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Name: Deborah Hockley

Business: Set Your Mark Enterprises Limited, a career coaching and consulting firm for young women

Industry: Coaching & Consulting

Location: Oxford, England, United Kingdom

Reason for starting: Set Your Mark was born when I recognised a need that was not being met. The problem was that students at Oxford University, where I work as a graduate administrator, were concerned about life after graduating. In an age of high unemployment, would they find a job befitting their qualifications? Would they find a job at all? I was struck by the fact that these concerns were particularly troubling to my female students.

Set Your Mark is a platform that offers women, aged 18-35, the resources to advance in their chosen career path via career mapping, mentorship, networking, personal branding and advocacy. The vision for Set Your Mark is a platform that ultimately raises the career aspirations and achievement of women so that they reach their full potential as an employee or as an entrepreneur. Women are still under-represented in leadership positions. Set Your Mark assists women at every stage of their career to enable them to realise their professional goals and occupy leadership positions that will benefit society as a whole. Women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, Set Your Mark assists women at every stage of their career to enable them to realise their professional goals and occupy leadership positions which will benefit society as a whole

Related: Read about another coaching and consulting entrepreneur here.

How do you define success? Success is when you can face your fears and take on a challenge or dream, despite your fears.

Biggest Success: Deciding to take the huge step of launching my business despite facing huge obstacles in my life.  My goal is to launch a career academy and empowerment conferences that will inspire women to aspire for more in their careers. Through Set Your Mark, I aim to give women authentic examples of their peers living fulfilled and satisfying lives, within careers which influence the status quo and positively affect change for society as a whole. I believe that by bringing examples of these women who have been brave enough to chase their dreams, to the forefront we send the message that we are all capable of much more than we think.

Related: Three Years of Female Empowerment 

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? My biggest challenge has been gaining traffic to the site. I am working hard to upload the best content and resources that will be of great value and benefit to young women. I also still have my full-time job, so it can get difficult trying to balance it all.

Who is your most important role model? I look up to men and women who kept chasing their dream despite setbacks. Some of the role models I look up to are Tamera Mowry, Mother Theresa…the list goes on.

[box_light]Website   www.setyourmark.org
Twitter   @SYMEtweets
Facebook   www.facebook.com/SetYourMark[/box_light]

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Edited by The Story Exchange