Members on the move
Izaskun Gurruchaga Marketing and Strategy Consultant
By Theresa Mills

“Disastrous.  Catastrophic.  It’s a great time to start a business!”  This is how marketing and strategy consultant Izaskun Gurruchaga views the current state of affairs in Spain.

Izaskun moved to Barcelona 12 years ago after a successful marketing career in the Basque Country.  She spent nine years running successful businesses with a partner, then, after a change in personal circumstances, ventured out on her own.  Izaskun decided to use her experience in large corporations and small companies to help other people set up their own businesses.

“I help ordinary people start small businesses.  Having worked in large companies, I understand how businesses work, but the information can often be complex and confusing for the average person.  I help them understand this advice and teach them how to put it into practice.”

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Members on the move
Rohan Hall Founder & CEO Cool Mojito
By Theresa Mills

Social networking web sites started as a way to connect with friends, family and colleagues via the internet.  Yet they’ve rapidly expanded into a global phenomenon that has been responsible for changing the way the world communicates.  Thanks to social networking web sites, people who once had no voice can now be heard, censored information has been shared for the first time in history, the oppressed have used it as a tool to help change government and unknown talents have become famous overnight.

There is, however, one area that remains relatively unexploited.  Social networking as a business tool.  This month, we are interviewing Rohan Hall, a visionary who has grabbed hold of this idea and used it to create a software tool that helps small and medium business owners promote and monetize their businesses utilizing the immense power of social networking.

Originally fromJamaica, Rohan worked in theUnited Statesas a technology consultant.   He worked for companies such as HP, Honda, Oracle and Lockheed, eventually starting his own company rSitez and writing a book Stop Working.  Hall’s successes in the States led him to look abroad for other opportunities and three years ago he moved his family toBarcelonawhere he set to work on his latest endeavor – Cool Mojito.

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Members on the move
Rebecca Castleton Founder Castleton Associates
By Theresa Mills

“Never waste a crisis!” says career coach Rebecca Castleton, founder of Castleton Associates.  Rebecca is the first in our series of interviews with inspirational Biz Lunch members.

Rebecca has worked as a successful career coach for over 20 years, with clients based in three countries.  She uses her experience as a career coach, her psychology background and her skills in branding and marketing, to help clients ‘reinvent’ themselves and create their own personal brand.

“People come to me for different reasons,” she says.  “They may have lost their job, are re-entering the job market or are simply looking for a more fulfilling career.  Sometimes people come to me not knowing what they want, but they know they want a change.  Whatever their reason, background or age, I can help them develop a new life plan.  During the coaching process, I conduct assessments to discover their strengths and interests and together we develop strategies to apply these skills in work and life situations.  My clients may not know what they want when they start, but in the end, they find clarity.  When they have clarity, they are able to recognize opportunity.”

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