Business Magic Ltd: The professionals’ one-stop shop

A driver of change, Bruneau Woomed set up Business Magic Ltd to empower NGOs, SMEs and individuals by offering coaching, training and project management services. He has successfully helped thousands of people by unlocking their potentials and encouraging them to progress.

Set up in 2013, Business Magic Ltd offers training, coaching and project management services to small and medium enterprises and NGOs. The company was a joint-venture by Bruneau Woomed and Megha Venketasamy but they parted ways by end of 2015. The company has been changing the lives of so many people through its various services. “We were fortunate to have some very interesting projects to run, namely working with the Ministry of Education to introduce entrepreneurship education at Lower VI levels in schools. We also launched the Build your Business training which is aimed at future and current entrepreneurs. We also adapted the training to a grassroots level.” 

The expertise of the company is mainly in coaching and in training. “Coaching can be done on a 1 to 1 basis or in a team. Trainings are carried out in finance for people who are not well versed with finance and soft skills like leadership and management, project management which include helping prospective entrepreneurs to build their business plans.” he says. 

The company has a very specific target market. “I work with some of the Top 100 companies either directly or through collaborators, mainly the Mauritian Institute of Directors, which promotes good governance and FRCI, a training institution. Besides, I intervene at the level of Boards and Management of several NGOs such as Etoile d’Espérance, TIPA, Kolektif Rivier Nwar, EFOI. I also do coaching with individuals.” 

The company has extended its service to Dubai and Seychelles. “In March, I did courses on finance in Dubai for the Board of Directors which is run by Jane Valls, former CEO of MIOD. In April, I did training for trainers for a bank in Seychelles. Both these experiences were fantastic and I look forward to similar opportunities in the region.” 

A man of change 

Bruneau Woomed is a certified Meta-Coach, International Neuro-Semantics trainer, entrepreneur, mathematician and actuary. He did his first degree in Mathematics followed by post-graduate Actuarial studies both from Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. He came back to Mauritius, worked for a year in textile. He spent another year at Mauritius Leasing at the time of its launch and then joined another start-up La Prudence Insurance. 

“I spent 16 years heading the Life department and a subsidiary, Feber Associates which is a pension fund manager. In 2006, I decided to be my own boss and although I started out to be in the consulting business, I ended up doing more and more of training and then decided to become a professional certified coach,” he confides. 

He is in training for more than 25 years and he thanks Junior Chamber International (JCI) which gave him the opportunity since 1990 to become an international trainer running courses in Holland, Kenya, South Africa, Madagascar, Reunion and in Mauritius. “I was from 2008 to 2016 the National Coordinator and Head Trainer of the Leadership Programme of Women in Networking (WIN). I became in 2013 a Master Trainer of Build your Business (BYB) and delivered a training of trainers in South Africa, Botswana and Madagascar.”

“As Steve Jobs mentionned in his Stanford address, you will join the dots when you look back. All these experiences and my years at La Prudence have prepared me for another exciting step which was to become a certified coach. I was introduced to coaching by a friend, Sandra Viljoen, who collaborated with me on the WIN Leadership Programme (WLP) – I always remember the first time we met on how she insisted on the difference between a trainer, a coach, a mentor. Five years back, coaching was still very new in Mauritius and as you may have gathered from my pathway, I have always liked to be amongst the pioneers.”

Challenges faced 

Bruneau Woomed explains that it takes time to build up your credibility and therefore, you need to be patient. “I have also had my fair share of people problems like people who stab you in the back. Fortunately, as my wife Helene says, I have very good guardian angels and I truly believe in the saying which states: 'When a door closes, look out for another one which opens up.' By answering your questions, you have given me an opportunity to reflect back on what I am doing and I feel blessed to be able to live my passion. I am immensely grateful to all those who have believed in me, gave support, opened doors, encouraged me. They have been my earthly angels. I am also grateful for all those who have tried to harm me because as you know, a plane can take off only against the wind. Unknowingly to them, they have helped me to find depths of courage, of resilience I did not know I possessed.” 

Upcoming projects 

The company is launching a 4-day “Coaching Essentials” course and it is in collaboration with another Meta-Coach, Waiman Ip in June 10, 17, 23 and 24. It is a self-development course, especially for those who want to develop a core leadership skill – that of communication using a tool called NLP (Neuro-Linguistic programming). It is also a first step in the pathway of becoming a Certified Meta-Coach. “I am also planning to launch the 3rd edition of Build your Business (BYB) and this will be at the end of the year. I am currently in discussion with some potential sponsors who will offer prizes to the best projects prepared by those who will register on the course. To stay on top of the game, I need to constantly invest in myself and I am planning to attend training on ‘Group and Team Coaching’ in September in Hong Kong.” 

Social contribution

Being an active citizen, Bruneau Woomed collaborates a lot with different initiatives. He is currently in touch with a group of past facilitators of Men Against Violence, an initiative which has unfortunately closed down. He is very much committed to work on positive ways to overcome issues of violence, not only gender based violence but also the issue of violence in our schools which is of a great concern to us. 

“I am also very much interested in permaculture and in the training on grassroots entrepreneurship that I deliver, I am initiating collaboration with a dynamic social entrepreneur Oliver Fanfan, who has created a Jardin Communautaire in Baie du Tombeau. I believe that such initiatives can bring incredible social changes. The courses I offer can have a positive impact on participants such as leaders, entrepreneurs, social workers or company staff.”