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A Powys solopreneur launches an online training business, focused on professional and personal development courses.
An experienced adult educator, having developed and run online courses for a number of years, Siobhan Riordan decided to invest her knowledge, skills and belief in creating a new kind of virtual training using a Learning Community model.
Learning Communities Network received support from the Welsh Government’s Business Wales service and was able to launch successfully, already attracting customers from as far afield as Australia and the USA.
- Successful start and 1 job created.
- Start-up and specialist advice on business and financial planning, marketing and web presence.
- Commitment to the Business Wales Equality Pledge to ensure the business operates in an inclusive manner.
- Commitment to the Business Wales Green Growth Pledge to ensure socially responsible operations.
Introduction to business
Solopreneur Siobhan Riordan founded Learning Communities Network (LCN) to bring together a team of dedicated academic, vocational and creative educators to deliver Learning Communities.
Learning Communities have been created in recognition of the need for new skills to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The concept uses participatory teaching methods and focuses on creating learning processes grounded in practical experience.
We caught up with Siobhan to learn more about her start-up journey:
Why did you decide to set up your own business?
I was made redundant from my job in November. I am 57 years of age and having worked in the charity sector for most of my life, I have no assets or savings to fall back on. With so many sectors decimated by Covid-19, the job market is highly competitive, and I just didn’t have the energy to compete. So, I asked myself, what do I want most in life? And three priorities emerged:
- To spend my days with my beloved dog, Elsa. A Bosnian street dog, I rescued her at 8 months of age. Completely feral and deeply traumatised from her short life experience, she moved in with me. I was recovering from a heart attack and was told that my heart condition is genetic, and nothing can be done about it. I knew if I was to stay fit, I needed a dog to take me out every day for a walk. And so, four years ago, this amazing creature entered my life and now brings me joy every day. Hence, my first priority.
- To meet my first goal, I needed to be a home-based worker. I have been running courses online for my previous job and am confident in the virtual world. I am skilled at using technology and adept at presenting in this medium.
- I wanted to spend my days doing something I was passionate about. As an educator with over 30 years’ experience, I love designing and creating courses. With Covid-19, the shift to online delivery has seen a rapid escalation in this market and it was the natural space for me to pursue my passions.
With these three goals, Learning Communities Network was born in November and within 3 weeks of 18-hour days, I launched my business online on 6 December 2020.
What challenges did you face?
With decades of experience, I had all the course materials and content for my business, but digital marketing was completely new to me. I knew I needed a website but had no money to pay for one. So, I needed to upskill myself, and fast! Another ongoing challenge is identifying and finding ways to target my customers. I was blessed when a dear friend, Lesley Mulvihill from Positively Powered in the USA, stepped in and offered to develop my website. With this foundation, I was ready to go.
Business Wales support
With the help of Business Wales’ general and specialist business advisers, Debra Davies-Russell and Catherine Rowland, Siobhan has been able to develop her business plan and financial forecasts, and define her pricing strategy and branding. Business Wales also provided advice on a website development and social media marketing, helping Siobhan attract clients from as far afield as Australia.
Having previously worked with social enterprises, Siobhan recognised the importance of corporate social responsibility and promoting LCN as a responsible business. As a result, she implemented an environmental policy and signed up to the Business Wales Green Growth pledge, boosting her reputation among stakeholders and highlighting actions that the business is taking in order to reduce its environmental impact.
Siobhan has also adopted an Equality and Diversity policy as part of her Equality Pledge, and will focus further on her online presence with help from the Superfast Business Wales service.
Outcomes
- Successful start and 1 job created.
- Start-up and specialist advice on business and financial planning, marketing and web presence.
- Commitment to the Business Wales Equality Pledge to ensure the business operates in an inclusive manner.
- Commitment to the Business Wales Green Growth Pledge to ensure socially responsible operations.
I saw an ad about ReAct on my timeline – the Welsh Government fund for retraining those who are made redundant. I met an amazing adviser (Avril Wood) from Career Wales who really encouraged me and saw the value of my business. I secured the grant and did several 1-day courses in different aspects of digital marketing. From this, I was referred to Business Wales. My advisers, Debra and Catherine – again two women, provided invaluable encouragement and reassurance about my business.
They helped me formulate a business plan and prioritise the areas I needed to invest the finite time available to me. They helped me access opportunities for online learning, access legal advice about the responsibilities of website ownership, secure the Business Wales Green Growth Pledge and Equality Pledge, and were invaluable cheerleaders on the journey of creating a new business.
Having access to business advisers provided critical support when I needed it the most. I was blessed having both of them as my advisers, and their contribution and support will have a lasting impact on my business.
Future plans and ambitions
I want Learning Communities Network to become a platform for innovative education and educators. My first strategy is to have my courses accredited as Continuing Professional Development with the CPD Certification Service. My second strategy is to market through blogs. I have invested in Susie Moore’s course on how to get published on the internet.
Very early on in my journey, I realised I hate social media! I don’t want to have to spend my days on Facebook or Instagram, so discovering that I can still market via writing blogs has been a wonderful revelation. My goal for this year is to have on my website “As Seen In…” with links to all my published articles.
As a published academic, I am confident in writing and am excited about discovering this whole new area of digital marketing. Here’s a great blog I wrote recently:
https://www.learningcommunitiesnetwork.com/1179-2/
Finally, I want to develop my courses to become accredited Level 2 or 3 Awards, partnering with Open Awards.
If you want to read more success stories of how Business Wales has helped other people like you to start or grow their businesses, visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/case-studies or follow @_businesswales / @_busnescymru on Twitter.