A former Secondary School Teacher has turned her passion for helping children and young people with emotional and behavioural needs into a successful new business venture thanks to the support of the Go For It Programme, in association with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
This project is part-funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014- 2020) Programme.
Jody Rosling, a former Deputy Head of Sixth Form and English Teacher for over 10 years in London, reveals how an interest in helping children cope with the stresses and anxieties of growing up led her to launch RelaxEd Kids NI – an activity-based mindfulness and relaxation class for children and young people.
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“I found especially in Northern Ireland with the transfer test and challenges such as autism, that children of primary school age in particular are carrying a lot of anxieties and stresses that was affecting, amongst other things, their confidence, concentration, and coping skills.
“I wanted to support them and teach them ways to relax, be calm and ultimately, to work with their anxieties and worries, while building their self-esteem and resilience.
“The Relax Kids classes and courses that I deliver as part of my program use an award-winning seven-step-system that utilises mindfulness, creative games, and positive guidance to allow a child’s developing brain to process, to relax and to rejuvenate.”
The busy mum of three contacted the Go For It Programme to seek expert advice and help with developing a robust business plan to help turn her idea into a business.
The Go For It programme is delivered free of charge by a team of experienced business mentors through Northern Ireland’s wide network of enterprise agencies. It provides expert advice and help with developing a robust business plan to help turn ideas into a commercial enterprise.
“I knew children and teens and their wellbeing was my passion and my goal, but I wasn’t a numbers person. The Go For It Programme helped me put my vision into a plan and turn it into a relaxation reality!
“They helped me with financial planning and sales forecasting all of which helped to create my business plan. Their support and advice was invaluable and helped me navigate my way through starting up a new business.
“I run one or two classes at a time, usually in sessions of six weeks. I would love to be doing it full time but I’m a mummy first, and my young business is growing all the time thanks to the Go For It Programme.
Go for it helped me with financial planning and sales forecasting all of which helped to create my business plan.
Colleen McAreavey, Business Advisor with Mallusk Enterprise Centre on behalf of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said: “Jody has a wealth of experience teaching children and young people and really wanted to develop a business that supported the emotional and behavioural needs of our children and young people.”
“We set down with Jody and mapped out a clear strategy for her that would allow her to launch the business and then sustain and grow it for long term success. We carefully mapped out a strategic business plan that focused on sales and marketing, financial forecasting, health and safety and insurance.
“I am delighted that the business has really taken off and so many children and young people are benefiting from Jody’s tried and tested techniques and resources to improve their confidence, self-esteem, focus and concentration, as well as their resilience.”
If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or if you are thinking about starting a business contact the Go For It team on 0800 027 0639 or complete an enquiry form here.