Alison Purves

When did you start what you are doing?
“Unwrap Your Potential” has been an evolution rather than a birth. In April 2009 I was made redundant and at the same time it became clear that my Mum could no-longer live alone, and that residential care was not an option for her either. So, Mum came to live with me. At one level this was the ideal solution, at another I had seriously limited the type of job I could look for.
I set up a network marketing business with Forever Living Products – the world leader in aloe vera and beehive products. This enabled me to work with great flexibility from home but to earn a full-time income.

Before long, it became obvious that this business model was ideal for carers as it allowed my Business Partners to:
1. earn incomes rather than wages
2. experience tremendous personal growth
3. AND go on to help others do the same

While I have great faith in Forever Living Products and network marketing, the wellness industry benefits from face-to-face contact with customers. Of course, some carers are unable to provide this for their customers and so I added another business to my portfolio – Send Out Cards. Being internet-based, Send Out Cards is ideal for carers who can have limited time outside the home. The business allows people to send out either pre-designed or personally designed cards in their own handwriting from their computer, it also allows people to build a business by helping others to do this.

Unwrap Your Potential is the umbrella personal development business which helps carers develop the hard and soft skills they need to succeed in business from home.

Who is your mentor and why?
In my move from the corporate world to running my own business from home, I’ve had to do a lot of work on myself and I would identify four people as mentors.
Initially, I recognised that I need to rid myself of some old habits and beliefs. Working with Jude Price at Happyweight has really helped me get out of a debilitating yoyo-dieting cycle and working with Kinesiologist Elaine Copeland has enabled me to identify and rid myself of beliefs that were blocking my path to success.
www.happyweight.com
www.elaineforwellbeing.com

In terms of business mentoring, I work with Nick Jordan from Nick Jordan Coaching. I have a tendency to get caught up in the detail and overwhelmed by the enormity of my dreams, and Nick’s approach enables me to focus on bite-sized pieces and positive outcomes, to sort out what will make a difference and what will not.
www.nickjordancoaching.com

My second mentor is Bindi Shah from Anamaya. Her approach combines Ayurveda (the ancient health system of India which translated from Sanskrit means the ‘science/knowledge of life’) with meditation and life coaching. I find that Bindi’s approach really helps me find calm in my busy, busy life and to look within for my answers.
www.anamaya.net

Describe your typical day
I am a lark rather than an owl and so get up at 5am. This is important for me as this is my time before Mum wakes up and even if she has had a disturbed night she is always fast asleep then. I either meditate or run until 6 when I get dressed for my working day. I find this really important even though I work from home as then I am in a ‘work’ frame of mind. I write my To Do List before I wake Mum at 7am. I’m a huge fan of Buzan’s imindmaps for putting together my To Do List.

At 7am I wake Mum up and the next two hours are spent helping her. On days she goes to a Day Centre, I focus on my business on stay-at–home days we go for walks, cook and do jobs around the house together. It is important to Mum that she plays a part in this and I really appreciate that I have this time with her.
Because of my early start I’m tired by 9pm. Mum enjoys watching TV in the evening and so I use this time to relax with a book. I love reading and loosing myself in fiction, although I have so many personal development books I want to read, I tend to choose them at the moment.

Any mistakes along the way?
Plenty. But I think my biggest mistake has been lack of self-belief. I’ve moved through that now and feel that helping carers build a better life for themselves and their families is what I am here to do. I know it is a buzz word, but I think that being authentic is absolutely crucial.

What aspect of your work do you most enjoy?
I guess the clue is in the name of my business, but seeing people unwrap their potential and become the best they can be is what really drives me.

What advice do you give to budding business women?
Be yourself. Be disciplined. Be consistent.

What’s your dream? How close are you?
My dream is to establish a retreat for carers where they can recharge and be themselves on the one hand, but where they can brush up on business skills for the 21st century as well. To begin with, this will be in the virtual world, but in my 10 Year Plan it is in the physical world as well.

Where do you live?
St Leonards.

Favourite place locally, and further afield?
I love Alexandra Park. I grew up playing there and often walk there to relax. Further afield I love USA, I love the positivity of the people and their Can Do Attitude.

Describe your working wardrobe?
My working wardrobe is far more casual than when I was in the corporate world, but being groomed is very important to how I feel and consequently how I perform. I am a great fan of Sugarladies Whose Wearing What and Judy French in Westerham.