The Big Change

I was asked recently in an interview I gave about what has surprised me the most in my career. It’s not something I’d thought about previously to be honest, but what immediately came up for me was the fact that I’d be doing this now – coaching, running a small business, working solo, without any corporate-job safety net.

And the fact that was the surprise, surprised me, if you know what I mean.

But you’ll get it when you hear the backdrop. The potted career history is falling into a corporate career in the banking sector following university, climbing the ranks pretty quickly, moving organisations a few times, but ultimately operating as a director in these mammoth infrastructures, leading big teams, accountable for big budgets, change and delivery.

There’s loads more to tell, but for the purpose of this story, I never saw myself doing anything different. Even in the tough times. I felt I had found my place, a decent reputation, could earn a good living, make a bit of a difference, and work with amazing people along the way.

The turning point came in 2012 with a health event knocking me over and no organisational support there to pick me up again. It taught me more lessons than you can imagine.

And it also was the start of the big change.

 

The Winding Path

This happens to lots of people – the winding path of career change. You do one thing and it leads you somewhere else. That definitely happened to me. After picking myself up the only way I knew how, I looked to the future and decided on a way forward. Multiple times.

I knew it was going to be my own business and that it would be something to do with helping people be at their best. Going solo felt scary. And I was completely naïve going into it, having always had the backing and safety net of big co behind me – something you don’t realise the benefit of until it’s no longer there.

I trained and practiced as a Nutritional Therapist for a while (3 years of what felt like training to be a full-on medic LOL). Then I formalised all my previous coaching qualifications with some additional training and accreditation. Coaching was definitely the way forward, with a bit of health support thrown in where beneficial.

Around 2019, and just prior to the occurrence of a somewhat gigantic global event, my coaching business was formed in the guise it exists today. It’s evolved a lot since then, but ‘Deborah Bulcock Coaching’ has stayed.

 

The Patronising “that’s nice” Comment

You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who assumed I was going small. Comments like “it’s nice to do a hobby” and “at least you won’t be working all those long hours”.

In those challenging early years of starting your own business, I started to believe them at times. “Is this it? Do I just settle for less? This is really hard.”

In fact, harder than any corporate job I’ve had. Responsible for every single thing in the business, no “expert” to turn to. No investment pot to dip into. Working every hour. Wanting to spend 100% of your time doing the thing you love – delivering coaching – yet spending most of it on business development – that crucial thing you never really thought about.

But I’m not a half-hearted person. This was to be my future, I didn’t want to go back to an employed position, and so I was determined to make a success of it – work I loved and something commercially viable for as long as I needed it to be.

And I was adamant to prove that person wrong who said “that’s nice, but you know you’ll never earn what you did in corporate”. Watch this space I quietly pondered, along with some other choice thoughts!

I’ve never needed the build-an-empire and sell-my-business kind of commercial success, but I wanted a business that was enjoyable, fulfilling and felt sustainably secure financially.

 

Small Business, Big Impact

If I look at what I do now vs what I’ve done in the past, it can undoubtedly appear small on the face of it. Size and scale couldn’t be more different. Job title nowhere near as grand. No big teams. No massive budgets. A simple operating model. Minimal infrastructure. Just me, a few other self-employed professionals, making up the virtual team.

But this isn’t small by any stretch. Certainly not in terms that matter to me these days.

I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders, helping them be their best, and make the difference that matters across multiple organisations. I make an impact that truly matters to those I support – they tell me so, in detailed terms. I’ve written two books that have helped many people. My work comes nearly exclusively from recommendation. I intentionally invest in suppliers who are other small businesses because I know the difference that makes to them. I do work I love. I do it on my terms. I make my own decisions. And I create the future I want – with intention.

For me, it’s everything. And I believe the ripple effect is sizeable, all focused-on things I care about.

I no longer worry what others may think of the shift I made all those years ago. When you’ve reached a level of peace with your professional journey, the importance you once placed on those views begins to fade.

 

Why Am I Sharing This …?

Because you wouldn’t believe the amount of people that share with me their dream of doing something different, or the amount of people who have done something different and share their fear of not making it viable. And they do it in hushed voices, with a level of hesitation.

Honestly, if I can create something sufficient to support myself for all the years I have, when the whole thing was completely unplanned and I didn’t really have a clue – you can too!

Never think going out on your own is going small; it’s probably the bravest thing you’ll ever do.

If you want to know more about me, what I do and why, take a peek here. And feel free to connect on LinkedIn – I’m always sharing bits of my journey along with anything else I think may be helpful.