This story is part of our 1,000 stories campaign. What’s your story?

Name: Kelly Magowan

Business: Kelly Magowan – Author, Career Strategist & Executive Coach

Industry: Coaching & Consulting

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Reason for starting: While I have been fortunate enough to enjoy a corporate career earlier on in my work life, I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. It was in my mid-to-late twenties that I started to develop the confidence to establish my own venture. I started a small HR, recruitment and careers consultancy in my twenties, which was sold a few years later. After this, I took the plunge, moving into the technology and online-membership space with Six Figures, an online jobs and careers site. Throughout this time, I have always had a sideline doing career coaching, which in the past 5 years has become my focus. My work life has been centred on supporting others to empower them in their work life. This is my passion and my purpose. I work with clients on a one on one basis, in groups and virtually.

Related: Read about another Coaching & Consulting entrepreneur here. 

How do you define success? Success has meant different things for me at different stages of my work life. I look at the three F’s – fun, fame and fortune! The aim is to have at least one of them being met. In recent years, I have added the fourth F – flexibility. This has changed with having children and the need to adjust how I work.

Biggest Success: I am most proud of making the decision to back myself. I was not a particularly confident person in my youth and early twenties. However, I am so pleased that I continued to challenge myself and overcame the hurdles to be master/mistress of my own destiny. Through this, I have met with the most amazing people and have had an exciting career path. It has also helped me to be a great career strategist and executive coach. It is a privilege to work with my clients, and I feel success whenever I see them achieve their career goals, no matter how big or small.

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? My success and top challenge are linked. Confidence to back yourself, this was my number one challenge, which I overcame. However, it is something that you need to keep working on as you take on bigger challenges in business and work.  Whenever I experience self-doubt about my abilities to achieve my goals, I revisit all the things I have achieved that I did not think possible. This helps me re-focus and propels me forward. It is so easy to forget and dismiss the enormity of all the challenges we have overcome in the past. Through reflection I can regroup and find the confidence I need.

Related: Expanding Upon Success 

Who is your most important role model? I don’t have any one most important role model as I am continually motivated and inspired by those around me who I know closely and those who I have only ever read about. I am inspired by people like Anita Roderick, founder of The Body Shop. I also love Janine Ellis, Boost Juice’s founder, Coco Chanel, and Steve Jobs of Apple. When it comes to career coaching my most important role model is Paul Stevens. I am just as inspired by my parents and my clients — they never cease to amaze me.

[box_light]Website   www.kellymagowan.com
Facebook   www.facebook.com/careerstrategist[/box_light]

Tell us your story!
Read about another Coaching & Consulting entrepreneur here!

Edited by The Story Exchange