Enterprise/Business Name: Satori People Development

people decisions, whether that is identifying and retaining the right people to fit your business or working with you to create the next leaders of your business, the results are the same. I minimise attrition, maximise retention and improve the bottom line.

About you!

didn’t at least try.

The light bulb moment!

What’s in a name?

Satori is the Japanese Buddhist term for personal enlightenment and awakening. I feel that through my workshops and development programmes, I take individuals on a journey of self-discovery and self-awareness and they become more confident both emotionally and psychologically. Self-awareness is also the key to personal enlightenment

About your business?

I help businesses get better results from their

I am a mum, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a business owner and a cancer survivor. It was my experience with cancer in 2019 that really made me stop and evaluate my life and my career. It was the reason I realised that life is too short to not follow your dreams. I have 20 years’ experience in the Learning and Development sector and am also working towards my black belt in Kickboxing. Why?

I had always wanted to set up my own company right from when I first started out in the Learning and Development sector. I loved the idea of traveling up and down the country delivering solutions to businesses, however it had always seemed like a pipe dream as I didn’t know how I would actually do it. When the stars aligned and I had the opportunity, I decided it was now or never and I knew I would regret it if I

The idea was always there to set up my own business, but when I became accredited as an Insights Discovery practitioner, I knew I had to share this gift and had to tell as many people as I could about the power of Insights Discovery and how it can transform workplaces and their people.

Biggest challenges?

Everything that wasn’t designing and delivering training… marketing, business development, strategy…it’s all been a challenge, but I am getting there with the support of so many other amazing small business owners who want to help.

Benefits of the Chamber Start-Up club since you joined?

I have made so many new connections and friends. It is brilliant how the Chamber offer such a great opportunity to new businesses to get the knowledge that they really need at the beginning of their journey It is also very reassuring to chat to people who are in the same boat as you and are facing the same challenges even though their business could be wildly different to yours.

Business Name: Maira Azhar Photography

About you!

I’m a mum of two (+ a fur baby) based just outside of Chester. I moved to the UK with my husband from Qatar almost six years ago where I was working as a sustainability consultant. I love meeting new people, trying out new places to eat, and experiencing new adventures and holidays with my family.

Why?

What’s in a name?

Everything! My name means that I am the face of my brand.

About your business?

I help startups increase their visibility and create a high-quality professional brand identity to help stand out from the crowd and grow their business. I do this by creating a bank of on-brand images and graphics that the business owners can use across their digital marketing platforms.

Since having kids, my priorities have shifted and like many other women in business. I was looking for something where my hours were flexible and I could be my own boss. Bonus points if I could do something that sparked my creativity and passion for meeting new people (and boom! I found it and have never been happier! You can tell I’m an extrovert, right?!)

The light bulb moment!

I fell in love with brand photography when I was trying to grow my ecommerce business and realised how important good quality brand images were for my growth. Since I was already trained as a professional photographer (I had previously worked as a family photographer), I believe I could serve others better by helping them create a unique brand identity through professional brand shoots.

Who is your ideal client/customer?

Startups and solopreneurs who understand how important it is to be visible to their ideal clients, because they realise that people buy from people. They know that they can have the best product or service in the market but unless they show it to the world and are visible with high quality professional brand imagery, its only then they can spread the world and grow their business as it was meant to.

Best moment so far?

When I booked my first client I did a happy dance with my husband…I knew that this was my calling and I had finally found what I was meant to do.

Biggest challenges?

Time! I want to do so much more but have to remember that it’s not a race but a marathon.

Lessons learnt…

I have learned to be extremely detail oriented when I am engaging with my clients. I have to put it down on paper every time so that they understand what I will deliver and I am able to manage their expectations.