Let's get to know our Founder and CEO, Sarah Centrella.
What prompted you to start Centrella Company?
"The short answer is, it was an idea sparked from a simple conversation with a colleague. The longer version is I'd been coaching privately, holding workshops and keynotes, writing books, and coaching online for a little over four years, when that conversation took place. I'd worked hard to build my business, but always felt like I was missing something HUGE, something that was right in front of my face, and I'd gotten to the point of real frustration. Then COVID hit and like the rest of the world, I had to change everything and quickly learn to adapt.
Then in June of 2021, I noticed that most of my private coaching clients were corporate executives, and many of my small group coaching clients also had corporate careers. I realized that regardless of how successful they were, they'd still hired me to teach them how to improve and balance their life as a whole. By that time, they'd been working from home for over a year, and their burnout, fatigue, and stress levels were at an all-time high. Like most people they'd not been taught tools to manage work-life and home-life in a way that supported living a happy, fulfilled and successful life. The demands and stress of work was bleeding into everything, the boundaries were eroding, and many were at a breaking point.
Many felt a lack of purpose, passion and direction both at work and in their personal life and my coaching was showing them how to bring Passions & Joy (part of the #HBRMethod) back into their lives. They learned practical tools for balancing Mind & Body, how to control their energy, stress and anxiety. They learned ways to focus on building positive Relationships and how to remove negative ones. And most importantly they learned how (and why it's so important) to dream again, how to stop focusing on the day-to-day, and begin building a life they'd love. And like so many clients before them, I watched as they put those tools to use and began quickly getting astounding results.
COVID has provided a unique opportunity, in that it taught us how to value all aspects of our life. It has also shown employers how important mental health, wellness and personal growth tools are to overall employee happiness and productivity. I strongly believe that our coaching supports the goals of both the employee and the company in a powerful and innovative way.
But having an idea for a company is a lot different than building it from scratch, how did you know what to do next?
"I didn't! I had no clue what to do. I only knew that this was the idea I'd been waiting for, it was the culmination of all the hard work I'd put in for years to build the coaching system, create a platform, establish credibility in the industry, and of course prove my methods through coaching hundreds and thousands of people over the years. I also have a corporate sales and marketing background, so I know that world first hand too, having spent a decade working my way up that ladder.
I believe that we manifest our dreams through either:
1. An idea or
2. An opportunity
When this idea presented itself, I recognized it as a manifestation of the vision I'd always held for myself, my company, and the potential this coaching program has to change lives. I knew I had to figure it out.
I asked a friend who'd founded her start-up a few years ago, what her first step was. She referred me to her attorney who specialized in start-ups, and that got the ball rolling. Knowing the basics of how things work is the first step. But many people get stuck here, or they think, "I can't afford to hire an expensive lawyer to help me get started." I always say you don't know until you try. Ask. I asked if he did a free consultation, to explain the basics, and he did it. He was willing to work with me, and we started slowly, taking one step at a time. Don't assume people won't be willing to answer your questions or give feedback, ask. If they say no, who cares? You didn't lose anything by asking. If they say yes, remember that, pay it forward and find ways to repay the kindness down the road. On the other hand, don't assume anyone owes you anything, if it's your dream, it's your job to move it forward."
Where do you see Centrella Company if five years?
I see it as a rapidly growing, highly innovative, supportive, diverse, and inclusive company, one that is exceeding revenue projections, and most importantly, is changing lives. In five years my goal is to be fully funded, with 100-200 employees worldwide, with a network of HBR certified life coaches delivering projects to Fortune 500 companies. I want to create a company that employees LOVE to work for, where they feel valued, respected, rewarded, and empowered.
I believe the work we do has the power to transform a person's life, and those changes benefit their co-workers, their company, their family, and every other part of their life. That is why I started Centrella Company. My goal is to get up every day and make sure we are, and always will be a company that delivers on that promise.
Sarah Centrella is the Founder & CEO of Centrella Company, a best-selling author, keynote speaker, master life coach, and the creator of our coaching system.