From A Pebble...to a Stepping Stone

Hello and welcome everyone, where has the time gone?
Apologies for not writing for a while, its my New Years Resolution (one of many) to try and write more and I've also started to record a Podcast too.

Today, I wanted to share my little bit of secret obsession, as I thought it was only fair to let you in on what has been taking up a considerable amount of my time between juggling, working in my salon and teaching for a few other companies as I have been for a while.

The Little Pebble close to my heart....

Something that I have felt very passionate about now for sometime is training and education. From being an employer and an employee, I have seen both sides of the coin. Whats frustrating for me as a salon owner, is that when I took on staff that had qualifications on paper. They still needed more money spent on them to almost re-train them because they had not been trained properly in the beginning.
I got the training bug back in 2007 when I was approached by a leading nail company to be their area educator. I never dreamed for a minute that I could do this role, let alone be asked to do it!
The rest is history shall we say....but that "little pebble" has sat close to me and been a real powerful force in me to make sure that I always offer the best training, to the highest standards and build some great friendships and partnerships.

Summer last year whilst out on a night out with a friend, over a bottle of wine (or two), we put the world to rights and the rest is history, as they say. There is nothing like this in our local town, Thetford in Norfolk. I have 20 years in the industry and felt it was time to share my knowledge and experience.. Our ethos is to offer high quality, affordable, accredited training in both hairdressing and beauty therapy.

Stepping Stones Training Academy was Born:

The little pebble had suddenly grown, into the first step on our education venture. Things were up in the air at the beginning and admittedly its been a learning curve for both of us. There has definitely been lots of blood, sweat and tears shed over this project. It seems to suddenly take off when you never have enough hours in the day or enough energy to share in so many different places.

From Summer 2012 to the current day, I now have an accredited training venue based in Thetford Norfolk. I head the company and have a fantastic sidekick who helps run the hairdressing side of training. I have written and designed my own training manuals and had my own courses accredited through The Beauty Guild.
What is so lovely now, is that companies, contacts, businesses etc are now approaching me to become part of the next pebble, ready to grow into the next step in the Stepping Stones Training journey.

The Next Step:

The future is looking very bright. After a rocky start to the new term this year....am still here! Stronger and better with lots of bookings for local events supporting education and charities.
We have now put together our course diaries for both hair and beauty.We have some new courses already to be added to the existing list.

Its been amazing to attend trade shows such as Professional Beauty end of February to meet up with some of our buddies of the academy that want to come on-board. Added to that we are going as "Stepping Stones Training Academy", and taking some of our lovely students along to show them the whole new world of Hair and beauty!!

The website is a real valuable resource to the academy and our students with easy to find information and costing for all our courses. Information and background knowledge.
Plus links to our other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I have also put a portfolio of our work, and the students to show what is achievable if you put your mind to it. I am working hard at the moment at recording step by step videos, so you can access these via my website too www.steppingstonestrainingacademy.co.uk

Final note:

I could sit here and write pages and pages about this project, but I want you to see it for yourselves and come and take a look at what we have on offer, don't be shy to ask about specifics, I am happy to put bespoke courses together to suit your learning needs. Most of our theory parts of course are completed online, at your own speed and as, and when, you can find time to complete. Then you come over to us for the practical. Otherwise courses are one day or over several days/weeks.

We have teamed up with some of the best companies in the industry to make sure our training is up to the minute, full of useful tools and resources plus you get trained by educators that are current and working hands on within the industry so they know exactly what works. Most importantly they are passionate about their work and want to share all their skills and experiences with you all.

My advice to anyone looking into a thought, a dream, an ambition....never think its impossible. Follow your heart, your hopes and dreams. It wont be easy, there will be obstacles thrown at you. This will just make your job even more interesting. You decide on what route your life takes, make a difference. Don't be a follower. Be a maker. Look how much my little pebble has grown into the first steps of my training journey. Good luck guys...until next time. Remember to leave me your comments and feedback as always.

Love and wishful dreams

Caroline xx