A Q&A session with ActionCoach
Published: 12 February 2018
What did you do before you took the leap into franchising?
I own a manufacturing business which makes and converts trailers and vehicles into high-spec catering outlets for the street, film and festival markets.
What prompted your decision to make the change?
My manufacturing business celebrated its 10th birthday in December 2016 and our best year of trading to date. It was the run up to Christmas and I was taking stock of the hard work the team and I had put in to create those returns. However, I was also conscious I had reached a ceiling when it came to my own business knowledge and I couldn’t see how I could make my business any better or more profitable without external help. I felt we would just repeat this same year over and over. I worked with an Action Coach in the early years of starting my business and looking back over the value of the systems and processes prompted me to evaluate the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity.
What research did you carry out and how did you come across the ActionCOACH opportunity?
After the initial contact, I was invited to a discovery day. I spent a day at the ActionCOACH UK support office where the team immerse you in the good things they do on a daily basis to save business owners from ‘superhero-itis’ – doing everything on their own because of the fear employees don’t do it as well as the boss! They explained how the work their franchise partners do with their business-owner clients increases employment across the country through making additional profits to fund the growth of SMEs. This day was a vital turning point in my future planning process, and by lunchtime I’d already made more notes than I had done in a lifetime of business. I’m always up for a challenge and the idea of being able to grow as a person and to also contribute to my local business community by growing companies, saving owners from the brink of despair and increasing employment, really resonated with me.
What did the training and sign-up process involve, and when did you begin trading?
The process was swift. By the end of the day, I had made my mind up I wanted to proceed in becoming a franchise partner. After completing due diligence, the learning begins and I was given pre-training materials to work through before initial training with a handy checklist to help my preparation - setting up a company, registering for bank accounts and all the essential admin to hit the ground running straight after training. Before I knew it, February 2017 had arrived and I was off to my intense, five-day training course to become a certified ActionCOACH business growth specialist. The training provided at the start and throughout my journey to date has been first class. What’s more, the community I am now surrounded by is something I have never experienced before – a group of like-minded businesspeople who have come from all walks of life, and all have a passion and drive to succeed and to give back to their own local communities. These people will help you at the drop of a hat because they all want you to be the best you can be.
What have you learned since you started this journey?
I have learnt more about myself on a personal and business level in the last nine months than I have done in the rest of my adult life – and it’s amazing! Pre-2017, other than when I was in full-time education, I do not recall reading any books at all, as I thought I hated it. Now, I aim to read at least one business-related book a month and I attend events on a bi-monthly basis to further my own personal development, so I can give back to the people I interact with.
I am currently in the process of making my manufacturing business even bigger, better and more robust than it ever has been using ActionCOACH’s business growth system. I work four days a week on the manufacturing business and the other day is invested in my ActionCOACH clients. We develop plans and strategies to allow them to further their own knowledge and make their businesses more profitable and fun so they actually want to be there.
How has your life changed since you started operating your franchise?
For me, this has been a process that I am truly grateful for. Is it hard work when juggling another business and three small children? Yes, it is. Do I think it is worth it and would I invest in the franchise if I could be offered the chance to do it all over? The answer is a resounding yes! The biggest eye-opener for me in all of this is, by buying into a franchise model, a big chunk of the hard graft has already been done for me compared with going at it alone and starting a business from scratch. Anybody can set up a business and call themself a coach, but, for me, the toolkit, team and credibility of ActionCOACH compared with any other coaching organisation is streets ahead and I am proud to be associated with such a powerful global brand, system and support team.
What would you say to someone thinking of making a similar life-changing decision?
Pick up the phone and apply to attend a discovery day. What ActionCOACH has created over the last 16 years in the UK has enabled me to build a profitable client base in just 36 working days!
