Meet Merrisha Gordon | Leadership Coach and Organisational Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Merrisha Gordon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Merrisha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In many respects I fell into my business based on my personal needs, but I suppose I became clearer about my business model once I saw other peoples’ needs. I was a Coach way before getting my coaching qualification, and had always found ways to coach people in my day job as a Healthcare Manager, but I hadn’t thought about monetising this. That was, until my personal situation changed, I became a single parent a few months before the start of the Pandemic. I desperately needed to bring in more money and so I started advertising and took on a few clients in the evenings, and then the Pandemic hit. Suddenly people had time and space to reflect. They were starting to ask questions about many areas of their life. Some people were struggling, others wanted to use this time to plan for their future. And suddenly I became incredibly busy. Over the course of six months I recognised the people who desperately needed support were actually people working in healthcare. And suddenly a model was born offering group coaching and training in healthcare and the wider public sector. Just one year later, I quit my 20year career, fully launched my business, and since that point have never looked back.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Typically in organisations, its the Senior staff that get access to coaching despite there being huge Returns on Investment (ROIs) for employers who invest in coaching. I work with all levels of staff, but I am particularly passionate about working with lower graded staff, who are often from marginalised groups. These are the staff who have huge potential, but they don’t always have the right support and mindset to facilitate this, often because of experiences in the workplace. Employers love this approach, because simply put, my training and coaching helps employers support good people and develop excellent people to stay in their organisations What makes me different is that I draw on my 20 year experience of working in the public sector. I have been my client and can relate to their experiences. But I’m also quite clear, there is nothing special about me. Which means if I can do it, they can do it too.

I have had numerous client wins.  Staff who came to me with zero confidence, able to audition for The Apprentice before the end of our relationship. Another clientt thinking promotion was beyond them, and then securing two promotions in six months. And more recently a client working on finding her authentic self, which became the basis of a Ted X talk.  But equally I am proud of all my clients. The ones who think the only option in life is to quit their jobs due to stress, to discover they have more control than they even realised and can choose a different route.

I’m in my second year of business, and I still pinch myself at the opportunities that I have had and how successful my business has been. I’m now starting to take on Associates as the company starts to expand, which feels really positive. I’ve been providing coaching for an international stylist community, coaching for Shaa Wasmund’s clients…the very person I looked up to, and have an article about to be published in a magazine. The next year will see me focus on online programme which can be accessible to more people.

Moving from employee to entrepreneur has been a steep learning curve. From managing finances, tax returns, marketing and tech to name but a few. And I am continuously learning. But what I have learnt is that when you follow your passion and purpose, everything else slots into place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live outside Birmingham, UK which is an incredibly vibrant and diverse city with lots to see and do for all ages. Anyone coming to Birmingham needs to take a visit to the Bull Ring, which is steeped in history dating back to the Middle Ages, with lots of amazing shops and restaurants.
Birmingham is the home of Cadbury’s World where famous Cadbury’s chocolate is made – a fab experience for young and old.
Birmingham has some amazing curry houses, so I would definitely suggest sampling a curry
And Birmingham has a famous Jewellery Quarter, allegedly Europe’s largest cluster of jewellery businesses, so it’s worth visiting to pick up unique finds as well visiting one of the many exhibitions or bars.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I had the knowledge base to deliver my services, but would never have had the business acumen and guts to take the risk without the wonderful Shaa Wasmund MBE. I discovered her amazing Empowered Programme which helped me to really fine tune my model, backed up with much needed mindset support. Since that time Shaa has mentored me in so many different ways, and I feel incredibly lucky that I stepped into her world.

Website: www.merrishagordoncoaching.com

Instagram: www.http://instagram.com/merrishagordoncoaching

Linkedin: Merrisha Gordon

Twitter: @merrishagordon

Image Credits
Amanda Clarke Photography Becky Wright Brand Photography AKP Branding Stories