{"id":23599,"date":"2025-01-08T16:06:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T15:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=23599"},"modified":"2025-01-10T13:06:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T12:06:23","slug":"explore-enterprise-helps-entrepreneur-sally-okane-turn-her-company-concept-into-an-impactful-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2025\/01\/explore-enterprise-helps-entrepreneur-sally-okane-turn-her-company-concept-into-an-impactful-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore Enterprise Helps Entrepreneur Sally O\u2019Kane Turn Her Company Concept Into An Impactful Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2024 marked a year of reinvention for Sally O\u2019Kane, with the challenges of navigating both a redundancy and a divorce needing her attention alongside being a single mother to her 10-year-old twin boys.<\/span><\/p>\n

Deciding to take back an element of control in her life, Sally took a leap of faith to turn her extensive experience in environmental management into a business of her own, launching SOK Consultancy with the backing of Enterprise NI\u2019s Explore Enterprise support service.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hailing from Elgin, Scotland originally but living in Northern Ireland for the last 16 years, the Feeny resident opted to curate a sustainability-focused business that aims to help companies embrace circular economy principles and reduce their environmental impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with the help of Roe Valley Enterprises mentor and business advisor Alice Quinn, Sally took the step to start her business after 13 years as Head of Compliance and Sustainability at Frylite, joining the Explore Enterprise service within weeks of leaving her job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on her journey, Sally said: \u201cI had an opportunity to take redundancy and it was really a question of where do I want to go next?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had the idea for my own business during COVID, I really wanted to be able to do something different than what I’ve been doing for 13 1\/2 years, where I could use all the knowledge and experience I’d gained in nearly 25 years in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to put that experience and time to good use to support businesses on their journey to developing sustainability plans and looking at carbon reduction, so I knew that there was a good opportunity for me to go out on my own as a consultant, and that\u2019s where I approached Explore Enterprise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After seeking guidance on setting up her now-budding consultancy company, Sally credits Alice\u2019s expert guidance and positivity as an invaluable source of encouragement and practical advice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sally said: \u201cAlice has been fantastic from day one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe has supported me through everything, from applying for grants to building my confidence when I had doubts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn the hard days, she\u2019s reminded me why I started this journey and kept me motivated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people I\u2019ve met through the programme have become friends and a support network, so it\u2019s been vital, especially as someone working solo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SOK Consultancy focuses on helping SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) navigate sustainability planning and resource efficiency, offering tailored support to clients, from waste management audits to developing carbon reduction strategies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying her passion for applying simple, achievable steps for businesses to integrate sustainable practices, Sally transformed the support given to her during her time with the service into support that she can give to other businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cA lot of smaller businesses struggle with where to start, so my role is to help them see that sustainability doesn\u2019t have to be complicated; it\u2019s about creating a practical plan that fits their goals and reduces environmental impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnterprise NI was very much there to support me and help me on that journey, whether it\u2019s been confidence building or marketing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sally\u2019s expertise builds on her experience implementing a five-year sustainability strategy for Frylite, where her work sparked an interest in applying sustainability on a broader scale, particularly in areas like reducing waste and incorporating circular economy principles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting her business as a single mother hasn\u2019t been without its challenges, but Sally sees her journey as proof that change is possible with determination and support.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cSometimes, it\u2019s hard to acknowledge the wins when you\u2019re in the middle of everything, but I\u2019ve learned to celebrate keeping things going.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery three months, I set small milestones, and so far, I\u2019ve been able to say, \u2018Yes, I can keep going.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI needed a career that suited my family life better and starting my own business gave me control over my schedule, but while it\u2019s still hard work, it\u2019s a step forward for all of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For those considering starting their own business, Sally hopes that her story will inspire others, particularly women balancing family commitments or personal challenges, to believe in their potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cIf you\u2019ve got that feeling in your gut, don\u2019t ignore it because you don\u2019t need all the answers to start, you just need to take the first step.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe help from the Explore Enterprise Support Service is fantastic and there\u2019s someone there who wants to see you succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI also kind of feel that from the women I’ve met in the last six months, there are lots of other women that are in the same boat as me, whether they’re divorced or they’ve got children and they’re trying to balance their job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s so much opportunity and if you’ve got that drive or the idea, there shouldn’t be anything that stops you, and I know that sounds a bit cliche, but maybe that will help to inspire somebody else in a similar situation to go for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Explore Enterprise Support Service has provided \u00a31.8 million in support to help entrepreneurs like Sally realise their dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sally O\u2019Kane\u2019s journey is just one example of how the Explore Enterprise Support Service empowers individuals to turn challenges into opportunities, building thriving businesses that make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on Enterprise NI go to <\/b>www.enterpriseni.com<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2024 marked a year of reinvention for Sally O\u2019Kane, with the challenges of navigating both a redundancy and a divorce needing her attention alongside being a single mother to her 10-year-old twin boys. Deciding to take back an element of control in her life, Sally took a leap of faith to turn her extensive experience … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[1859,1858,1683],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23599"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23599"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23606,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23599\/revisions\/23606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}