I have met some truly wonderful people online and I was trying to find a way for others to get to know them as well. So, then I thought, “Well, Teresa…why not offer these people to do a interview of them and showcase them on your blog”….so that is what I am doing.

For the first interview, I would like to introduce you to a lady named Anna Farmery whom I met this past year at the online Podcasting Expo.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

 

I am 41 years old and live in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in the North of England. I originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant and spent 20 years in large multinational companies as a Group Finance and HR Director. I have been lucky, as I have always enjoyed work, enjoyed inspiring others to achieve the potential that I know is inside of them. The turning point in my life was when my business mentor (and my dad) died, he had always said that I should run my own company…when I turned 40 I thought you know, he was right..let’s have a go!
When did you start your business?

 

I started the business in April 2006 and really have never looked back. I love the freedom. I don’t necessarily mean in terms of time but mainly in thinking, in having the ability to have an idea that is not constrained by corporate rules, guidelines and of course …meetings!
Please tell us what The Engaging Brand is all about?

The Engaging Brand helps people how to boost their bottom line profits by engaging employees and consumers. Often people forget to link their people strategy to their profit and loss, I believe that you can link the two. So my work concentrates on helping individuals to create “engaging” personal brands, companies to create “engaging” employer and consumer brands. More and more my work centres around social media and indeed half of my time is spent speaking on social media. The great thing is that although I love the face to face sessions, the web means that I can hold a speaking session for a company in Singapore - all from my desk…fantastic!

So what does that mean on a day to day basis, well I deliver speaking, motivational, strategic, development, social media or coaching sessions - wonderful ! Each day I am working on how to inspire and how to release that talent inside people…..no wonder I love my working life.
What made you wish to start your business?

As above, the inspiration came from the death of my father who had always said that I should run my own company. I had got to the stage in my life where I wanted to give something back to the business world, I wanted to spend my time doing things that I love….the time had come to conquer that fear of failure and give it a go.

 

What would be your 3 top tips to let others who are new in business for themselves?

Never fear failure, fear not trying. If you are passionate about your business, you will work out how to achieve that dream.

Explore social media - blogging, podcasting etc Wonderful tools to promote your business with little or no budget. I have only ever spent £200 on marketing….

Always remember it is not what you want to sell, it is what people want to buy. Customers should be at the heart of your business. At the end of each podcast I quote Eleanor Roosevelt who said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel” I think that is a wonderful quote for business people.

 

What is the one subject that you would like to know more about either in business or in general?

I love to study the brain….now I bet you weren’t expecting that one!!

But I love to learn more about how we can engage and inspire people through the scientific research that is continuously being produced.

 

And what is next in the upcoming year for Anna Farmery and The Engaging Brand?

I have several products in the pipeline that is really exciting for 2008 - new products that will really help people to get the best out of themselves and others. Next year, I would like to also spend more time on personal coaching as I love helping individuals achieve that success that they are looking for in their lives.

Here is a fun question just for fun sake. What is your favorite color and why?

An unusual one but it is orange - it always makes me smile as it is so bright and vibrant. I always use orange t shirts for the gym as it gives me energy.

How can people get in contact with you?
Visit The Engaging Brand website
Listen to my weekly podcast on leadership
Phone Me: +44 (0)7914 381864 or Skype AnnaFarmery

Thank you so much Anna for chatting with me and agreeing to do this interview with me. You are a gem of a lady and a testament to taking a “bad” situation and turning into the positive to follow your dreams. Thanks again!

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 10th, 2007 at 4:26 am and is filed under Author Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.