Self-employment
Take it on the roadNo more stuffy waiting rooms with old magazines for this modern counsellor. Cheryl Hitchcock is finding success for her growing business by taking her professional help on the road. ROGER PIERCE -- www.bizlaunch.ca |
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Hitchcock: Integrity Counselling & Consulting Services
"I offer a unique service because I will treat my clients in their homes if they wish," Hitchcock says.
Hitchcock owns Integrity Counselling & Consulting Services (www.integritycounsellingservices.com). The company helps to change people's lives for the better by changing their negative issues and deficits into positive ones.
Hitchcock helps clients facing profound issues such as major mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and addictions.
Recently, the company expanded its services to help people who confront problems such as relationship/communication issues, anxiety or stress.
A professional counsellor for over 12 years, Hitchcock launched her own practice a year ago. "I left the agencies I worked for to open my own business so I could deliver to my clients the kind of care I wanted them to have," she explains.
Educated in many different models of care and therapies, Hitchcock says she has created her own "eclectic" model of care tailored to each individual client.
She says she is able to cut down on overhead costs by going to people's homes to counsel them.
"I can meet with my clients inside their homes or someplace nearby, such as a neighbourhood coffee shop," Hitchcock says. "That way, my clients enjoy lower fees and don't have to travel to a therapist's office.
"I'm also available to meet with clients outside of the usual 9 to 5, such as evenings or weekends," she adds.
What Hitchcock enjoys most about running her own business is the chance to do more of her highly rewarding work with people who need her help.
What does she least enjoy about self-employment? "The bookkeeping, marketing and computer work!" she says. "I'd rather spend all of my time working directly with my clients, but I realize part of my job is to run the business."
Future plans for Hitchcock include "taking on more workshops, reaching more people and writing a book."
Start-up Expert Roger Pierce is co-founder of BizLaunch.ca, Canada's largest small business training company.
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