When Teasha Mitchell attended a Martial Arts class with her son, she discovered her inner power. Passionate that self-defence is a lifesaving skill which should be accessible to and affordable for everyone, Teasha trained to become an instructor.

Today, she offers free classes in schools to inspire confidence and resilience. Her business – Shinrai Martial Arts – goes from strength to strength. We sat down for a quick chat on the method, courage and skill it takes to get started in business.

Do you believe that anyone can start a business? 
I do now, yes.

What qualities are needed for being a successful Self Starter? 
Tenacity, passion for what you do and a willingness to learn as you go.

What advice would you give to someone starting out? 
Asking for help when you need it is essential, and expect to learn as you go.

How do you measure success? 
Students growing in self-confidence, happiness and self-worth. Plus being able to teach more children self-defence.

What’s the best thing about running a business? 
The ability to steer my business in the direction I want it to go, and to focus on what I feel is important.

What’s the worst thing about running a business? 
Sometimes the pressure, however surrounding yourselves with good, supporting people helps hugely.

How do you maintain a good work / life balance? 
As a mum, flexible working hours are essential.

What gives you that fighting spirit? 
Seeing students achieve what they never thought possible. Teaching Martial Arts is my passion and purpose.

How do you stay positive? 
It’s easy to stay positive when you’re doing what you love and are surrounded by the right people.

What is the key to a productive day? 
Planning and organisation, with built-in flexibility if needed. Life is unpredictable.

Why is supporting small, independent businesses so important? 
Small businesses have much closer links to the local people and community – they support each other.

What difference has having a website made to your business? 
It’s given our business a professional-looking base of operation and allowed us to spread our message far and wide.

What do you like best about your 123 Reg website? 
The friendly and welcoming look of the website. It’s colourful and easy to use, therefore perfect for children.

How would you describe your experience with 123 Reg? 
A number of easy-to-follow steps that have created something remarkable. 123 Reg is user friendly, with fantastic personal support. The account managers are amazing! Mine was instrumental in supporting me through the entire process. I would recommend it to anyone. I struggle with technology so if I can use it, anyone can.

Feeling inspired?

Teasha Mitchell is a force to be reckoned with. She is championing business with 123 Reg and you can too. If you’re inspired by her story and ready to start your own online journey, we’re ready to help.

If you’re a Self Starter who runs their own business, you could be in with a chance of winning prizes worth more than £10,000! To learn how to enter, check out our Self Starter Awards website, where you can also see full details of the prizes and competition rules.

We also love hearing about our customers’ success stories. So, if you have a great story to share about how 123-Reg has helped your online business, get in touch here.