regulated area (food or manufacturing for example) but even then you will be amazed at how many of your questions you can get answered for free. Keep your wits about you – take it from a Yorkshirewoman if someone is offering something that looks too good to be true, it is!
If you’re looking for advice on the courses that we offer, sticking points in your business or reconsidering your career journey, you can book a one-to-one coaching appointment with Rebecca here, supported by funding from The Galbraith Trust.
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