Kenilworth woman celebrates first anniversary of business after facing redundancy

Marie Haycocks, 41, set up her business Certanovo a year ago, which specialises in coaching for young people, individuals and professionals.

Marie had previously worked in financial services for 18 years where she had undertaken a number of senior project manager roles.

Faced with redundancy and having just become a mother to her son Ethan, Marie decided to leave her job and aimed to start her own business.

She said: “I largely enjoyed my career but I never felt fulfilled. However, like a lot of people, I had job security and a good salary for many years and enjoyed the lifestyle it gave me.

“At school I was told by a careers advisor that I should pursue a job in banking and follow in my father’s footsteps. I therefore studied maths and economics and went down that path, finishing my education with an economics degree at University of Liverpool.

“When I was faced with redundancy I felt a mix of fear and excitement about the future but after careful consideration, and lots of chats with family and friends, I decided to take the plunge.”

After receiving support from a careers coach, Marie decided that she also wanted to become a coach and help other people to realise their ambitions.

After a year of research and training to give her the necessary skills to do this, Marie set up Certanovo.

She specialises in helping people to understand where their talents and passions lie and to look at the opportunities available to them.

Marie enjoys working with young people in particular and has recently completed a project with Stratford High School where she helped sixth form students assess their skills and passions and identify career paths that they could find rewarding.

She added: “There is a lot of pressure on young people today to decide at an early age what they want to do for a career. This starts even before they choose their GCSEs.

“I was influenced by a careers advisor who didn’t really have the time or the skills to help me understand which career I would be good at and enjoy.

“I was good at maths and therefore the obvious route was to pursue a ‘sensible’ job in banking. I’m not saying that at times I didn’t enjoy my work - I did, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as what I am doing now.

“My own experience has made me more determined to help people find the courage to follow their passion.”