Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jo McMeechan, Director of SENStory CIC, located in Bristol, England.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am Jo McMeechan, SEND Consultant Physiotherapist and Director of SENStory CIC. SENStory CIC is a provider of therapy, leisure, and learning for children with additional needs. We specialise in supporting children and young people, their families, and providers to rewrite the narrative experience of the SEN journey. Our dedicated site offers 1:1 and group provision that is all based out in nature, around or with horses in a sensory-friendly environment. In a nutshell, we get the children outdoors and away from a sterile clinical or educational environment to reset, have fun and focus on what they CAN do. In doing so, we are able to make progress through a fun, effective provision that looks like play and exploring.
Tell us about yourself
I always knew I wanted to work with children, but I first got into physiotherapy with a view to treating horses. I had to qualify in humans first, and stepping into physiotherapy, I realised as a career it was much more than I thought it would be and quickly moved into paediatrics. They say you should never work with animals or children, well, I decided to do both! Working with both is my absolute passion.
Now, I'm highly driven and motivated by my own lived experience as a parent of a child with additional needs. Having experienced the barriers to access to support with education and healthcare provision for children and families, I stepped out of the NHS so that I could achieve more with the families I work with and to be able to make changes to the system itself.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm very proud to have had a number of big accomplishments throughout my career. The biggest is setting up my not-for-profit organisation, which has been a lifelong ambition of mine to be able to create a service that gives back and delivers accessible and fun therapeutic resources and opportunities for children with additional needs and their families. I'm also very proud to have been awarded the Most Innovative Children's Physiotherapist Provider in the UK!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The juggle between the hours, the passion, and also knowing that you need to give time to yourself and your family in order to maximise the support you can give to others.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Pace yourself. Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. Focus on your vision. It can be very easy to get distracted by other opportunities, but if you stay focused on your goal, you will grow a business that is more aligned with your values.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.senstorycic.com/senstory-hq-services-page
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jomcsenstorycic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo_mc_sen_physio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-mcmeechan/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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