Maria Dofeldt, CoachCompanion Romania
Our platform brings together businesses from all fields and from all corners of the country. Today we are happy to introduce our very first expat woman who decided to join our community: Mrs. Maria Dofeldt.
What is your name, where are you from and what business do you have?
Maria Dofeldt, I am from Sweden, moved to Cluj in 2015 and I run a coaching school in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
How did you come up with the idea for this business?
I have been working in education for about 30 years, first in IT, then in leadership and now in coaching. I have been a professional coach for about 10 years. When CoachCompanion Sweden asked me in 2018 if I wanted to start CoachCompanion Romania as a franchise I said yes without hesitation. To run my own education company is a dream come true.
What products and services do you offer and who are your clients?
We offer coach training to become an ICF Certified Coach. We also have follow-up trainings for Coaching Leaders, Team Coaching, Career Coaching and Wellness Coach besides individual and team coaching. I am also certified in the assessment tool SDI (Strength Deployment Inventory) and offer debriefing and training in: Self-Awareness, Conflict Management, and a Certification to become a facilitator in SDI.
In CoachCompanion we believe coaching is for everyone! It can be for future coaches or for people that want personal development. In companies it can be to be better in communication or leadership. A lot of women with smaller kids find us. Usually when they ask themselves: “Is this how my life is going to be the rest of my life? I need to find myself”. We can help to find an answer to that question.
What is your differentiator in the market?
Our trainings are experiential and have their base in the coaching approach. I am proud to say we have a Scandinavian approach and quality.
CoachCompanion is one of the oldest coaching schools, founded in 2005, in Sweden, which has developed unique models for sustainable coaching for over 15 years.
We are the only coaching school in Transylvania that offers an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP). That means we are approved by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) to certify ACC and PCC coaches in the highest level of international coach training. There are more than 30 000 ICF certified coaches in the world, we have trained more than 5 000 coaches in Sweden, Finland, South Africa and Romania.
What was your greatest satisfaction as an entrepreneur?
I have started 5 companies so far; I can’t help myself. When I have an idea, I need to put it in practice. I have learned a lot from this. What to do, and not to do. In my latest business I know that what I offer makes a difference in people’s lives. By being my own boss I can be myself. As an entrepreneur I can influence how people see me and what I offer. By working together with other entrepreneurs that share my passion to connect with each other, we can grow together.
What was your biggest challenge in this time of crisis?
I miss interacting more with other human beings. Fortunately, I can do my trainings online even if meeting in person is preferable.
What did you do differently in this time of crisis?
Of course, I respect my participants and have trainings online. Otherwise, honestly, I haven’t done that much different. Business as usual. My team work in the office voluntarily. I go to the office every day and mostly my team do that as well. I respect keeping a distance, wearing a mask when I go out and washing my hands.
What message do you have for our mamprenoare?
As a mother you are a role model. How you work, but also how you spend your time at home. The kids do as we do, not what we tell them to do. I want my kids to see a successful woman that also cares for the family, just like their father.
