Case studies: Feelgood Therapies

Feelgood Therapies
Lorraine Urquhart
Tel: 0131 337 1890
Email: info@ilovefgt.com

Background

When Lorraine Urquhart was made redundant from her job as Area Manager for Guide Dogs Scotland and Northern Ireland, it marked a turning point for her and spurred her on to start her own business providing services to help restore balance and reduce stress such as Reiki, Indian Head Massage and Aromatherapy.

Lorraine had been working in the charity sector since attending university as a mature student to gain a degree in Communications. For a long time before her redundancy, however, she had been thinking about the idea of starting a business and had already completed a two year aromatherapy diploma and learned Reiki to Master level by the time her job came to an end.

The Challenge Ahead

Although Lorraine saw the opportunity that redundancy afforded her as a positive challenge, she still had her reservations at first, as she explains,

“I was scared as I had never taken on such a big challenge before. I knew that with my skills and background that if it didn’t work out I would go back into my former career but at the same time there was a bit of me that really wanted this to work.”

Support Network

Lorraine turned to Business Gateway for help and advice on setting up her business and found extra encouragement and inspiration through Women Into Business Networking where she was able to hear other women talk about their experiences.

“Listening to others who had gone through the same fears and growth pains as me was a great encouragement. I attended WIB Networking events in Glasgow and Edinburgh where I heard inspirational talks, did a lot of networking and recently I attended one for advice on websites and marketing them. They are really excellent.” Says Lorraine

Lorraine also found that having a good accountant to help with the financial side of things was a great help when setting up and was lucky enough to have a partner who could help her set up a website, which contributes a great deal to her marketing strategy.

Launching the Business

Lorraine used her redundancy money wisely as she began the process of setting up the business and a sensible approach to finance allowed her to launch the company in a way that suited her, as she explains,

“I tried to keep my overheads really low. I had my redundancy payment, which I lived off and I used the first few months just finding my feet. I eventually did a bit of freelance fundraising consultancy to keep me going whilst I built up a portfolio of services and products and a mailing list of clients.”

“I personally believe in ‘organic’ growth. Not forcing myself to grow too quickly, which would be stressful especially when everything is so new and you are working for yourself.”

Gaining some extra skills for running a business such as an understanding of the Inland Revenue and learning how to use software programmes to keep track of processes and payments was an important step for Lorraine in this process. She already had many skills that would be very useful such as Marketing, PR and planning, but being the Director, therapist, tutor, marketing person and basic accounts keeper for her business meant that she would need a very well rounded knowledge.

Determination, flexibility, organisation skills and creativity were personal qualities that Lorraine already possessed, which meant that her enthusiasm and self-belief could be channelled productively into her new business.

What The Future Holds

Lorraine is optimistic about the future of the company and her commitment to slow and steady growth.

“I have a few ideas that are in the pipeline and I would like to bring some like-minded individuals into the business to work with me.”

“I would also like to use our web skills as a tool for our future work, developing both the therapy side and also working with schools for educational purposes.”

Advice for Others

Lorraine’s advice to other women hoping to start their own business is…

“Do your homework. Check out an idea for a business with as many people as you can possibly find outside of family and friends network who may just be overly nice or negative”

“Establish how you are going to fund yourself in the first 18 months. I’ve met a few people who get really stressed about even surviving and as I teach about stress and it’s affects I know that it spoils the journey and hinders mental progress and health.”

“Make a list of your skills and for those you don’t have be sure to get advice and support … you can’t do everything.”

“Ensure you look after your health – any signs of malfunction… take a break and get it checked out.”

“Remember that if you were only doing this for the money you might have stayed in your old job. This is more than just earning money. This is developing your inner spirit to its fullest strength.”