smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Anya Sizer of PowerChange started her own business as an infertility coach with the last £4,000 of her savings. One year on and she is breaking even with turnover of £3,000 to £4,000.

Where did you get the idea?

Having received IVF for six years and having had two children, I realised what a huge gap there was in the market for infertility coaching support. With the IVF chapter of my life over, after the birth of my second child, I had the idea to use my experiences to provide a unique service.

What has been the hardest part of starting the business?

Self confidence. Realising you’re not going to make a profit straight away. Because my background wasn’t in business the whole experience was a learning curve. If I could go back and start again I would make sure I had a more organised financial system and database.

What did you do before?

I was a youth worker for three years and had been training to be a councilor for a further three. Although I’d never previously thought of starting a business, when I was growing up my mum worked as a therapist from home so I suppose doing it myself was fairly natural.

How have you marketed the company?

At the beginning I did all the leafleting myself. Since then I’ve been very interested in using the media to raise my profile, having spoken on the radio, written in IVF journals and being interviewed in newspapers. I also recently spoke at the National Infertility Day, where Dr Robert Winston was one of the guests.

What’s next?

Obviously I want to see the business increase its turnover. I’m also writing a book that is due out, and further down the line I want to design courses and which can be used in other clinics and workshops.

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