One of our Founding Members, Team Fireball, spent time with us giving us an update on their business.
Debbie Pickus, Founder & President of Team Fireball, started the entrepreneurial journey in 2013 and has refined her vision.
The best way to describe Team Fireball, per Debbie;
“We help employers reduce any nagging fears in their employee’s heads in regards to violence in (and out of) the workplace. We do this through our experiential training curriculum with programs that make people feel safer so that they can focus on what you are paying them to do. Their job….
Our programs also help to address sexual harassment concerns because we are teaching people to have the power and confidence to draw their own boundaries and speak up for themselves.”
We have three programs to deliver this benefit to clients:
“When Terminations go Wrong” designed for the HR and management world, it addresses the human safety aspect of a hostile termination. We are proud to be presenting on this program at Illinois SHRM (Society of HR Managers) in September.
“Flight or Fight” – for people of all physical abilities. Participants will learn 3-5 self-defense skills beginning with awareness and building into strikes and blocks. Perfect for an office team building, a networking event or breakout session at a conference.
“Small Group Self Defense”- Geared toward 6-12 women only, this program is great for the smaller office who don’t have a corporate budget, bridal parties, college bound girls, etc. Participants get the group together, pick the time and location, and I show up. Most S/D classes are at odd hours at a martial arts studio. This is more personalized because I make it work around attendees’ schedules.
The question we find most valuable for fellow entrepreneurs are lessons from challenges overcome by our member businesses. This is what Debbie had to share:
“Resilience, tenacity and realizing that good things take time is a key to long-term success as an entrepreneur. Never give up, find mentors and be flexible. Our business has been on several roller coasters. Being able to respond when seeing a dead-end and taking the business in a new direction are important things to consider when you start your business. We are bootstrapping yet love this entrepreneurial journey. I so believe in this business and the difference we have made in people’s lives. That’s what motivates us every day and we get to be of service. I’m doing work that I love and that matters.”
As stated, Team Fireball has been one of our Founding Members when we opened our doors in October 2016. We wanted to know more about what led to their decision to select LifeWorking Coworking as their workplace.
Here is what Debbie had to say; “We had been searching for an office because working from home – we couldn’t get anything accomplished. Everything we found felt so wrong. We heard about this, reached out to Steve and came over for a tour. The combination of Steve’s vision and personality, the concept for the space and the energy with the natural light made it easy to make the initial decision. Over time, we have continued to see the VALUE of the relationships and the continuous programming and events as well as making new business relationships a key to our success.
I can’t imagine being anywhere else. We look forward to expanding our business as LifeWorking Coworking adds locations.”
We like to conclude with advice that our members would offer fellow start-ups.
“Entrepreurship is a rollercoaster and you’ve got to hold on tight for the ride. You need a mindset of “why” you are doing this. You must have a really strong reason – the purpose and passion must be matched. I’ve always known that I wanted to create something greater than me.”
You can find Team Fireball creating big things at www.team-fireball.com or setup a call with Debbie.
