Emily Potts is a business and executive coach who supports ambitious SME leaders and their teams to develop a crystal-clear vision of where they want to be, a concrete plan of how to get there and the confidence to step up and take the action needed to achieve more growth in their business with less stress. Her clients work with her so they can achieve their goals more quickly, more fully, and with greater peace of mind. They value the fresh perspectives and challenges her coaching brings and are confident that her combination of business, consulting and coaching expertise will help them deliver the outcomes they want for their company.
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before the venture/ corporate journey?
I grew up in the North-East of England and as a child enjoyed sport (swimming and rowing) and music. I keep my love of music alive by playing the bassoon in local orchestras today.
I studied history at university, where I also met my husband. We have two rapidly growing teenage children.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business/initiative? What motivated you within to say “YES, go for it!”
Hearing a sports psychologist talk about how she worked with individuals to help them focus on their strengths during team trials inspired me to find out more about how this simple but powerful approach to performance could be used within a business context.
After having run my own business for twelve years before selling it, I wanted to be able to bring all my learning and expertise together to support business owners as they grew their own businesses.
The desire to do work that would help others motivated me to make the leap and set up my own coaching business.
Running a business is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone!
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
I am currently focusing on developing a series of Organisation and Team Culture Design workshops. Strategy is vital to businesses, but how people interact to deliver that strategy is key to enabling its successful execution.
I am particularly interested in how to support businesses to create the best workplace culture that allows their business and their employees to thrive – whether this is through working together in person, remotely or a mix of the two in a well-designed hybrid approach.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
My completion last year of my ILM 7 Diploma in Executive Coaching and Mentoring means a lot to me as it marked the official start of my journey as a coach and highlights my commitment to continuing learning and development, a key value of mine.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I would like governments and businesses to give greater childcare support to parents so they have the structure in place to help them excel in both the business and home environment. So many people – women in particular – struggle to reach their potential as they manage the compromises involved in carrying out both roles.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women’s leadership today?
We are increasingly seeing women taking a leadership role in the world today whether in government or business. These women leaders are providing inspirational role models to the next generation who can see what is possible. We need to keep celebrating this change and not get complacent, as not all parts of the world support the right of women to act in the public sphere.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Keep working hard to be the change you want to see in the world. Commit to creating one small thing each day.
