“I love to work with women who want to stretch out of their comfort zones and lean into the joy that a business can bring.”
Jane Elley, founder of The Empowerment Project, has always been driven to be her own boss and embrace the freedom and independence that comes with this. With a background encompassing a decade in animal-related roles, including vet nursing and travel, Jane spent the next 29 years as her own boss within a Global Direct Sales Company. This experience provided her with practical insights into business, challenges, and determination.
Since March 2020, Jane has dedicated herself to building The Empowerment Project. She aims to share her knowledge, inspiring women to achieve their best and never give up.
The Empowerment Project is about celebrating the strengths women have, and finding that often hidden ‘genius zone’. Jane offers a variety of coaching options to suit every woman’s unique journey. She enables women to unlock their true potential and ignite personal and business development with her bespoke coaching and mentoring packages.
As a Mum of three and someone who understands the challenges of balancing work and personal life, her coaching is designed to help women maintain balance while achieving success in their business ventures. Her coaching options include retreats, networking groups, and individual coaching sessions, all tailored to the needs of the everyday woman who wants to improve her life, career, or business.
What Jane enjoys most is mentoring, coaching, and teaching women how to develop, progress, and achieve success in life or business! She loves supporting women and is passionate about supporting all women to discover and develop their personal success stories as well!
Jane says that while she may not always find the time to actively participate in the HerBusiness Network events, the abundance of resources and numerous online training sessions, especially through the Facebook Group, ensures that her knowledge stays current, and her creative ideas continue to flow. She says that the environment at HerBusiness is not only supportive and friendly but also maintains a professional and inspiring atmosphere.
Alongside her partner Dave and two of their three children, she lives on a farm in Springston, outside of Christchurch. With two energetic dogs and a cat, her home is filled with lively companions. She loves to travel overseas, nature walks, family holidays, boating adventures, and quality social time with friends over a glass of wine. She finds immense joy and inspiration from her fabulous business, cherishing the connections and experiences it brings into her life.
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
I have a few, particularly from my previous business however, I would have to say that what Suzi is doing is very inspiring to me. I find she has a huge amount of content to share, works hard to make you feel included and has a very professional yet quiet and relaxed persona that encourages me.
Why did you start your business and what gave you the idea?
I had finished 29 years in a direct sales business I loved, and would still be doing, if they hadn’t suddenly left New Zealand and Australia in March 2020 without warning. It left me in shock as I had built up a large clientele, security of income, travel, perks and a great network of inspiring women, plus a fruitful retirement for the future. I was not ready to let all those dedicated years of training and success skills be lost, and while on a walk down my country road during Covid lockdown one day, I came up with the bold plan to create my own coaching business for women in Direct Sales, so I could pass on all the success shortcuts and inspiration to support their businesses too. It has evolved to all women in small business, youth and people who struggle to reach employment and courses in goals and mindset along with a Network for women too.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
Autonomy. Freedom. Continuing to call the shots, being independent, my boss, the inventor, and having the passion to create whatever I want to do to help others in my coaching business.
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
For THIS business of just over 3 years:
- Get someone to create a small website for me, not a big fancy one as I did and that took months, took too much money and wasn’t in the end relevant.
- Don’t jump into trying to learn the tech or big things, employ someone to do that so you can get into doing the actual work
- Get into small business women’s group to find the right person to help guide me in finding clients right away.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
- Get the right advice from the right expert in your field.
- Set a 12-month goal broken into 3 months, then 1 month, and weekly targets to achieve.
- Get a small loan for the tech or business support you need that will save you angst, time and money in the long run, to enable you to get in front of clients quickly.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
- Marketing
- fb, linkedin, insta, email
- how to get yourself creating online asap
- managing the basics of running the business.
What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
My ideal and that I am now ‘goaling’ toward has a mix of in-person coaching, courses, and online networking with other business owners, but that is online. Have all my content into online webinars and courses so it can reach many women in all parts of the world.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
I keep this going because even if I can’t always find the time to get involved, the resources and countless training online and through FB groups keeps my knowledge up and my ideas flowing. It’s very supportive and friendly, but professional and inspiring.
Learn more about Jane and The Empowerment Project.
