Start-up businesses come in different forms. Often it will be a new business that needs a bit of guidance, or it’s an existing business that has recently changed hands. Start-up owners could be in the planning phase and about to start from scratch, be in their very first year of trading, or wanting to head in a whole new direction.
Understand your challenges
Start-up business owners face unique challenges. It’s easy to feel unsure of what to do next, and all the challenges that lie ahead can seem really daunting and overwhelming. Starting a business can also be quite a stressful and lonely time, and there are so many questions to answer: What office systems and infrastructure, accounting and legal practices, marketing materials, and advertising channels do we need? And what does our branding look like? Startups can also find it hard to gather industry contacts who will do a great job at a fair price. On top of it all, with the massive investment of time and resources required, making the business profitable while still enjoying a life outside of work is a biggie.
Take the right approach
We’ll get together to look at the bigger picture, and uncover what you really want out of your business and personal life. It’s so important that once we figure out the outcomes you want to achieve, that we review everything you’re currently doing, and plan for the tasks that lie ahead. Typically we’ll focus on the next three years, and then where they will lead in the next ten. We’ll set realistic business and personal goals that match your vision – with roadmarks along the way.
Coaching tailored for you
After your free Introduction & Assessment Session, we’ll set aside a half or full planning day to get stuck in. I’ll then write up a formal Action Plan with specific achievable goals, and set timelines. From there, it’s up to you how ongoing coaching will go, depending on what suits your situation best. We’ll catch up on an ad-hoc basis, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, or annually – to measure your progress, help you stay on track, make adjustments as new challenges come up, and deliver on your targets.
Create new success
With a strong plan in place, your business will have a clear direction. You will understand how your business will meet its goals and exceed expectations – while not losing sight of what you want from your personal life too. Knowing exactly what your next steps are, and where they are taking you will mean you’ll feel more motivated, confident, and supported. I’ll always be here to help when you need an external perspective on a big decision, roadblock, or just to give you the lift you might need. Getting tapped into my tremendous network of excellent contacts in all industries, and knowledge of initiatives and opportunities, will be so useful for you as well. Not only will you have all the talent and tools you need to achieve everything you’ve set out to do, but you’ll also gain a new community to promote your business within.
The Challenge
I run a business called WorkingWise. Our speciality is positively engaging people with Health & Safety. In the years before meeting Steve, I think we’d done about as well as we could have without any systems or processes in place, and we just bumbled along. As a team, each of us were caught up focussing on our own projects a lot of the time which wasn’t best. I’d left the business for a while to work for WorkSafe as well, so one of our employees pretty much ran the business. But when the Health & Safety at Work Act came in, I felt that if I couldn’t make the business work then, it never would. So two years ago, I came back to really focus on it, but I needed some direction. I’d seen Steve in action through a client of ours, and was really impressed.
The Solution
We had an initial planning day with Steve, which included discussing the direction we wanted to take the business in, and setting targets and long-term goals. At that time, we only had two staff members and Steve recognised that it felt like more of a hobby than a business. We wanted to change that mentality, and grow. He really helped us find our purpose, and then match our products and services to that. Steve was very influential in getting the right people who would complement each other and understand our vision. We recruited a new full-time office manager, and then went on to hire a web developer, and a new Health & Safety advisor. Steve is also very well connected and he has got a great group of people that he can refer us to, so we have utilised those services for our business development, including marketing and budgeting providers.
The Outcome
Now we have a new look and feel, and are about to launch our new website and online product, GOSH. We’ve got better processes, and have implemented a CRM system which has made my life so much easier. I know who is working on what, the status of projects, and billing hours. We have a strategy for growth, and I continue to meet with Steve twice a month. Our two senior staff also meet with him to create reports on how our work is tracking, and we’ve had planning sessions with all staff as well. On a personal level, I used to have a bit of a love/hate relationship with my business. Now I am 100% on board. I feel really passionate about it, and I know we are on the right pathway. I don’t have to work 70-hour weeks either. It’s great – I’ve got my life back! If we hadn’t gone through the coaching process with Steve, I’m not sure that we could have got to this point.
Recommendation
“I would really recommend Steve’s business coaching. If you are wanting to grow your business or work in a different way then he’s the man for you. The thing I really like about Steve is he actually listens to you and works out what is going to work for you. It’s not like a cookie-cutter approach, it’s what is going to work for you, at your own pace, and within your budget. You can’t race out and do everything all at once, you have to stage it. You still have to keep bringing the work in and doing the business as well as growing it, and he is very aware of that. Whenever I run into problems or issues I can bounce things off him too. He has done wonders for us, and I couldn’t have got this far without him.”
We’ll discuss your business, review your systems, and consider your goals. It’s a great chance to take a fresh look at your business, and discover how coaching can add real value for you. I look forward to chatting with you, and finding out more about you and your business!
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