I was inspired to start my business by all the guests that used to say “I could never do what you do!” when I was a full-time news reader and radio presenter. I realized, that although I had been given great training in New Zealand, it was my hard work and the ‘10,000 hours’ I put in my job that accelerated me into the position I was at 28.
With my success, I wanted to give back more to people and be able to have a job that I could travel with and so my public speaking and media training advisory, Nudge, was born! That was a year ago and I haven’t looked back since.
What did you eat for breakfast?
Scrambled eggs, orange juice and black coffee!
What’s your favorite sport or exercise?
Long walks; it’s good medicine to work things out in my head, day dream new ideas and keep healthy.
How large is your business?
In the past year I haven’t employed anyone else full time so I am still the only person behind Nudge but I do outsource a lot of the roles I can’t do to other freelancers or consultants – digital, accounts etc in the last year I’ve worked with the likes of the BBC, ITP Publishing, Standard Chartered throughout the region as well as one on one with clients in Dubai. I am also in the process of establishing my online training platform to reach more people in a cost-effective way.
What do you see as challenges for you and your business?
The challenge is talking goals one step at a time and working within my means. It’s very easy to get carried away with progress and scaling, reach and capacity so that I can deliver the best service to my client and they continue to have the best outcome.
I was really pleased with myself when I hosted my first open public speaking workshop just after I launched Nudge. Having the idea for the curriculum, creating my first training manual and teaching that to my first group was a huge success and cleared out any doubt in my mind about my abilities and how much people wanted to hear my knowledge and learn from it.
What about your business matters most deeply to you? How does it engage your values?
Being transparent and honest. I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur or businesswoman when I started, I just wanted to share my knowledge with others. As the first year of being in business progressed I realized that I can’t be anyone but myself and that comes across in the trainings and the more I connect with my clients, the more they are able to achieve after our sessions.
Who is the entrepreneur you admire most right now? Why does s/he inspire you?
Gary Vaynerchuk – because he’s all about getting things done.
As a child, who was your role model?
Oprah!
What’s the best and the worst thing about being a female founder?
The best thing is knowing I have control of my future, I am financially independent and I’m helping other people have better lives. The worst is nothing, to be honest.
What is the best advice you ever got, and from whom?
It was my mentor, Mick Todd from 2B limitless in Dubai who said, “Be urgent, be present.” Act with urgency put boundaries around your time and be present in the moment to make the most of your time with loved ones.
Connect with Anna Roberts of Nudge
Twitter: @thenudgeeffect and @ImAnnaRoberts
Facebook: facebook.com/thenudgeeffect
Web: www.TheNudgeEffect.com
Want to learn more about women’s entrepreneurship in the Middle East and Gulf Coast States?
This content was curated through our partner Naseba and the 18th Annual Global Women in Leadership Forum.
