Today, we are having an interaction with Retzde Brooks who is a Woman Entrepreneur. Let's hear about her success story.
1. Please tell us something about yourself.
– I am a woman who thrives in dreams and goals, ruthless in the pursuit of my ambitions but with a heart that guides me when to be soft.
2. How did you get into what you do right now? Please tell us more about your journey?
Everything began with a failure. I once lost my job, and I didn’t know what to do. Back then, the demand for English teachers was so high. I did not have any idea about how to teach. I am supposedly an accountant by profession. But, I speak English since I was a kid, so I decided to give a try. I joined teacher training, observed and learned from my colleagues, listened to my superior’s feedbacks and criticisms, and took every opportunity as a learning experience. After several years, I set up my 1st online English tutorial business in England.
3. Who are your role models?
I always have a soft spot for my fellow teachers. I believe each of us is unique, and I could always learn from them and that teachers are the pillars that hold our society together. Teachers help us in materializing our dreams and goals.
4. What inspires you?
Having a rough childhood and being one of the “poorest of the poor” is always my inspiration. I know how it feels like to live hand to mouth and not knowing what to eat the next day. That experience itself is the one thing that makes me get up of bed crack of dawn and keeps going no matter what. Under no circumstances will I let my parents, child, or family go through such hardship.
5. Please tell us about your company
Discovery English Online is a small but growing company. What makes this company different is that it focuses on quality. Client retention is the one thing we are proud of. We don’t teach you just to learn English, we teach you to acquire it.
6. What’s your most memorable experience?
I remembered closing my first online client. Coming out from a hard fall, I had to start all over again. At that moment, the internet was not so cooperative, and it was noisy back home. To top it up, my laptop was broken. Luckily, my then potential client agreed to just have a phone call, a short talk. So, I just needed a quiet place with a very stable signal – the only place I could think of was the cemetery in town with a cellular tower nearby. I closed the deal with the client, and with referrals and a few acquisitions, I was able to rent an office space, grew the business, and the rest is history. I will never forget how these all began.
7. What’s your greatest fear?
The world of business is always uncertain, and decisions should be made with a clear mind. My only fear is if doubt will overcloud my judgment, and I might make a bad judgment call that is beyond revocation.
8. Looking back, what’s one thing you wish you understood better before you ever got started?
I wish I knew back then that patience is indeed a virtue. The patience was something I didn’t know back then. It took me years to finally learn it. I’ve learned it the hard way.
9. What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Client satisfaction in this business is the key ingredient to success. Giving your client quality service is one thing, but offering them a sense of belongingness, showing them that they matter, that they aren’t just an invoice number in your books will really help you go a long way. In this business, it is all about “staying power”.
10. What keeps you going when things get tough?
Knowing that a lot of people depend on me, especially my family and clients, and the fact that when push comes to shove, they rely on me- these are enough reasons for me to keep going.
11. Any message for our readers:
Mediocrity has no place if you want to be successful. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart and with all your might.
