Northern
By Debbie Orme
Notes
Bernie Allen, an inspiration to all The lockdown caused by COVID-19 may have forced many of us to step back and take some time out, but two Northern Ireland ladies certainly haven’t taken their foot off the accelerator! Just before the lockdown began, I had the privilege and pleasure to meet these outstanding women who, I have to say, really made an impression on me. First of all, I met with Belfast woman, Bernie Allen. Bernie really is an inspiration. Not only has she risen from the ashes of collapsed businesses and personal devastation, she’s now revealed some of the secrets of her journey back to success in her new book, How To Succeed in Business and Life: What’s Holding You Back? There’s no doubt that, over the past two decades, Bernie has overcome a lot of adversity, including difficulties in family and business, and relationship breakups. Two businesses also collapsed, leading to debts of £78,000, and she then, perhaps unsurprisingly, suffered significant health issues. ‘I owned a restaurant in a mall that didn’t live up to the promises I was made,’ Bernie told Northern Notes, ‘and I also had a newsagent that failed because a big garage opened next door. I truly didn’t know where to turn; I used to tell people my duvet became my best friend because I didn’t want to get out of bed and face reality. Bernie Allen at the launch of her book
‘I didn’t know where my next source of income was coming from, but I was then introduced to the world of network marketing and set up a home-based business opportunity with no overheads. Needless to say, I grabbed it with both hands and ran with it.
that they shouldn’t let anyone tell you that you can build a successful business without having to make sacrifices.’
‘I set myself a five-year business plan and my top priority was to pay off my debts, but I actually managed to achieve that in four-and-a-half years and I became debt-free and financially secure.’
Armed with her new self-knowledge, Bernie decided to put her own experiences and subsequent success into print after a talk she gave at a convention called ‘Camp Someday’.
Spurred on by her own experience, Bernie decided to try and help others who had experienced the difficulties that she had encountered. She began by interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs, business owners and thought leaders to find out what had either held them back or what was continuing to hold them back, ‘In my experience,’ she continued, ‘all those who succeed are the people who are prepared to do what they need to do to get what they want to get, don’t make excuses, are always prepared to learn more of the how-to and are genuinely interested in helping others achieve and get out of the money versus happiness trap,
‘During that talk, I spoke about the difficulties and challenges I came up against both in my personal and business life, and how I identified and overcame them,’ she says. ‘The audience response was overwhelming and after every event, it was the same response. I decided to put it into this book to help others overcome some issues that might be holding them back.’
‘To get to the top it’s all about what is going on between your two ears, so self-development is even more important than learning. ‘I have travelled the world in search of empowerment knowledge and have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on seminars, books, webinars, CDs, booking trainers and attending conventions globally. ‘While I was growing my self-confidence and motivation I had to make sacrifices, to succeed, but, it was all worth it. I tell everyone I come across
Since achieving her success, Bernie has been working to support charities, including Puppies for the Blind and fundraisers for schools and children in Uganda. Bernie says she wrote the book to help readers identify where they have been and why they have been there, or where they are now and how they got there. She also wants to help them get to where they want to go. ‘I hope that people will enjoy the book and that they find some golden nuggets for the growth of their own success,’ she says. Senior Times l August 2020 l www.seniortimes.ie 59
