I believe strongly that in today’s world if you want to be successful you need to be improving your skills on an on-going basis. Angela Sethi believes so much in the benefits of continuous learning that she decided to start her own training company, Second Floor Locker, with the goal of providing an unbiased learning environment for those people who want to learn something new.
PE: Why don’t you tell us a little bit about Second Floor Locker and what it’s all about?
Second Floor Locker is essentially a a ‘Higher Learning’ company. I saw a need to offer ‘1-shot’ workshops/classes on topics of general interest. The goal is introduce people to fun and relevant topics – hosted by local professional speakers.
PE: What was your inspiration behind starting an adult workshop business?
I bought a house for the first time & didn’t know what I was doing. I created a budget for the first time and didn’t have a lot of advice. I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if SOMEONE NEUTRAL told me all about what has to happen to make these both successful’? And then I realized that I had enough ‘experts’ in my social circle to do workshops like this on Goal-setting, Body Language and Nutrition. From there, its just grown.
PE: I always enjoy hearing about people’s visions. What’s your vision for Second Floor Locker and where do you see the business in say 3-5 years time?
In 3 years, I would hope that the word has spread & I have sold out workshops. I also would like to start selling merchandise online to support the speakers’ suggestions. I have many thoughts on where the company should go..right now, as I host the workshops, I’m learning more and more about my market and partners. My thinking is that by doing this, I’ll become an expert and the right path will continue to unfold.
PE: What did you find to be the most difficult aspect of staring up your own business?
Honestly – making the initial commitment. I wasn’t sure what I was doing! But I knew I needed to do it. It is risky – putting yourself out there to everyone you know (and strangers) – you want it to be a success.
PE: If you were able to give a single piece of advice to another entrepreneur who is considering starting up their own business, what would it be?
Great question! My response to this question is always this: don’t get intimidated by committing to something ‘forever’. You can make the commitment (even if there is a high capital investment) – run the business – and one day, you may change your mind. And that’s okay. I find that by doing things in bite-size pieces, its more handleable and achieveable.
PE: If you were able to go back in time and change one thing about the way you started your business what would it be, and why?
The only thing I would change – and still should – is blocking off a certain time per week to spend on the business. Right now, because its part-time, I find that its easy to make excuses. I’d also join a Mastermind group, or something along those lines, to talk about it with smart entrepreneurs & keep me motivated.
PE: What makes Second Floor Locker different from other training companies?
I like to think that the main goal of SFL is to find neutral, objective speakers. There are a lot of workshops out there that are GREAT – and tied to a particular product or service. As much as possible, I want to keep SFL workshops unbiased. Of course, every speaker has a passion & that will come through. But I want to remove the pressure to buy/sign-up for anything and let the audience
make informed decisions. The same way I would.
PE: Adult training is a very competitive marketplace, how do you plan on keeping your company ahead of the others operating in the same space?
I will continue to spend time seeking out good speakers & spending time with them developing the agenda. I pride myself on being ‘average’ – a layman. If I can understand the content of the workshop, anyone can. The feedback has been great so far!
PE: How important is your website to the overall success of your business?
In one aspect – very important as it allows tickets to be purchased. I hope to one day have a much more interactive, sleeker site. But for now, it does what it has to and people continue to click on it & buy tickets.
PE: What have you found is the most effective method of attracting new customers to Second Floor Locker?
Email has been great – people on the email list are real ‘learners’ so I have a captive audience. Also, social networking (Facebook) has been an invaluable tool.
PE: When you first started your business, how did you market it?
I sent an email out to almost everyone I knew! A lot of my friends are like me – love learning – and the support was fantastic!
PE: When you’re not busy with your business how do you like to spend your free time?
I love hanging out with my husband, who makes me laugh and keeps me grounded. I spend time with family and friends..and I love to read and do yoga. I wish I had something more interesting to say!
PE: What’s been your favourite book over the last 12 months and why should we all read it?
Another great question! My favourite book..hmmm. I read ‘The Art of Happiness’ on my honeymoon recently and it rocked! I also read ‘The Alchemist’ again this past year – an all-time favourite. Its a very inspiring tale of a boy who learns the simple secrets of life. Its an easy read and really makes me smile everytime I pick it up. Like a good children’s book – exciting story + great moral. Can you ask for anything more?
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