Rita helps businesses develop their teams and management strategies through the power of coaching. She has worked with a huge range of businesses from the very small to the huge, like the MET Police and continues to invest in her CPD.
Not forgetting the award she recently won for ‘Best Coach’ at The BEST Business Women Awards, here’s Rita’s success story in her own words to inspire you.
Three years ago, I was considering what to do with my life. Two of my children had flown the nest to go to university and I found that the greater focus on academic results meant that teachers, such as myself had less time to offer support and development for students. I found this to be a significant constraint. With My career as a teacher and lecturer stagnating and my children grown up, I still wanted to grow as a person and continue to meet and help people, just as I had done over the previous 25 years.
So, at 47 years old, I overcame my own limiting beliefs of being an older Asian woman who had left it too late to change careers and started again, as a coach.
Having been a secondary school and university teacher of Business & Economics for 25 years alongside running my own property business, and being a mother for 21 years, I realised that I could harness my existing strengths to make a real difference to others. Rather than simply help students to reach their academic potential, I could help students, parents and business leaders alike to change their mind-set, face challenges in a difficult environment and fulfil their potential in all areas of life.
When I discovered that my son was dyslexic I became determined to focus on his strengths rather than his weaknesses and I took a Postgraduate Diploma in teaching children with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia and dyspraxia. I then coached all of my children to develop their self-confidence, goal setting and career planning skills. Later, this focus on strengths awareness would become part of my own unique ‘SAVVI’ framework.
‘But then things changed. As they often do’.
Soon after I ’d made the decision to develop my coaching skills, I watched my mother in law take her last breath in the arms of my husband. Three months after that, I watched my own mother leave this world as well. In order to cope with this double loss within a few short months, I put to use the coaching principles I had learned. Consequently, coaching changed my life as it became a defining moment to launch my own business.
My loss and coaching acted as a catalyst to overcome my fears and limiting beliefs and gave me the courage to form my own coaching company, Savran Ltd., which I named after my mother and mother in law.
Within months from becoming a qualified coach I had my first client. Despite teaching business studies for many years, I had never had to pitch for business, and yet here I was competing against large consultancy companies and PLCs.
Coaching was a way I could help individuals that wanted to overcome challenges to achieve their full potential. By setting up my own coaching business, I could reach a far greater number of people and help them do the same. I decided to split Savran into three core areas: Savvi Corporate, Savvi Business and Savvi Education.
Since then, in just two years, Savran has generated substantial revenue from scratch; winning a contract from the MET police which has seen my team and I have worked with 300 Black and Ethnic Minority (BEM) police officers to increase diversity in the MET via new entrants and senior leadership roles. A huge accomplishment for a new business. Furthermore, Savvi Business has helped business owners to boost their leadership skills and grow their enterprises, whilst Savvi Education has enabled parents to strengthen their parenting and teaching skills.
I recently won the Best Business Women Award for Best Coach which I accepted at a dazzling award ceremony on 20th October 2016. I felt so humbled and honoured when the judges announced;
To have received, Small Business Coach of The Year on the 10th December at The Coaching Academy’s Awards was the icing on the 2016 cake! I feel blessed that I am able to take others through the process and help people achieve their goals and live a fulfilling life, just as I am!
I have created a unique trademarked framework – ‘SAVVI’ - which has five components to facilitate positive change. However, bidding and winning contracts is only part of what I do. As the founder of the business, it is important to me that Savran should give back to society so the company therefore offers pro bono coaching to voluntary organisations to helping develop the leadership skills of young people from diverse backgrounds.
To connect with Rita, please e-mail rita@savran.co.uk or to to find out more about SAVRAN, visit www.savran.co.uk.
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