Build a Business Aligned With Your Life.
I'm Sophia Benarafa, founder of The Academy by Sophia. I help ambitious women — including those leaving corporate careers in Dubai and working online from anywhere — turn an idea into a business that fits their life, values, and schedule. Start with Business S'park Starter, the $99 self-paced entrepreneurial mindset course, or work with me 1:1 in S'park Business, an 8–10 week mentoring program.
What is The Academy by Sophia?
A business-coaching practice for women who are ready to leave the waiting room and actually start.
The Academy by Sophia is the practice of Sophia Benarafa, a business coach and certified mentor who helps ambitious women, including those leaving corporate careers in Dubai, those working online from elsewhere, and those who started a business and got stuck, build a business that fits their life. The work is built on three pillars: mindset, so fear and overthinking stop running the process; clarity, so the idea, offer, and plan are specific; and launch, so those plans become weekly action. There are two ways in. Business S'park Starter is a $99 self-paced entrepreneurial mindset course with lifetime access. S'park Business is an 8–10 week 1:1 mentoring program with a private session every week and WhatsApp support between calls. Both paths are practical: the point is a business you can start, not another round of motivation.
Mindset
Overcome self-doubt, fear, and the "I'm not ready yet" loop that keeps capable women in jobs they have outgrown. We work on the beliefs and decisions that let you act before you feel 100% ready , so you can step into the role of founder without waiting for permission.
Clarity
Discover the right business idea, define who it is for, test it to know it works, and write a strategy that matches your strengths, values, and actual capacity. Clarity here means a specific offer and a direction you can explain in one sentence, not a vision board you never use.
Launch
Turn the plan into a launch you can run week by week: first clients, first offer, first decisions. You get practical guidance and a pace that fits a life already in motion, so starting a business does not require disappearing from everything else.
Sophia Benarafa is the founder of The Academy by Sophia , a business coach for women ready to build something of their own.
After nearly 20 years in corporate leadership, I learned that climbing the ladder is not the same as building a life , or a business , that actually fits who you are.
That is why I built my own businesses and created The Academy by Sophia. I now mentor ambitious women, including those leaving corporate careers in Dubai and working online from elsewhere, who are done waiting for the perfect moment and ready to launch with a clear plan.
The work combines practical business strategy with mindset coaching. Lasting progress starts when you can make decisions, take the next step, and keep going without disappearing into overthinking.
If you have felt capable of more but unsure where to begin, you are the person this practice was built for. Read the full story on About and My Journey.
1:1 mentoring from idea to launch
S'park Business is my premium 1:1 mentoring program for ambitious women who are ready to stop overthinking and start a business that aligns with their life, values, and goals — including women leaving corporate in Dubai and working online.
Over 8–10 weeks we meet privately every week on Zoom, with WhatsApp support between sessions. Together we turn your idea into a clear offer, positioning, and launch plan you can actually run — without doing it alone.
Explore S'park Business mentoringWhat You'll Achieve
- Develop the mindset to overcome fear, self-doubt, and perfectionism.
- Gain complete clarity on your business idea, positioning, and direction.
- A launch strategy matched to your capacity, audience, and first-offer goal.
- Build the confidence to make decisions and take action.
- Weekly 1:1 mentoring plus ongoing WhatsApp support for the full 8–10 weeks.
The $99 entrepreneurial mindset course
Not ready for 1:1 mentoring yet? Business S'park Starter is a self-paced digital course that builds the entrepreneurial mindset, business clarity, and first launch steps you need to start. It is the same $99 course sold as Business S'park Starter — 10 sessions, 14 video lessons, lifetime access — available in English and French editions from the course page.
- 10 sessions and 14 video lessons you can replay anytime
- Actionable strategies you can implement immediately
- Practical exercises to help you move from thinking to doing
- Lifetime access — learn on your schedule, from anywhere
- A strong foundation before stepping into S'park Business 1:1 Mentoring
Success Stories That Inspire Bold Moves
Every woman starts with a dream, but it’s the confidence to take action that changes everything.
Hear directly from women who transformed their ideas into reality with the guidance and support of The Academy by Sophia. Their journeys are proof that with the right mindset, clear direction, and personalized guidance, building a business aligned with your life is possible.
Choose how you want to start
The Academy by Sophia has two paths: Business S'park Starter, the $99 self-paced entrepreneurial mindset course, and S'park Business, 8–10 weeks of 1:1 mentoring with Sophia Benarafa. Pick the one that matches the support you need this month.
Business S'park Starter
The $99 self-paced entrepreneurial mindset course — 10 sessions, 14 video lessons, lifetime access. Start on your own schedule, then step into 1:1 mentoring later if you want more support.
S'park Business
8–10 weeks of private weekly sessions with Sophia Benarafa, plus WhatsApp support between calls. Built for women ready to turn an idea into a launch plan with a mentor beside them.