Sarah is the founder of Wyre-based Unlocking Possibilities, an award-winning training and coaching academy, specialising in methodologies rooted in psychology and neuroscience to bring about personal and professional transformation and change.
Below, Sarah, who recently completed Two Zero’s Women Scaling Up programme, shares some key learnings and insights on scaling a business.
What is the most important quality of a scaleup business leader and why?
In my opinion the most important quality of a scaleup leader is to know their ‘why’. Values driven leaders know what’s important to them and are able to hold their vision clearly even through the challenging times.
How have you grown and developed as a scaleup leader?
Personally, I’ve grown as a scaleup leader by investing in my own personal growth and learning from mentors who can show me my blind spots and challenge me to think bigger. Being willing to challenge yourself and upgrade your beliefs and identity is an essential quality for scaling your business.
How do you inspire and empower your people?
One of my core values is personal growth and I demonstrate this by my own willingness to learn and grow. I am also very passionate about the work I do and another core value is personal responsibility. I empower people by helping them to take ownership and responsibility for their life and believe in their dreams and goals.
‘Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day, teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime’ – Lao Tzu.
What is the best piece of business advice you have received and why?
The best piece of business advice I have been given is that there is always a solution to a problem and to let go of being attached to the outcome. Being able to lead yourself successfully is an essential skill and having a mindset that supports possibility thinking, creative thinking and problem solving enables you to trust that you will find a way no matter what.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned on your business journey, and how has this impacted you?
To trust myself and keep checking in with my thinking and emotions to check that I am where I need to be. A daily self-inventory is a great way to support mental resilience, health, and wellbeing. I was an almost burnt-out teacher; I have no desire to be a burnt-out business owner.
What scaleup business do you admire the most and why?
It is the ones that care about the people that I most admire. Businesses who invest in their people will have happier customers, higher productivity and engagement and will grow a culture that thrives.
What key metrics do you look at everyday in your business?
Key metrics that we measure are open rates and clicks on our emails so that we can nurture relationships and offer value. We check social media insights and engagements so we can send personal messages. On a weekly basis we check numbers of bookings on courses, sales and follow ups from meeting and networking.
What I feel is even more important is that we are doing what we are good at and that we are happy in our work.
What is the legacy you want to create?
The legacy I would like to leave is to have been part of a collective and shared responsibility for the mental wellbeing and happiness of humanity.
Through coaching and training I get to touch the lives of hundreds of people who then go on to touch the lives of hundreds and thousands more people. The ripple effect of this work is infinite, and I feel very blessed to be part of it.