Firebrand is a South African business that lives up to its name when it comes to employee engagement, literally firing up their minds and imaginations and getting them to work differently. The company is the brainchild of business partners Heather Cresswell and Savannah Sefor who have been co-facilitating personal development programmes for years, but who are now taking their work to the next level through their company Firebrand.
LoA found out more about this passionate company and its vision to reach people in the workplace and help them to fulfil their true career potential.
What does your company do?
If you’re ready to ignite the hearts and minds of your employees, Firebrand will light the way. We are a consulting company that creates strategic, bespoke programmes based on your needs and our findings. We draw from a wide range of modalities and expertise in order for your employees and leadership to integrate more workable ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, both for themselves and in relation to their clients, internal teams and organisational structure. We believe that true organisational transformation can only take place at the level of the individual. As accredited Flow Consultants, we are able to use the phenomenal Wealth and Talent Dynamics profiling tool to support individuals to identify and create their most successful path to wealth and fulfilment. This also enables us to accurately identify the areas within your business and team which need attention and growth in order to flourish and assists us in developing a tailor-made, long-term strategy for your organisation which will ignite your business for exponential growth.
"If you’re ready to ignite the hearts and minds of your employees, Firebrand will light the way."
What inspired you to start your company?
My business partner Savannah Sefor and I have known each other for twenty two years and we are best friends. For many years we’ve been co-facilitating personal development courses and workshops together, and at some point it became clear to us that, since we live in an era where people are spending more and more time at the office, working within businesses was an obvious next step in order to make a difference. Firebrand is our way to reach people in the workplace, and since work takes up so much of our time it’s a way to create fulfilment within our chosen professions. That’s something that’s really important to us. It was always our dream to start this company.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We focus on the individual within the business. From the leader to the labourer every one matters. Being entrepreneurs ourselves we have developed the Ignition Spiral, a programme aimed at entrepreneurs to take them and their businesses through the various stages from startup to building their dream teams, to being able to step away from working in their business into working on their business. This is one of the biggest challenges of entrepreneurship. We offer the Wealth and Talent Dynamics profiling tool in order to ascertain a client’s natural energy and talent. A talent being something you are not only good at, you also LOVE doing it. This determines our natural way of working and allows you to focus on what you are good at. This incredibly comprehensive assessment shows the client their natural pathway to creating the business and life they want. We all love it when we feel in flow and focusing on what we excel at, and creating a team where each person gets to do that is a recipe for success and personal fulfilment. This forms the foundation for what the next steps are in terms of an on going bespoke business, team and leadership program.
"We focus on the individual within the business. From the leader to the labourer every one matters."
Tell us a little about your team
Savannah Sefor has worked in the field of human development and self-actualisation for 25 years. She has freelanced in various industries and corporates, including event management, production and PR, as well as owning her own business and coaching practice. Her first-hand experience of the importance of dynamic, workable communications, the power of self-responsibility and the impact of personal development and integrity on organisational success has set her apart as a leader in her field.
Heather Cresswell is a Facilitator and Coach in the Thinking Environment, a RJH Flow Consultant and has spent the past 20 years working in the field of personal, team and leadership development. As a Director of a successful entrepreneurial business she knows the challenges faced by leaders and teams in business during these uncertain times. She's passionate about what it takes to create workable relationships and believes your relationship to yourself, others and life largely determines your level of joy, fulfilment and happiness.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Heather: I definitely come from an entrepreneurial background. I’m basically unemployable, because I always want to look for new ways of doing things. I’ve owned and started a number of businesses and currently own two – the first I started from scratch three years ago and it’s just starting to fly. Firebrand is a year old. It’s been an incredible journey in terms of putting our team together, refining our material, running inspiring workshops and getting fantastic feedback.
"Firebrand is our way to reach people in the workplace, and since work takes up so much of our time it’s a way to create fulfilment within our chosen professions."
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
From an entrepreneurial perspective you’re always busy growing your business, or growing your team, or growing some aspect of your business. Which is why we are so passionate about the IGNITION SPIRAL. This is a valuable tool no matter where anyone is on their entrepreneurial journey, so it’s not only limited to people who are just starting on the journey as entrepreneurs. You can come onto the Ignition Spiral at any point of your journey as an entrepreneur. We are passionate about people in a very real and measurable way and are committed to making the biggest difference we can in order for them to realise that they have the power in their own lives and that they are greater than they might ever have believed.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Heather: I get enormous satisfaction from seeing transformation happen within people and businesses, and business leaders, and my own growth that comes out of that. Seeing a person really get something about themselves or their lives and use this realisation to overcome challenges and positively impact their own lives and community and country. There’s nothing more inspirational for me than that.
Savannah: Founding our own business and putting our hearts, minds and souls into all our programmes has allowed me the creativity and flexibility to shift and move within the training environment so that every opportunity to interact and work with people creates maximum impact for them. Participating in peoples lives, seeing them light up when they remember their own greatness and the huge impact that has on the lives of everyone around them, truly feeds my fire!
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Find a friend who loves and supports you on your worst days and who believes in you when you doubt. Surround yourself with good people. Most importantly, I think it’s essential to have a vision that you can hold onto and focus on during those challenging days.
Start out the way you mean to carry on. Don’t let small things slide at the beginning – they will catch up with you later on. Know yourself and get support with areas of business that you aren’t good at.
Contact or follow Firebrand
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | EMAIL heather@thefirebrand.co.za
Why LoA loves it….
At LoA, we love those businesses that are founded on passion - whether that’s passion to make a difference in people’s lives, or passion to make real change happen. In the case of Firebrand founders Heather Cresswell and Savannah Sefor, they have passion aplenty and they are on a mission to help people and organisations truly transform themselves and fulfil their potential. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa