Spotlight Sessions: Just Jaz
Today on the blog we’re interviewing Career Coach: Just Jaz. She speaks about her own journey and shares inspiring advice that reminds us to focus on the importance in building confidence in ourselves first, to help us on our way to being successful in business and life.
Hi Jaz, how are you today?
I’m really well thanks, happy to be here catching up with you!
Tell us about Just Jaz!
Just Jaz is my career coaching business, I started it to enable ambitious people to create careers they never knew existed, a career that lights them up and gives them greater impact in the World. I do this through 1:1 coaching, courses and workshops.
When did you realise that you wanted to start your own business?
The womb. I’m joking… both of my parents are entrepreneurs so I sort’ve absorbed it. I sent my first invoice for DJ’ing for the mayor of Wandsworth aged 14 and spent my Saturday morning’s ironing my aunt’s TM Lewin shirts for money and added car-washing to my services in the Summer (see the seasonal up-sell there!). I went the traditional route of university and grad scheme but after the corporate options fell short I realised I was making a mistake to think any one job could fulfil me. I then pivoted into tech, the fires were stoked and the rest is history!
What services does a career coach offer, and why are they important?
I think all coaches are important because they help you to find your own answers. Working with a coach gives you the rare permission to boldly declare what you want and dedicate time to getting it. It’s a space we’re allowed to be selfish and truly be honest. As a career coach I offer a blend of mentoring and life coaching to both challenge the client to find their direction and then provide insight towards the “North,East,South or West” they choose. I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager, Covering letters, CV’s, networking… I kinda blame my dad, I was the only 15 year old with business cards and a perfected hand-shake asking people at church about work experience opportunities.
“I think all coaches are important because they help you to find your own answers. Working with a coach gives you the rare permission to boldly declare what you want and dedicate time to getting it. It’s a space we’re allowed to be selfish and truly be honest. ”
What’s the most important skill to have when up levelling your career?
I promise I’m trying not to sound too woo-woo here but, self-knowledge. Literally knowing yourself. Knowing your likes and dislikes but also knowing your values and strengths we don’t tend to recognise the latter until they are being opposed (values) or undervalued (strengths). But this all starts with knowing who we are and therefore what we bring to the proverbial table. I’ve been bullied at work, I’ve been made redundant, I’ve pivoted industry several times, without knowing myself enough to know these experiences don’t define or limit me in any-way I can’t say I’d be here talking to you.
How do you balance your side hustle with a full-time job?
At the moment, lunchtime naps. No, really! Meal prep in the morning, eat in about 15mins and set the alarm. That’s why if you were to look at my phone right now you’d see the 12.55pm or 1.37pm alarm as evidence.
“ I am 1 person with 2 jobs not 2 different people”
Outside of this I know I’m very lucky to work somewhere that I can be open and flex my shift if I have a speaking engagement because they know I get the job done and always make up my hours. I’ve always been clear with them that I have no plans to run away and genuinely love what I do and I told them at the interview stage “I will not be the team member booking 3 weeks to go to Thailand, I’ll be booking half days to go off and do a workshop”.
I think one thing I’ve been learning this year about doing both is that I’m in control and that it’s very important that I remember that I am 1 person with 2 jobs not 2 different people for each of the jobs. It’s kind of like the whole work-life integration thing but a work-work-life integration instead!
What’s been your favourite project to work on to date?
I’d have to say it was the summit I put on in March of this year. I didn’t realise until a month later that I’d done it in a matter of weeks. Watching the lockdown and covid unfold I was disturbed by the initial government support given to entrepreneurs, I have friends who had just quit their jobs to start their businesses and my father was and still is self-employed. I refused to believe we couldn’t pull together and do something to generate revenue for entrepreneurs as well as hope for general society. A matter of weeks, over 150 speakers (including you!) a few sleepless nights and we raised £750 and awarded it to 5 entrepreneurs in need. It was the power of entrepreneurship literally supporting entrepreneurship as we know it.
What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I think my most recent promotion at work. It sounds silly but as my manager talked through the feedback I realised that I had been promoted for being me. My full self. I had entered the company in a maternity cover role which they extended and eventually made permanent and I was being commended for bringing my entrepreneurialism into the team and getting great results and adding to the company culture. As a black woman in tech, as someone who had not found her place in corporate and had a few twists and turns I don’t think the old me would’ve realised that would be the magic trick. Just being me.
Do you have any exciting projects/courses coming up that you’d like to share?
Oh yes! I have my “Doing the work” podcast launching at the end of the month and I’m currently planning some very special 2021 things for ambitious women ready to up-level their careers. I’m hosting The One Thing on 12th December 2020 as the warm-up; it’s a full day connecting with experts to find out the “One Thing” we need to know to grow our careers or businesses in 2021 people can register for here. For updates on everything instagram handle @justjaz.co and my website are the best places to connect.
Any last words of wisdom?
I guess I’ll just share what life has been teaching me this year. Be yourself, be so much yourself that you become unstoppable.
“Be yourself, be so much yourself that you become unstoppable.”
