Another Door Opens case study

When change knocks on your door It can be overwhelming, confusing, frustrating and lonely. 

With a passion for supporting others through the challenges that change can bring, Eleanor Tweddell, who runs her business ‘Another Door Opens’ from her home in the rural village of Hesket New Market, aims to turn these feelings around to those of optimism, curiosity, excitement and hope. 

We caught up with Eleanor to find out more about what she does, and how improved connectivity in her area enables her to run this successful business while living in the area she loves. 

Eleanor said “When we are in that moment of ‘now what’,  sometimes we  need  support in navigating through to the next chapter, whether the change you are facing is in your work or personal life. ‘Another Door Opens’ provides support for individuals, teams and organisations through  workshops, group programmes and coaching”. 

Eleanor shares “The arrival of improved broadband services has made a huge difference to the way I work and design my services. Before the improvement there was a lot of travelling 
to Manchester and London, and in-person workshops and talks were the majority of my work. Now I can offer more online experiences, from team days to 121 coaching”. 

Online business is growing fast and sits beside in-person gatherings and meet-ups. Eleanor says “My aim is not to bring everything online. My work is about connecting people and supporting people during often challenging changes in their work. It’s a very  different experience online, to in-person. Services need to be designed fit for online purpose. I’ve worked hard at embracing the benefits of online support to make sure the experience meets
the needs of my clients. An in-person service can not just be brought online without some re-design and rethinking. With the broadband improvement I’ve expanded all my services, rather than replaced in-person”. 

“I have also recently launched my second book, Another Door Opens; 5 steps for navigating change in life and work”. Promoting the book has involved a lot of podcast interviews, media conversations and online webinars. It makes a big difference to the nerves when you know the broadband is not going to fall over during an online conversation”.  
 

The first book, “Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you” was published in 2020. Deep into lockdown, with bookshops and retail closed, Eleanor heavily relied on broadband to get the book launch”. 

“This book was the beginning of my online blog and opened up   conversations   with   people   from   many   different professions who could not only resonate, but found support and the ability  to  navigate  through  their  own  personal challenges”.  

“My  second  book,  ‘Another  Door  Opens’  is  a deeper, broader exploration of change, whether it’s at work or in personal life.   This book maps out key moments in the change journey which can be applied to all aspects of change   in   our   lives   including   career   changes,   life transitions and personal reinventions”. 

“There are so many aspects of my business that online connectivity supports from podcasts, social media and online programmes to the behind the scenes business administrative tasks. My website is somewhere I can really showcase what I have to offer and enables clients to see what this is, read testimonials, and sign up or purchase depending on the route of support they feel is most appropriate for them”. 

“Living in a rural community is a wonderful experience.  I love where I live, the landscape,
the people, the tranquillities, but it can at times, and for some, feel isolating.                                                                  Improved connectivity helps to combat isolation, enabling those who live rurally to stay connected, access services, and be part of today’s world”. 

“You need to have access to online connectivity in this day and age, and hopefully, especially as  the  UK  Government  Project  Gigabit  deployment  provides  further  improvements  to services across our county, this will lead to improvements in the way we can live and what we can offer across Cumbria, whether that be from a home or business perspective. Online connectivity acts as an enabler to businesses, provides access to educational opportunities and tools, breaks down barriers to communication and seclusion, and gives access to online literature and entertainment”.  

“I love that my business has been able to support so many people in navigating through some of the most challenging times of their lives.  If you are facing change in any aspect of your life and would like some support in moving forward then give my website a look AnotherDoor  -  Rethink  your  work,  see  change  as  opportunity  or  email  me  directly  athello@anotherdoor.co.uk”. 

Eleanor would encourage businesses across rural Cumbria to look into the connectivity options available to them “There is often a misconception that online connectivity is not available  across  rural  Cumbria.  There  are  connectivity  options  across  Cumbria with deployment continuing across the county, and with many different technology options to consider”. 

To find out more about online connectivity in your area, visit the Connecting Cumbria website at www.connectingcumbria.org.uk or contact the team at info@connectingcumbria.org.uk