Resident in Focus: Niamh Crawford-Walker, Coach for Small Business Owners and Freelance Writer
This month we interview Niamh Crawford-Walker, freelance content writer for Ormeau Baths and Founder of #Goals, a coaching company dedicated to helping women start their own side-hustles and small businesses.
Tell us more about your role:
In my role as a writer, I have the joy of helping purpose-led businesses bring their brand to life through storytelling content such as blog posts and email marketing. One of my favourite clients is, of course, Ormeau Baths, which means I'm usually on the other side of this interview, asking the questions to fellow community members and writing blog posts to bring value to the Ormeau Baths community.
I'm also a fully-trained coach and run my own business called #Goals where through 1:1 coaching, workshops and products I work with creative women to help them clarify their goals and build the small business or side-hustle to make their dream career a reality. I get really hyped about helping women achieve their goals, so much so that I even named my business after it - #Goals.
Business goal for 2020:
Coaching is my biggest passion and my goal for 2020 was to transition my workload to 80% coaching and 20% freelance content work. I'm grateful to have achieved that goal so now my focus is on being consistently fully booked with coaching clients each month and continuing to grow #Goals.
I'm about to launch my first product on 15th November. It's something I'm really proud of and brings together a lot of my coaching and workshop materials in a way that's accessible to all. The first run is limited but I've set myself a goal to sell 100 before the end of 2020. It's the perfect gift for anyone who has taken the leap to start their own business or whose career priorities have shifted over lockdown, they're ready to embrace their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit but aren't sure where to start. If you'd like to be among the first to access the product on launch day, you can sign up to the mailing list here.
What excites me most about my role:
Most of my coaching clients come to me with an idea about how they'd like to change their career. It's often something they've wanted to do for a long time, having spent time daydreaming about running their own business, making money on their terms doing work they love, but something has been holding them back from following through and achieving the results they'd like. Working one to one with them I have the honour of witnesses those breakthrough moments where they're able to identify and release those blocks holding them back, unlock their true potential and smash through their goals whether that's launching a new side-hustle they've been dreaming of or taking their side-hustle to a full-time business. When someone realises the true power of their capabilities, that energy is contagious.
The biggest lesson learned in lockdown:
I'd say the biggest lesson I've learned in lockdown is that success is very personal. That and the fact that you're at your most powerful when you allow yourself to show up as exactly who you are. I think lockdown and the events of 2020 forced us all to check in on our priorities. It allowed me room to take things at my own pace, step back from comparing my business to others and focus on building a business in line with my true values and long term vision.
My favourite thing about working in a co-working space:
Hands down, the people and the community. Within Ormeau Baths there's a huge sense of camaraderie. Everyone is rooting for one another and has each other's back. Being a member of Ormeau Baths when I started my freelance business really helped me get my business off the ground. From the word go, I had people giving me referrals and sending work my way. It made a world of difference to the growth of my business and helped me to transition into self-employment confidently.
The advice I would give to business owners right now:
Keep going. Don't give up. Keep your eye on the prize and remember why you started. in times of overwhelm, cut yourself some slack and remember that you're still navigating a global pandemic. Focus on what you can do right now to keep moving forward and do that one thing today. Ask yourself the same question tomorrow and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
