Member in the Spotlight: Sheila Nunn 

Growing on Your Own Terms

Growing a business can be both rewarding and challenging. Sheila Nunn, Director of Marketing and Business Development at the East Coast School of Languages (ECSL), understands these challenges all too well.  The business, founded in 1998, is operated by Sheila and her two partners, Donna-Lynn LeBlanc and Cecily Burnard, who all share a passion for teaching.

ECSL, based in Halifax, is an English as a second language school for international students, most of whom are in their early 20s and have a goal of attending a North American university. Their length of study ranges from four weeks to one year and the school arranges home-stay families to fully immerse them in Canadian culture. To guarantee every student has a wonderful overseas experience, ECSL also offers social activities.

 “We didn’t expect to be this large,” Sheila says when discussing how much ECSL has grown since it opened.  She says that not starting with all of the skills you would acquire with a business background has made for a strong learning curve. Another obstacle that ECSL faces is marketing abroad. In a business like theirs she says, “You not only have to sell yourself and your business, but you have to sell Nova Scotia and Halifax as a destination for people to live and learn, as well.” She claims that this can be a huge hurdle as many people overseas have never heard of Halifax or even Nova Scotia.

As the business has grown, Sheila and her business partners rely on the expertise of others when they need help. They align themselves with organizations like EduNova and the universities in Halifax to jointly promote education in Nova Scotia. Developing partnerships is key in a business like international education and ultimately, you sell better when you sell together.

“The Centre for Women in Business has always been there,” says Sheila, and workshops like the Advance Program have aided Sheila in becoming a better businesswoman and thus contributed overall to the growth of ECSL. Sheila elaborates “Whenever something arises that we don’t know how to deal with, we can just pick up the phone and the Centre is there to help.”

Sheila’s tips to fellow women business owners include being aware of what can happen when you create a business out of a personal passion you have.  While her passion is teaching, for example, her focus on running the business no longer allows her time to teach.  Also, entrepreneurial success does not happen overnight, and Sheila advises fellow women business owners to ask for outside help.  Having someone come in to review your business can be extremely beneficial, as it can help assess the strengths and weaknesses of the business and point to areas of potential growth.  “You think you know your business until someone comes in and tells you what they see”, Sheila says.

When growing a business it is important to determine your target audience and decide how to best reach them. ECSL has developed a strong internet presence, fosters excellent relationships with recruitment agents around the world, and also sends representatives four to five times a year to their target destinations.  Realizing that word of mouth is the way most of their new students find out about them means a strong focus on ensuring each student has a positive life-study experience. 

ECSL will celebrate their 14^th year in business on February 2^nd. This labour of love has grown from a small space with only a few students, largely through word of mouth, to a new location today with over 200 students, 25-30 staff members and 19 classrooms. It’s safe to say that ECSL has certainly done something right!

They are proud of the skills they give their students and the employment they create for their staff.  Their vision is to stay as they are.  They want to continue to offer high quality services and they feel that growing much larger would jeopardize that goal.  As Sheila says, business growth and success can go hand in hand without requiring growth in size.

 CWB News