IT was 2005 when Lisa Clifford left the security of a high-paid job in the hotel industry to launch her venture as a business and performance coach.

Now she not only counts the British Armed Forces and Yorkshire Water among clients, but has received national press coverage and has developed a niche specialism in firewalking.

Anisha Mistry, from Approachpr, who is nominating Lisa as Business Personality of the Year, said: “Lisa Clifford is a charismatic, determined and remarkable businesswoman who has transformed the lives of individuals, increased the profitability of businesses and dared to tread where no business coach has gone before.”

In just under a decade, Lisa’s business has increased significantly. With the launch of her Firewalking for Business programme in 2009, Lisa focused on developing a commercial offering with the goal of increasing the ratio of corporate clients.

After training with internationally renowned Sundoor fire-walking school, Lisa launched her own fire-walking workshops to empower businesses to beat the economic down turn and credit crunch.

After leading dozens of businesses across burning coals, Lisa went on to train as a Master Firewalking Instructor Trainer and is currently the only female in England training others to become instructors.

Lisa said: “To motivate others, you have to be self-motivated and have a goal to work towards. My goal is always to go into businesses with the aim of them increasing their profit as a direct result of my input.”

Lisa’s business growth has been based on the cornerstones of business success: credibility, awareness and financial stability.

From business inception, Lisa joined every relevant regional networking group and proactively volunteered for positions of influence.