SOPHIA BAILEY-LARSEN
Starting as a teenage Mum on a council estate in London, personal development transformed Sophia's life by helping her see what's possible when you master your mind and focus on your vision.
Sophia has been studying Napoleon Hill's work for over a decade and has trained over 7,000 women worldwide on what it takes to create wealth from a definite purpose.
She is experienced in bringing new product releases to market, via social networking and events that sell.
Now working as a mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs, she has condensed her skills and experience into a 7 pillar process that clients can apply to develop systems for ongoing wealth creation.
As well as being one of the first British Napoleon Hill Certified Leadership Instructors, Sophia Bailey-Larsen has been recognised as one of the 50 most influential Black Entrepreneurs in the UK.
Her next goal is to reach a global stage where she can impact 5,000 families with her message of possibility. She currently resides in Spain.
All information and links were correct at the date of original publication on
16 Jan 2022
What made you decide to leave the UK?
My decision to leave the UK wasn’t business but personal related. Thankfully, the nature of my business certainly helped with the transition.
I already ran an online vision creation mentoring business in the UK; so moving to Spain gave me the same amount of freedom in my working lifestyle.
I left for good when I met my (now) husband who also works online. We had planned to travel and work anywhere we could with great Wi-Fi.
We chose to become residents of Spain because of the quality of life, warmer weather and the way the community supports new families.
What did you feel was your biggest challenge?
Leaving the community was my biggest challenge. I also felt I may become too disconnected from my own culture.
The reason for that was the area of Spain I initially moved to did not have a large percentage of Black people from my background, or English speakers.
My passion is to help black women that have been in the positions I have overcome by transforming the way they view them.
Speaking at events was a way to really connect and share my story, I met so many new friends that way over the years.
When I first moved here I didn’t know any Spanish and hadn’t yet made friends, let alone business connections.
I was afraid of feeling isolated but at the same time, I knew that I could maintain connections using the internet.
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
If you don't like the position, size or placement of the photos, grab, move, rotate or resize them until you do!
Did you write a business plan to support this new chapter in your business lifecycle?
As my move wasn’t business-related and I didn’t anticipate big changes in my online business, I didn’t make a specific business plan for moving here.
One of the things I did strategically plan for was to host vision creation retreats in Spain. That was a new addition to my business which I would not have done if I had stayed in London.
It also addressed my desire for in-person connections with members of my network in a way that really served something they could not get in the UK.
Do you feel business plans are over rated?
I feel this depends on the type of business you run.
All businesses need some form of planning in the early days beyond the initial idea.
I come across women all the time with fantastic ideas and very little grasp on the details needed to make it happen. That will set you up for failure before you’ve even begun.
However, there are some things the plan just won’t help with because life happens and things change constantly.
If you plan for anything it must be ‘what to do in the event of change;’ whether that is in your industry or your personal life.
What additional support would help start-ups?
I have had people approach me for investment with so much guess work it’s unbelievable, and yet the banks provide a start-up loan.
When the inevitable happens, which a trained eye could foresee, it is very sad.
Perhaps there could be some form of match or introduction scheme for applicants to businesses in similar industries (without conflict) to get more factual information for start-ups.
What advice would you give potential entrepreneurs thinking of relocating abroad?
Visit the area you plan to relocate to and speak to people about how things are done.
Don’t try to compare everything to how it is done in the UK as everyone has their culture and their systems.
It is better to learn the new way of your new lifestyle and figure out if it’s truly where you want to be before you settle there.
When you try to do everything as the locals would do, you will find more available resources and the beginnings of a supportive community in your new dream life.