Nin Vraitch: From Corporate Burnout to Building a Life on Her Own Terms

Becoming cash rich and time rich

For years, Nin Vraitch found herself caught in a cycle of long working hours, international travel and the demands of a corporate career. She had built a successful professional life, but it came at a cost. She had money coming in, yet very little time to enjoy it.

After becoming a mother and experiencing significant personal challenges, Nin began to rethink what success really meant to her. She wanted financial security, but she also wanted the freedom to spend time with her son and build a career that gave her genuine fulfilment.

That search eventually led her to ActionCOACH UK. Since investing in her own franchise in 2017, Nin has built a coaching business around her values, developed her own approach to working with business owners and found the balance she had been looking for.

With an academic background in microbiology, Nin began her career in the food industry. She enjoyed solving problems and analysing challenges, but increasingly wanted to apply those skills in a broader business environment.

A move into sales and marketing at Alpro gave her that opportunity. It also introduced her to the importance of emotional intelligence.

“I had a great boss, whose involvement in my career made a huge impact. One of the things he showed me was the difference between IQ, your level of intelligence, and EQ, your emotional intelligence, the latter being the one that really brings about success.

“The role involved working a lot of hours and travelling abroad for the company, cash rich and time poor.”

Finding a different definition of success

Having her son, Millen, changed Nin's priorities. Around the same time, she experienced the loss of her father and the end of her marriage. It was a difficult period, and she found herself having to rebuild her life as a single mother.

After moving to Kent with Millen, Nin spent four years in a position where she had more time but less financial security.

It was during this period that she began to understand what she really wanted from her working life.

“Unfortunately, when I had my first child, I also lost my father, which had a huge impact on both me and my family. My marriage ended and it was a testing time as a single mother. I moved to Kent with Millen and began a four-year low of being cash poor and time rich.

“For the first time in my life, I realised it was important to be cash rich AND time rich so I could give my son my time as well as a good life.”

Nin's brother offered some advice that stayed with her. He encouraged her not to take a job simply because of the salary, warning that becoming dependent on a regular income could make it difficult to leave.

She began looking at ways to own a business, with franchising appearing to offer the right combination of independence and support.

Finding the right franchise opportunity

Nin attended franchise exhibitions and joined mailing lists, exploring different business opportunities. But many of the options she came across seemed likely to demand the same long hours and commitment that she had wanted to leave behind.

As a single mother, she was determined not to build another working life that left her with little time for her family.

By her 39th birthday, she was becoming frustrated with the search. Then, the following morning, an email from ActionCOACH arrived.

Although a business coaching franchise had not previously been on her list, the opportunity immediately caught her attention.

“It got to my 39th birthday and I was beginning to feel disheartened. I needed something to present itself. Maybe I put a message out to the universe, because the next morning I had an email from ActionCOACH.

“Although a white-collar franchise hadn’t been on my radar previously, their website grabbed my attention, prompting me to make the call. The universe had swiftly responded!”

As part of her due diligence, Nin spoke to several existing franchise partners. One conversation proved particularly influential.

She spoke to a female coach who had built the kind of business and lifestyle Nin wanted. The coach was earning more than she had in her previous corporate career while still having breakfast and dinner with her young children.

It showed Nin that running a successful business did not necessarily mean sacrificing family life.

“I spoke with another female coach. She’d created the life I wanted. She still managed to have breakfast and dinner with her young kids whilst running a successful business. She was earning a lot more than a corporate salary, doing something she loved.

“It wasn’t just the ideal balance for a mother, it seemed like the ideal life for anyone. I remember asking what would be a crucial skill for a coach and they said ‘empathy’, which really stuck with me as it related back to what my boss at Alpro had taught me, the importance of your emotional intelligence.”

That conversation helped Nin see how her existing strengths could translate into business coaching.

Building confidence through training and support

Before attending her initial training, Nin spent four weeks completing the preparation work. She began reading more about business growth and developing her understanding of the ActionCOACH UK approach.

One book that made a particular impression was Brad Sugars' Instant Cashflow. It changed how she looked at business and helped her understand the principles she would be using with clients.

Her initial training was led by ActionCOACH franchise partner Andrew Kureishy, who also became her master coach.

“ You can’t avoid the feeling of growth. I read Brad Sugar’s first book Instant Cashflow and it changed the way I looked at business. An ActionCOACH franchise partner, Andrew Kureishy, led our training and he was assigned as my master coach.

“Seeing him in action gave me an understanding of how a business growth specialist should operate. He’s given me so many ‘flashes of the blindingly obvious’ moments. But it was his behaviour and ActionCOACH’s culture which really lined up with my personal values, always be present, curious, humble, patient and kind.”

For Nin, the training was about much more than learning coaching techniques. It helped her understand the type of coach she wanted to become and the values she wanted to bring into her business.

The support continued as she moved from training into working with clients.

One early phone call from James Vincent, ActionCOACH UK's UK Performance Director, proved particularly important. He asked Nin about her plans for her first day and how many business owners she intended to contact.

The conversation encouraged her to put her preparation into action.

“I received a call from James Vincent, the UK Performance Director at ActionCOACH, enquiring about my plans for my first day. How many business owners was I going to speak to, and so on.

“Although it wasn’t initially on my agenda, I put down my to-do list, got my training folder out, rehearsed my script a few times and then picked up the phone. By the end of the week, I had booked in several meetings and the 10th call I made became my first client. If James hadn’t called me, I’d still be scared to pick up the phone.”

She also received sales support from Jon Asquith, helping her secure her first clients and develop confidence in building relationships with business owners.

Nin soon realised that her approach to coaching would be based on inspiring people rather than trying to impress them with her knowledge.

“I’ve always been a spiritual person and I learnt that inspiring my clients rather than focusing on impressing them with my knowledge was how I planned to coach. I leave my life at the door and walk with them on their transformational journey. I never expected having my own business would give me so much personal development.”

Developing her own coaching style

Since launching her ActionCOACH UK business in 2017, Nin has become increasingly confident in her own coaching style.

Early in her career, she was focused on delivering immediate results for clients. With experience, she has developed a deeper understanding of what businesses need and how to identify the areas where coaching can have the greatest impact.

She now feels more comfortable trusting her instincts, understanding the people she works with and recognising opportunities that might not be obvious from the numbers alone.

“I’m a lot more comfortable in being myself when I’m coaching. I think because you start off being obsessed with achieving immediate results for your clients, you can tend to be one-dimensional and not offer true value to the business you’re working with.

“I feel I can tune into a business quicker now. I recently started working with a client who previously I probably would have dismissed based on their numbers but, after meeting them, I found we were on the same page with similar professional and personal values. I could see what they needed right away and knew they had the scalability to grow.

“I think the main thing I’ve learnt in terms of coaching is the best coaches don’t say what a business needs to do to grow but why they need to do it.”

For Nin, understanding the business owner and their motivations is just as important as understanding the business itself.

The personal development that changed everything

One of the biggest surprises for Nin has been the impact that owning an ActionCOACH UK franchise has had on her own personal development.

She has become more aware of the importance of taking responsibility for her decisions, maintaining the right mindset and continuing to work on herself.

Those lessons have also influenced how she brings up Millen.

“The personal development I’ve experienced through investing in ActionCOACH has been nothing short of life-changing. Taking ownership and accountability for my actions has really unlocked a new perspective on life.

“It’s been central to how I’ve brought up Millen too. He does tease me from time to time about reminding him to think about his mindset but I truly believe in the importance of focusing on your personal development.”

The experience has reinforced Nin's belief that personal development is an ongoing process. It is something she continues to apply in her own life and encourages her clients to embrace within their businesses.

Plans for the future

With Millen preparing to move to secondary school, Nin is looking forward to having more time to focus on the next stage of her business.

She has already built a successful one-to-one coaching practice and now wants to develop group coaching sessions to bring local business owners together.

Creating a community where business owners can share experiences, learn from one another and discuss the challenges they face is something she is particularly looking forward to.

She is also considering recruiting a Business Development Manager to support the next stage of growth.

“I’ve been successful with one-to-one coaching and now I really want to focus on creating a local business community by starting group sessions. Having a sociable group setting to see how businesses tick is something which really excites me. I’m also looking to employ a Business Development Manager to help the business continue to grow.”

For Nin, the next stage is about building on what she has already achieved while continuing to create a business that fits around her life and values.

Was investing in ActionCOACH UK worth it?

Looking back, Nin has no doubt that investing in her own business was the right decision.

She set out to find a way to earn a good living while having more time for her son. She has since built a career that gives her personal fulfilment, financial opportunity and the flexibility she had been searching for.

“Absolutely! Investing in ActionCOACH has led me to achieve becoming cash rich, time rich. I always knew I’d end up working in a business setting, and ActionCOACH has given me the opportunity to have the work-life balance I’d always wanted, along with job fulfilment I’d never thought I’d find.

“Starting any business is high risk, high reward but ActionCOACH never appeared to be a risk for me. I knew I wanted to do it as soon as they appeared in my inbox.

“I’ve learnt a lot personally and professionally through my coaching journey. You are immersed in a learning culture, which is something I love and has given me a lot of personal fulfilment, teaching me a lot about life and business.”

Nin's story shows how a career change can be about more than finding a new job. It can be an opportunity to rethink what success looks like, use existing skills in a different way and build a business around the things that matter most.

Could a business coaching franchise give you the freedom you want?

If you have experience in business, management, sales or leadership and are considering a change in direction, business coaching could offer a new way to use your skills.

An ActionCOACH UK franchise gives you the opportunity to build your own business, help other business owners achieve their goals and develop a career with the potential for greater financial and personal freedom.

Interested in becoming an ActionCOACH UK franchise partner?

Find out more about the opportunity and take the first step towards building your own business coaching practice.

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