The importance of having a coach

I started my business in January 2020, just a few months before the start of the Global Pandemic. I had vast experience in my industry but not in running a business and I chose to start working with a coach from the beginning for the support and guidance it brings. Since starting coaching with John, we have gone from having just an idea to actually having a business that works. In our coaching, we have weekly 1:1 sessions but have also done 90 day planning and a 5 year long term planning session too. We have gone from having a few ideas that would take me through the week, to where I can now see what I will be doing in the next 90 days and so can my team.

Skills learned

One of the biggest skills I have learned is time management. When I first started in the business, I was sourcing business, looking for sales, arranging installs with 3rd party installers, doing customer service and everything in between. Being able to delegate to other people meant developing a company structure and having systems and processes that really work, which has allowed me to bring other people into the business who can understand what happens without me having to do it for them. This ability to scale up has really helped us grow quickly. I also have a better grasp of my numbers, am forecasting and reporting better, and having these processes in place makes it possible.

 

John’s skills

John has helped me a number of ways both professionally and personally particularly with mindset – he provides a sounding board for whatever life throws at you and the business! He is very understanding but will challenge you and not let you away with excuses. We don’t have hope anymore, just goals and targets that we are hitting and surpassing. Without John, I wouldn’t have been able to grow the business as we have over the past 12 months and the plan for the next 5 years wouldn’t be there. The growth of the business is very much down to the support, friendship and mentoring John has given to me.

Impact of coaching

We started the business with no initial income but, since coaching, have grown month on month and quarter on quarter. After the first quarter we had tripled turnover and at the end of the second quarter, we had improved that by another 50%. As well as business growth, I have also grown personally. Managing my time better has enables me to take the pressure off and delegate tasks to others in the business. That has enabled them to develop themselves and gain more autonomy. John has helped me to adapt and come to terms with letting go of the shackles. I can prioritise what I need to do so that the business is working for me and not me working for it. We have surpassed our first year targets and grown from £80k to £200k, and that includes a significant amount of time in Lockdown!

Increased confidence and self belief

One of the things I am most thankful to John for is the belief he has given me in myself. He seems to have a greater belief in what I and the business can do before I do. I have no hesitation in recommending John to anyone who may be thinking of coaching. He has supported my business tremendously and if anyone wants to take their business seriously or to the next level, I would recommend at the very least talking to John because he could do the same for them as he has for me.

Ben Smith, Managing Director, Tutella Networks