Name: Carthage Buckley
Company: Coaching Positive Performance
http://coachingpositiveperformance.com
Location: Ireland
Favorite Tweeter: @thejaytray
1. Please provide a 2 sentence biography for yourself and/or mission statement.
I'm a Stress and Performance Coach who helps professionals and organisations to achieve optimum performance. I work with professionals who strive for continuous improvement and optimum performance in both their personal and professional lives, helping them to eliminate stress and maximize their performance.
2. Describe your business and why you started it. What is it that differentiates your business model from others?
Coaching Positive Performance is a Stress and Performance coaching organisation which assists organisations and individuals to transform their potential into the results they desire while remaining true to their values, purpose and identity.
We do this by helping our clients to identify sources of stress and develop strategies to eliminate them (where possible), or to manage them. We then help them to create a clear vision of what they want to achieve, create an action plan for its achievement, and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully implement that plan. This allows both individuals and organisations to maximise their performance and improve their health, wealth and happiness.
I started the business because I felt there was lack of resources and information which educated business people about the true nature of stress and its relationship to performance. Amongst the things that I found most annoying was the common acceptance of the myth of good stress. What is commonly referred to as good stress is actually pressure, and there are significant psychological and physiological differences between the two. I believe the concept of good stress to be both incorrect and harmful, and the acceptance of this concept is symbolic of the lack of understanding of stress amongst the business world.
3. What is one example of success you have experienced in your business and what characteristic helped you achieve it?
When I first decided that I was going to launch my own business, I spent many months preparing a business plan. I aimed to follow the traditional type of business plan. About a week before I was due to launch, I reviewed the plan and realized that this plan was not going to allow me to create the life I desired. The business might achieve some success but if I could not live the life I wanted, what would be the point. The most courageous decision I have ever taken, and the greatest success I have achieved in business was to rip that plan up and start again.
I started again, focusing on building a business that represented my values. The process of writing the plan was easier and faster and I now have a business which is a true expression of who I am and what I have to offer. My life is also more in tune with the life I desire and I see no reason to believe that I cannot fulfill all of my goals.
4. Which entrepreneur inspires you and why? What industry do they work in and what accomplishment is unique to them?
The entrepreneur whom I most admire is not somebody famous, it is an old school friend called Mark Kerrigan. Mark is joint owner of Vehicle Conversion Specialist Ltd, in Huddersfield, United Kingdom. The company has experienced steady growth since it’s inception.
The reason why I admire Mark’s achievement is because I have not just seen the end result; I have seen the years of graft, the amazing work ethic and the sheer ambition that has driven him forward. From our schooldays, Mark was committed to the family business in our home town of Clara, in rural Ireland. He spent 15 years learning the business inside out. Then, he was willing to take a big risk and move to the UK to pursue his ambitions of starting his own business.
Some entrepreneurs feel the need to tell you how good they are, others, like Mark, just work hard and demonstrate their ability.
5. What is one development you foresee in your industry in the next 10 years?
I see a great deal of growth in my industry over the next 10 years. Where previously people learned a great deal of their life skills within their community; these communities are now being lost to a more remote, mobile and fast moving society. As society continues to change at a hectic pace, people are going to need more support to maximize their opportunities and protect their wellbeing.
6. What trait is most important to succeeding in entrepreneurship?
Authenticity. Your business is not just business. It is an expression of who you are and the values you hold. It is the manner in which you will serve your purpose and serve this world. Your most important goals will be heavily influenced by your sense of self. You cannot achieve these goals if you do not stay true to who you are.
7. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering starting a business?
Don’t be a perfectionist. There are many things that you do not know. There are many more things that you don’t yet know that you don’t know. The real fun and sense of fulfillment does not come from the end result. It comes from the journey and the process of self-discovery which you undergo along the way. So, don’t wait for the right moment to arrive because it never will. Take a deep breath, step off the ledge and give it your best shot. As long as you have a vision, commitment and a willingness to learn; you can learn everything you need to know along the way.
8. What if your favorite book on entrepreneurship and one lesson you learned?
I would have to choose, ‘The Art of Happiness’ by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It may seem like a strange choice but I believe that your business is just an extension of who you are. When you embrace your entrepreneurial spirit, you allow yourself the opportunity to fulfill your purpose. In doing so, you allow yourself to experience happiness. This book will help you to remember what is truly important to you, when times get tough. If you lose sight of what is important to you along the way, you might make a lot of money but you will never be truly successful.
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