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Case Study: Nicola Cook
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| Nicola Cook |
Entrepreneur Nicola Cook has battled illness, trauma and financial troubles to achieve her dream of becoming
her own boss. Here, she tells Deputy Business Editor Deborah Johnson how, as a result of her many
obstacles, she has learned the most important skills of all - self-belief
AFTER meeting Nicola Cook, it's
nearly impossible to think she is not
inspirational.
Now a successful businesswoman
running her own training company,
her achievements have not been without
hard work.
On her road to setting up Aurora
Training, she had her childhood
dream of becoming a dancer destroyed
by a badly broken leg, was diagnosed
with thyroid cancer when
she was only 21, was forced to give up
a high-flying job in the City of London
after being struck down with ME,was
only days away from bankruptcy and
had to deal with her first husband
walking out after a year of marriage.
Despite the many obstacles she has
had to face, Ms Cook refuses to let it
get her down, and talks openly about
her experiences to help inspire and
motivate others.
She said: "I don't want to be one of
these people who says Look at me,
aren't I great, this is what I've done.'
I'm just someone who has had a few
hard times and is now living the
dream of running their own business."
And that turns out to be typical of
36-year-old Ms Cook - modest, selfdeprecating
and thoroughly likeable,
she is now channelling her feel-good
techniques into her business, which is
in Consett, County Durham.
Aurora Training, founded four years
ago, has a client list that includes Darlington
Building Society and Newcastle's
Eldon Square. It helps companies
and individuals increase their
motivation and communication techniques.
It employs four team members
and 12 training consultants.
Not bad for someone who knew
they wanted to run their own business,
but had little idea beyond that.
"That was the only thing I wanted
to do. I hadn't got a clue what kind of
business, or even how to go about it,
and things like bookkeeping and
doing my tax returns were just a mystery,"
she said. "Although I remember
getting stung for £7,000 when didn't
keep good organised books, so I certainly
learned very quickly."
Growing up in Consett at the time
the steelworks closed in 1981 - nearly
crippling the town's economy and
causing mass unemployment - only
made Ms Cook more determined.
"I was nine at the time, and I remember
it destroying the aspirations
of so many. Because of the steelworks
closing, jobs were even harder to get
- I remember thinking that I would
have to work even harder to make
sure I made something of myself.
"They were really rough times, but
I knew getting a good education was
important, and that would see me
through."
After leaving Consett, Ms Cook
found a job in the travel industry. She
then worked in the City of London,
but a series of personal traumas
forced her to reconsider her life.
"At 21, I was diagnosed with cancer.
Thankfully, it turned out to be benign,
but nothing can prepare you for that,
being confronted by your own mortality,"
she said. "My first husband
and I split up only a year into our marriage.
We'd been together for quite a
long time and I could see children and
my whole future with him, but that
wasn't to be.
"And then at another point, I was
ten days away from bankruptcy, from
financial ruin. I just remember thinking
if I lost my house, I would lose
every bit of stability I had.
"And then, when I worked in London,
I had to take an 18-month career
break after burning out. I never had
time to rest, it was constant pressure,
and I was diagnosed with ME.
"But there has never been a point
where I haven't been convinced that I
couldn't overcome it."
Then, in December 2003, Nicola saw
the light while lying on a beach in the
Bahamas. "Everything dawned on me.
I had always wanted to run my own
business and, at that moment, I realised
there was absolutely no reason
at all why I couldn't do that," she said.
"I thought about it all rationally -
if I lost my house, I would find another
one. If I lost my job and my business,
I could always find work in
Tesco. I knew I had skills that someone
would want."
In early 2004, she set up Nicola Cook
Training, which later became Aurora
Training.
Ms Cook's business revolves around
vision, courage, belief and energy.
"The four ethos were my motivation
- my motivation to get up in the
morning, to grow the business, to do
everything."
Now married to her second husband,
with a two-year-old son Ty Thomas,
Ms Cook could not be happier.
She is also in the process of fulfilling
another dream - running a charity,
by setting up the Aurora Foundation
in October last year, which raises
money for the County Durham Foundation.
The goal is to raise £100,000 in
the next three years.
And with Aurora Training moving
from strength to strength, the future
certainly looks bright.
"I have learned a lot from my experiences,
and have come out of everything
a stronger person. I have
learned that if things are not alright,
it's not the end of the world, and you
can get through anything if you focus
your mind on overcoming it," she said.
"I still do have mornings when it's
a struggle to get out of bed and face
the world - but I know I can do it, so
that's half the battle already won.
"By setting up my business, I've fulfilled
a dream. Although sometimes it
seemed a long way away, I've always
believed I could do it.
"And I'd say that to anyone - keep
your dream in your mind and never
forget that, despite what may happen,
you can achieve it."
3:40pm Tuesday 15th April 2008
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