This month in our interview series we’ve had the pleasure of catching up with and chatting to Eunice Chan, a much valued member of our Tree Shepherd family.
Our interviews to date have been with our clients, understanding their challenges and journeys towards self employment success. Today we are going a bit behind the scenes and talking with a member of our ‘family’ who helps turn those plans and dreams into a reality.
If you’ve ever used our fantastic mentoring service perhaps you’re already familiar with Eunice- she is one of our most requested mentors- and after hearing her story and passion for what she does you’ll see why.
Over to Eunice !
Can you tell us all a bit about how you came to be a mentor at Tree Shepherd?
I started volunteering as a Business Mentor at Tree Shepherd two years ago. I joined because I wanted to help startup entrepreneurs gain confidence in their journey by sharing my knowledge and experience. My own background working over 20 years in the fashion industry for both startups and corporate companies, including Ted Baker and Burberry and from these various roles I have gained vast amounts of experience and it’s from this that I base my mentoring on.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
I want to polish my coaching skills, and to achieve this I returned to university last year to pursue a Master of Arts in Coaching- I really am a believer in building on your skills no matter where you are in your employment journey. Every day is a learning day when it comes to being self-employed especially!
I am currently gaining more experience in business and leadership coaching and I am especially interested in empowering and coaching neurodiverse individuals in business and leadership. My dream would be that In five to ten years, I will have written a book about my research on these topics.
Is mentoring what you expected? Do you view the process differently now vs when you first started?
My business mentoring and coaching sessions have evolved significantly since I first started. Initially, my approach was primarily about offering comments and opinions based on my own experiences. While I still provide feedback, my sessions now focus more on collaborating with clients as a team and exploring both their personal and business worlds together. This shift is a change I implemented after studying coaching.
What have been some of your own biggest learning experiences mentoring other entrepreneurs?
I don’t know everything. This has been a biggee but it’s so freeing!
I have learned to be vulnerable and when I don’t know something, I ask people who know better. Getting Past the fear of judgement and realising that instead of judging you if you don’t know something,generally speaking people are actually happy that you have called on them for their knowledge / experience.
Teamwork makes the dream work. My coaching sessions are not about teaching the clients what to do but about listening to them, exploring different solutions, and finding the right ones to fit their business. What I offer is going through and growing the business journey together with the clients.
What will you never compromise on?
What I will never compromise is my own authenticity. I offer a discovery session to anyone interested in starting coaching with me. During the session, potential clients have the opportunity to get to know me and my coaching style. It is up to the clients to decide whether they want to continue being coached by me. However, it is very important for me to remain true to myself.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their own business?
First, book a coaching session with me! Haha, just kidding ( Tree Shepherd team member here- seriously, do!!!! You won’t regret it and it could be one of the single best decisions you make with respect to getting your business off the ground ).
I believe that when someone starts their own business, they have already gone over their ideas many times and truly believe in their products or service. So, keep believing in yourself because once you launch your business, it can be very lonely, and you might even start doubting yourself. Remember to stay connected with people who genuinely believe in you and uplift you. Walk away from negativity.
What do you do when things don’t go to plan?
Trust me, you will be lucky if things go according to plan. However, when things don’t go to plan, face it and analyse the issue: What went right? What went wrong? What have you learned from the mistake? Finally click the ‘reset’ button and try again with the insights you have gained.
How do you define success?
Success is being better than your yesterday’s self. Sometimes, we learn through the mistakes we make, and that is a success. Sometimes, we do something outside our comfort zone, and that is a success. It is also a success when we simply read one more page of a book because we are moving forward and learning something new every day. I wish all of us success!
We want to say a massive thank you to Eunice for her time today. If you’ve been inspired by her journey and experience why not book in with her to see how she can help YOU too reach your goals.
