Announcing Group Coaching
Recently I posted a poll on the facebook group 'The Garden Design Professional' - if you are a garden designer and not a member of this group, it's a lovely, supportive, helpful, group solely for GD professionals.
The poll asked: "Would you - a newly qualified designer or just starting out - be interested in a group session to answer a specific question below?
How do I set my fees?
How do I work out my costs?
How do I set my hourly rate?
The most popular answer was the first with 22 votes. In fact, I regularly field questions from new designers about this and other business-related topics. Clearly there is a pressing need amongst newly qualified designers for more guidance and support relating to running a business.
Business skills in Design Courses
Most garden design courses are excellent at covering design-related topics, but very few go into any depth on how to run a business. It's not hard to see why - considering the sheer amount of information a garden designer must master. There is so much - basic design principles, through horticultural knowledge, construction detailing and building regs, botany and soil science, surveying and site analysis, water and drainage including SuDs, sustainability, wildlife protection and ecological uplift, conservation, planning...the list goes on.
So - considering most design colleges are unlikely to jettison any of this crucial knowledge in favour of business skills, I wanted to develop accessible, affordable resources to fill that gap, and give newly qualified designers the best possible support when starting out.
Answering the need:
Therefore - I created the Step-by-Step Guide for new garden design professionals - the complete guide to setting up a garden design business. There are 5 units, dealing with topics from how to decide what services to offer and what business model to use, through setting up your finances, to creating systems and processes so your business runs smoothly. Over the last year, this has consistently been the most popular product in the shop, and the coaching sessions that use the guide as a base have also been popular - it's been wonderful getting to know some new designers, and to help them through their journey.
However, most new businesses don't have a lot of capital, so in order to make coaching more accessible to more people, I decided to offer group coaching. Using a small group model (up to 5 students), and a limited run to keep momentum (5 sessions), I think that this offers the best balance between getting individual help and reaping the benefit of group support.
The sessions will use materials from the Step-by-Step guide, so there's no obligation to buy the guide (although of course you can!).
Testimonials
Finally, don't just take my word for it - here are two testimonials from previous coachees:
Clare - "I would highly recommend Kate’s very intuitive and supportive coaching sessions. I came to Kate with some quite complex questions about my new garden design business. Her clear thinking and meticulous attention to detail has helped me immensely. She has a broad understanding of the garden design industry, its intricacies, and nuances. Additionally, she has a talent for listening and understanding her trainees, enabling her to guide them in the right direction. I am delighted to be on the right track now and look forward to the next session. Thank you, Kate."
Stephanie - "Kate was incredibly helpful. Her style was professional, relaxed, informal and I felt she listened carefully to my concerns. I now feel much more confident in myself and my approach to many of the aspects I had been uncomfortable about for quite some time. I have no hesitation in recommending coaching with Kate"
Available now!
I'd love to see you at a group coaching session - if you'd like to book, please follow this link https://www.thegardendesignprofessional.co.uk/shop/p/step-by-step-guide-group-coaching-5-sessions
