Up Close and Personal with – Jane Keogh

A LITTLE more than 17 years ago Jane Keogh vowed never to enter the world of employment again after a traumatic dispute over share options, a three month court case and no income and discovering she was pregnant.

Since then she has run a number of businesses most recently Aqanta and Oracle Women. In this week’s Up Close and Personal interview she reveals why she is particularly passionate about helping people to help themselves, especially women.

What aspects of your job/profession do you enjoy the most?

As a coach and mentor for both individuals and businesses, seeing clients grow personally and professionally and getting more of what they want from life is the most rewarding aspect of the work I do. I am particularly passionate about helping people to help themselves, especially women, which is why I will be hosting ‘Woman to Woman’, the business of women event on May 8 at the Sun Pavilions, Harrogate, in conjunction with Nola Lucas of the Crème de la Crème social and business networking group, Harrogate.

What key challenges do you anticipate will affect your sector/profession over the next six months?

Now more than ever companies need to embrace change, be more flexible and see the opportunities to further develop business. Often cut backs are made in completely the wrong areas. Strong businesses need strong foundations, with good systems and exceptional people – constant improvement is fundamental – particularly in this current climate.

What key skills do you think every entrepreneur should have?

Entrepreneurship is first and foremost a mindset. It is the art of finding creative profitable solutions to problems. Entrepreneurs habitually create and innovate to build something, so need to have a clear vision and exceptional communication skills.

Why do you think Yorkshire is a good place to start up/operate a business?

It’s a large county, in a great location – the centre of the UK! A place of enterprise and innovation that offers a quality of work and life that is second to none.

If you could improve anything in the region what would it be?

Have superb locally grown wines, which apparently may well be possible sooner than we might imagine because of the climate changes!

Do you think that red tape is hindering business growth in the UK?

It depends how you choose to look at it – isn’t there always a way around it if the motivation is strong enough?

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Believe in yourself and your outcome and be true to yourself.

And the worst?

You have to be ‘hard’ to survive in a man’s world.. What was that about?

What barriers have you had to overcome in growing your business/developing your career, and if any, can you explain how you overcame them.

I started my career as a single mum, in two very male dominant industries. It was perceived that women couldn’t achieve because of that – my belief was (and still is) that it doesn’t matter what sex you are – if you do your job well you can achieve whatever you want to. To that purpose I now run days for women to give them the tools to grow confidence, self belief and esteem. We work on self belief systems, language and communication to enable them to access the tools to empower themselves. With the right mindset and attitude and knowing what you want, you have a far better set of choices.

What was your first job and what did you spend your first wage packet on?

I worked in tourism in the Algarve, Portugal. I spent my first wages on clothes and a large plate of seafood.

If you could choose to start your career over again would you do anything different and if so what?

Because of those experiences I am what I am today. If I were to change anything, it would have been to believe in myself more in the early days.