Susan is a qualified trainer and coach, accredited by the Project Management Institute to teach project management courses and the PMP prep program. She’s also a Partner with ASC Training & Consulting, where she is responsible for sales, communications, project management, and leadership training.
Additionally, Susan is the co-founder and Executive Director of Skill-Pill Mobile Learning, a company based in London that offers mobile learning and information solutions to businesses.
She has worked with hundreds of individuals who are going through work and life transitions to offer guidance and advice on stress management, achieving promotion, realizing life goals, and career development.
For more details, visit the ASC Training & Consulting website here.
Today, we sit down with Susan to learn more about her journey as a coach, speaker, author, and entrepreneur.
Q. How did you start as an entrepreneur? What inspired you?
Susan: I started my career in London as a journalist. After that, I moved to New York and joined a major computer company to run their corporate communications. Some years later I moved to Los Angeles and set up my own PR agency specialising in high-tech marketing. Seven years later, I sold out and decided to broaden my portfolio of skills to include training and coaching. I now work with global brands, delivering over 40 different training programs ranging from leadership and influence to stress management and negotiation. I also work as an executive coach (qualified at Bristol Business School) and support people going through career transitions or wishing to develop specific professional skills.
Q. What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive?
Susan: Well, this is what works for me:
- Stick to what you know and love.
- Take measured risks.
- Take care of your health and well-being – no amount of money or success can beat good physical and mental health.
- Remember the advice your parents gave you as a teenager – ignored at the time but super valuable later in life!
- Seek support and support others.
Q. How do you stay organized with such a busy schedule?
Susan: My time management skills were not always as good as they are now. Experience and maturity have taught me to estimate how long things take and to always build in a margin of error. I rely on lists and love crossing items off. I keep just one diary which includes both business and personal appointments and notes.
It also helps to know what times of the day you are most productive. I am not an early riser by nature and also need a lot of sleep. My best times are between 9 am and 5 pm. After that, I shut down and enjoy a social event or just chill out.
Q. What would you do if you had a magic wand?
Susan: I would make people live by the mantra: “Love one another.” I would also use it to find a cure for dementia and cancer. Also, I would take care of our natural world and the animals, flora, and fauna that dwell in it.
Q. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
Susan: I would name it: “I Have Some Big News!”
Q. What motivates you?
Susan: A lot of things motivate me. Spending time with my 2 cocker spaniels, being with friends, joy and laughter, dancing to disco music, seeing the difference my training makes to people, and silence and reflection. These are the things that keep me going and inspired.
Q. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
Susan: American Funds mutuals. I was advised to invest in mutuals by a dear friend who told me to stick with them. The market, like the tide, ebbs and flows, but my mutuals have flowed more than they have ebbed.
Q. What key activities would you recommend entrepreneurs invest their time in?
Susan: I would say invest time in good strategic planning, networking, and learning new things every day – we are all a work in progress.
Q. What is your ‘one-sentence’ piece of advice you’d like to give to someone who wants to become an entrepreneur, coach, or business owner?
Susan: Develop a plan. Ensure you are passionate about the venture and have the requisite skills. Surround yourself with people who support you. Find a mentor.
To keep up to date with Susan and her journey, connect with her on LinkedIn.