It has been a busy week at Labeada® HQ! starting off with attending an event at Lloyds Bank head office in London, to support The Maple Review. The Maple Review exists to identify and reduce barriers to entrepreneurship, caused by economic deprivation, and is chaired by Small Business Britain and Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation Blair McDougall.
It was only after I had reserved my place, that I learned Joe Wicks MBE was also attending as their special guest. It was an absolute delight to meet him and he gave his time very generously, not only to me, but to every other person in the room who placed high value on him hearing what they had to say. There is something incredibly enlightening about feeling seen, and heard, and it is a very powerful springboard to push forward regardless of any barriers you may be facing. He spoke passionately and truthfully about showing up, working on your dreams, bootstrapping if you need to, dedication, commitment, discipline, and more. We all have to put time, and effort, into building clientele, and we have to take responsibility for taking ownership of that and showing up every day, even if nobody else does. That is the truth of ‘overnight business success’.
I am passionate about removing barriers to enterprise and that is why I created the Labeada business model in such a way to ensure it is as accessible as possible, to those who may also be facing adversity in some way. It is a tool to reduce unemployment and increase economic activity, in a fun, healthy, and sustainable way, with full support to focus on what you are good at, if you are a people person, self-disciplined, and have a love for music and dance, then it can work really well for you as an alternative, or a supplement to the 9-5.
I attended the event to fly the flag for Purple Shoots, a friendly, not-for-profit microfinance lender dedicated to providing accessible and ethical financial support to individuals who have been excluded from mainstream finance. As they had helped me in my hour of need, and I am keen to secure funds for them so that they can help others like me. I have been blessed to meet celebrities along the way, but the driving force is, and always has been, wanting to make a difference, wanting to reduce the pain and poverty in the world, and wanting to hold up a mirror to those who are responsible for creating unnecessary barriers and pain.
My biggest take-away from meeting Joe personally, was the reiteration that your history does not define you; you are not your surroundings, and you have to take 100% responsibility for creating a life that you love. Nobody is going to do it for you. You may temporarily put your trust in another, or feel that you need somebody to open a door for you, but when it comes down to it, it’s on you. Don’t wait to be saved, don’t wait to be helped. Show up, do the work, invest in yourself as you would expect others to invest you in, and make it happen. It’s on you. Make it happen 💕
Labeada® Dance is made up of martial arts and several dance genres, namely disco, belly dance, latin, hip-hop and country. It is inspired not only by martial arts moves but by the core ethos of discipline, respect, humility, dedication and commitment. Learn more about Labeada® here.