When it comes to new entrepreneurial endeavors, three things come to mind: having a strong business structure, creating long-lasting relationships and bringing impactful products to the market. In order to accomplish this, Adela Ioniță, founder of “Tu în centru Coaching”, discovered The CIRCLE, a project that helps businesses develop digital, creative, sustainability, and wellbeing skills. The project brings together four organizations: Zitec, Impact Hub Bucharest, Impact Hub Madrid and Materahub. We joined this initiative through our Innovation Grants Consulting service, enabling our clients access to innovative technologies.
Adela shared with us her thoughts regarding her entrepreneurial journey and how The CIRCLE helped.
Can you tell us a few words about your business venture?
I am the founder of “Tu în centru Coaching”, a coaching business that helps people master themselves mentally and emotionally. So, they can fully embrace life and not fear adversity. Through my coaching methodology, people can better understand how they function in order to be able to access their internal and external resources when needed. The main areas of my coaching practice are self-mastery and procrastination.
I work with entrepreneurs and middle-top managers who want to move from one level to another. I guide them to find and use their abilities to turn adversity into growth.
What is your favorite part of being an entrepreneur? What do you find the hardest about it?
When choosing between being an employee and an entrepreneur, the question that arises is: “how can I live a fulfilled life?”. For me, the answer came in the form of my own business. As an entrepreneur I am living by my values and principles, I create and I help people. Thus, I can see my contribution to the world. I would say this is the best part for me.
I consider everyone should find their own place where they can express themselves, while fully exploiting their time, abilities, and talent.
The most challenging aspect for me is constantly coordinating activities, planning, anticipating, and ensuring a business flow. Being a coach is easy. Being a business person is a little bit harder and I am constantly learning and practicing.
Given these times of disruption and upheaval we’ve been living for the past 2 years, in what ways do you feel they have affected your business and your well-being as an entrepreneur?
I have been working on my own since 2018 as a content writer and soft-skills trainer. But I started my coaching business in the spring of 2020. Basically, I have faced the pandemic disruption and upheaval while setting up a business.
Starting in a fresh setting, with no previous experience, I immediately seized the opportunity to shift to online, communicate and work with people from different places, at different hours. The fact that people became familiar with the online meetings and accepted them as the new way of working was of much help to me.
The only limitations of my business were my own fears, the uncertainty and the anxiety around the pandemic. Otherwise, people were very open to coaching. Both men and women were open to change their lives. The identity shift movement is present more than ever. People have understood that time waits for no one, and opportunity is created, not expected.
As for my well-being, I was quite confused at the beginning of the pandemic. I was also very worried regarding the military aggression. But after dealing with my emotions I managed to rise stronger and wiser. I am a Self-Mastery Coach so I always try to better myself in order to navigate gracefully through life.
I don’t always land on my feet, but I know how to stand up and where to go next. This is the principle I applied in my business: I may not know everything and I may have bumps along the way, but this is no excuse for remaining stuck. Moving forward brings clarity.
How did The CIRCLE get your attention and what are your reasons for joining the project? What are your expectations?
I was searching for accelerators, incubators or any kind of programs suitable for coaches. When I found the CIRCLE, I realized it was a project that tended to my business needs, so it was an easy choice. Furthermore, having the experience of an international group was another benefit, as well as its curriculum.
I had no expectations. I was just curious and open to the initiative. The program was a very nice surprise, with many useful learnings.
Did digital transformation play an important part in your business before you joined The CIRCLE?
My business has been 100% online since its beginning, and it is now moving towards offline as well. Through the CIRCLE, I was confirmed that the digital approach has lots of advantages for any kind of business.
Can you name a few key points you’ve learned from the learning circles so far?
Each workshop brought something new and useful. I was reminded of the “6 Thinking Hats” model, which I started to apply in my meetings with great results. Also, I redefined my business model following the Business Model Canvas. This has made me clearly understand how I can create better programs to serve my clients, and have a better system for a sustainable business.
One thing I was not focusing on that much was the impact that my online coaching business had on the environment. After the CIRCLE workshops, I became more aware of the consequences my and my clients’ businesses have on the environment and the improvements we can make.
What do you think your business and you, as an entrepreneur, will look like in a year after finishing this program?
The CIRCLE brought together people from Spain, Italy, and Romania, a united group of creative entrepreneurs. This kind of friendship is priceless because it will help all of us grow as people and as entrepreneurs.
I am definitely more prepared business-wise. I have more structure now, so in one year I am confident that “Tu în centru Coaching” is going to have an increased impact in the coaching field.
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