Introducing…
Feel empowered to be you. The real you.
Hi! I’m Louisa, welcome to InclUSion.
Thanks for stopping by. You’re probably intrigued to know what InclUSion is about, so how about a quick Q&A?
Why have I created this community?
Over the years, I have been part of different paid communities but I never found one that fully met my needs. They either came with resources I didn’t need/want, had events on days/times I couldn’t make, felt too cliquey or I didn’t think there was enough value for what I wanted.
Why have I called it InclUSion?
I have lots of different labels attached to me (invisible illnesses, neurodiverse – diagnosed at 43!, solo parenting to a neurodiverse child, introvert and many more). I know how good it feels to chat with people that understand you don’t tick the ‘normal-life’ boxes.
Whether you’re trying to figure things out or you want to feel like you belong (quirks and all), this is the group for you. A place where you will feel valued and appreciated. No more feeling like a number because I want to get to know YOU for who you are and what you stand for.
Who is it for?
InclUSion is for business owners, freelancers, entrepreneurs and home-based workers that want to be part of a community where they can talk openly, gain clarity, ideas and support and accountability. No more excuses for putting off those awesome ideas. It’s time to take action and if you want it, ask for advice and feedback before you share it with the rest of the world.
What will InclUSion give you?
It’s a peer-to-peer community with me (Louisa) facilitating sessions – no more getting in your own way! As a member, it’s about feeling comfortable being you – if there are times when you don’t want to be on camera, turn it off. My objective is to offer you a safe space for you to talk openly, and gain clarity, direction, strategy, innovative ideas and accountability to help you thrive (personally and professionally).
How does it work?
This community is about simplicity, practicality and being interactive. There’s an online forum based on Heartbeat (away from social media). In addition, there are lots of live events. The events are held on different days and times because I know there might be some days and times that you won’t be able to make.
What gets discussed on the online community and during the live calls?
85% of the time, the focus is on accountability, your goals, problem solving and giving you ideas professionally. Topics vary but cover a wide range of business support and advice. During the remaining 15% of the time we chat about life and what is going on in our worlds. Again, sharing support and advice.
“The group calls have been a joy to attend. From quelling the anxieties of attendees to offering articulate, actionable advice to anyone who needs it, Louisa takes her time to give value to all who stop by. You’re very much free to be yourself.“ – Bee Higgins
The Membership
There are different elements to the membership and you can choose which is most appropriate based on your requirements:
Pay-as-you-go
If the online community isn’t for you, pay per event.
Prices will range from £10 – £32.
Explorer
Access the online community and get involved with weekly co-working sessions.
Standard price: £22.00
InclUSioner
Access the online community and get involved with co-working sessions, live events and workshops.
Standard Price: £42.00
“Louisa is dynamic and always highly motivated. She demonstrates a genuine desire to know and understand the person she’s speaking to, and by getting to know you and how you tick, she can help you be the best version of yourself so your business thrives. She never deviates from that, and there’s nothing fake or disingenuous about her approach.” – Gillian Jones
Learn more about InclUSion
Behind the scenes
“InclUSion is a vibrant, welcoming community that offers business owners the opportunity to bounce ideas around, ask for feedback, connect with like-minded people, and chat about the ups and downs of being a business owner.” – Bee
“I love the Heartbeat platform. I love that when I RSVP to an event or change it to not being able to make it, it instantly updates in my google calendar! And it’s a nice platform to navigate around too.” – Amy
Me + You = US
You
You want to be part of a community where you feel valued for who you really are. A space where there is no B.S. and people are honest and straight-talking, rather than all the hype you see online about how amazing life is.
That’s not to say your life isn’t amazing but it’s amazing on your terms!
But then again, maybe you are struggling because right now, life is tough and you want to feel comfortable being yourself without feeling judged.
Whatever your situation, you’re joining because you’re determined, you want to take action and connect with awesome people.
Me
I’m a Mentor and Strategist with a lot of life and business experience. I’ve often been described as ‘quirky’ and I have a neurodiverse child. I also balance running my business with health issues and solo parenting.
I’m left and right-brained and with that comes creativity, strategic and analytical thinking with a sprinkling of practicality.
My strength lies in helping people realise their potential, coming up with ideas you might never have considered, challenging you in a way that makes you think and having genuine empathy for what you’re experiencing.
US
As individuals, we’re awesome but imagine what we can gain by coming together in unity.
TEAM = Team Everyone Achieves More
There are so many benefits from being part of a supportive community:
- Feeling valued
- Diverse people offering different perspectives
- Developing new friendships
- Being held accountable
- Problem-solving opportunities
- Personal & professional learning
- A safe space to be yourself
“InclUSion instantly helped me clear the clutter and feel less lonely. It helped me release tension that was building up from juggling business, guide dog school, and family life.” – Lia Stoll
7 Reasons for joining InclUSion by me
- You want to be part of a community doesn’t feel too cliquey – no favouritism here.
- Have a space away from social media to talk openly and honestly about how you’re feeling with people that understand / can relate to your world.
- Connect with like-minded people.
- Embrace who you really are without fear of judgement. I’m not a fan of labels but I have quite a few attached to me… solo parenting, invisible illnesses, quirky, autistic, introvert and I could list many more.
- You want to feel valued rather than a number.
- You want a safe space to talk openly, and gain clarity, direction, strategy, innovative ideas and accountability to help you thrive (personally and professionally).
- Let’s be honest, you’re curious and you’re thinking it would be great to connect with new people and come away with advice and ideas!
7 Reasons for joining InclUSion by Bee Higgins
- Super supportive, welcoming community where you’re free to discuss the ups and downs of professional life.
- Louisa’s inclusive, friendly nature and strategic brain that can help you get to the heart of what you want from your business.
- Gentle accountability to get things done in your biz and act on steps you want to take.
- Able to fully be yourself – no pretence, no need to entirely leave your comfort zone, no need to show up as super professional you.
- No more stabs in the dark or standing in your own way when it comes to your business strategy. Ask for feedback and use the space as a sounding board for plans.
- Ability to brush up on your skills – communication, advice giving, receiving feedback, etc.
- Helps you get clearer on where you want to be in your business free from intimidation, pressure or salesy schtick.
Bee’s an awesome creative copywriter – connect with her on LinkedIn.
“InclUSion has been motivating, supportive, productive and engaging – a perfect start for 2023. 😊 Thanks for all your hard work in making this a lovely community of like-minded people. I enjoyed the workshop today it was engaging and thought-provoking. Mind maps rule!” – Jessica Jones
Frequently Asked Questions
You’re curious to find out what this is all about. You’ve heard about it and you want to see if it works for you.
Joining this, you will feel part of a community. Your voice will be hear, you will be listened to and you will be supported.
You will be with people that ‘get you’ and understand that life isn’t all about work 24/7.
If you become and Explorer or an InclUSioner, you will be offered a 30-minute call with me (Louisa). This is so I can learn a little bit more about you and what you’d like to get out of the membership. This is really useful because if I know someone looking for a particular expertise, I know to point them in your direction.
The frequency of events will vary and I’m not expecting you to attend all of them but if you can attend them all, that’s awesome.
Weekly
Accountability threads within Heartbeat
Get Focused & Achieve More – 2 hour co-working session session: You don’t need to stay for all of it. It starts with a quick intro about what you’re working on, we get to work and at the end we have a chat about how we got on and how we’re doing.
Varying frequency
Drop-in Q&A session: An opportunity to ask me anything! If you want you can stay for the whole session or you can drop in, ask and leave.
Networking Happy Hour: No 60-second pitch! Instead, it’s fun and I give you an opportunity to buddy up with people in breakout rooms to learn more about each other and/or talk about specific topics.
Member Hot Seat: One member per month will get the opportunity to bring 2-3 problems or ideas and get support and feedback on them.
Accountability Circle: Mid month we will chat about how our goals/intentions are going for that month.
Workshops: Led by me.
Focus Sessions: An hour to discuss a specific topic and give you ideas and inspiration. For example, content creation and strategy.
Member Led Sessions: An opportunity for members to run a session on their expertise and show off what they do/know.
There are three different membership options.
- Pay-as-you-go events.
- Explorer for those wanting to access the online community and co-working sessions.
- InclUSioner offers access-all-areas for those that want to pay and know they can jump in and out when they want.
Currently, they take place Monday to Thursday between 10am and 4pm.
If demand is there, I might test out running some in the evening. I will also look to run evening events if members join from different time zones.
there might be the occasional Friday event but this will be for social gatherings on Zoom.
Crikey!! Don’t be greedy. 🙂
Opportunities for guest blogging slots, be a guest on my LinkedIn or Instagram live, and if I hear of someone looking for someone with your knowledge and expertise, I will point them in your direction.
As a member, you’ll become a subscriber and with that it means you’ll receive details of special offers that are only available to subscribers.
That’s because there aren’t any! I think often people feel they should do them when in reality, a lot of people would prefer interaction and access to the founder.
Did you know I have mentored and advised lots of people about how to use LinkedIn effectively and how to create social media strategies?
Read this case study from Iona to learn more about the LinkedIn Programme she completed with me.
If you scroll through my LinkedIn testimonials, you will learn more about the strategies, support and workshops I have run.
Why am I sharing this? On Feedback Corner days, you will be able to ask for feedback relating to LinkedIn and media.
Social media can be a huge distraction and everyone uses different platforms.
Although Slack is great, Heartbeat is much more intuitive to use and it works better for this community.
This community is for everyone! After all, it wouldn’t be very inclusive if I said it was for one particularly type of person.
Whether you’re employed, run your own business, an entrepreneur, not working it doesn’t matter.
This is for people seeking a safe space to seek ideas and inspiration, gain accountability, meet new people and be part of something special.
Drop-in Q&A session feedback: “I didn’t have any questions or expectations, and yet I came away feeling like I learnt something and received a very useful business nudge. Thank you!” – Lisa de Caux
Who am I?
Hello! In case you’ve forgotten from the top of the page, I am Louisa (van Vessem). I’m English but my father was Dutch and I think I inherited a lot of the Dutch traits.
Something you’ll quickly find out about me is that I love to give value – probably a little too much! I can’t help it and that’s why it’s good to pick my brain in the Q&A sessions.
My expertise? Where do I start? I’ve got corporate and SME experience, and I’ve worked in the UK and overseas. I have experience in: management, leadership, HR, recruitment, process improvement, setting and implementing KPIs, introducing mission, vision and values, and lots more.
Within my own business (started in 2017), I have never used paid ads, 98% of my work has come to me as inbound leads through the use of social media. I have a natural ability to know what works and that’s why clients like working with me. They also love how I challenge their thinking and push them out of their comfort zone, whilst sharing lots of innovative ideas with them and holding them accountable.
I also have a LOT of life experience and quite often I end up giving clients ideas with lots of personal stuff too because of what I have tried and tested.
I often say I take a holistic approach to life because for me, life is about balance. Work hard but also have time for me, and my little dude.
Letters from Louisa
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