Former FD Builds a Brilliant Coaching Business
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Kevin was used to advising companies, and loves doing it. A chartered accountant, with lots of experience in regional practice and industry, he’d had been working as a self-employed freelance FD for 15 years, but in 2006 he was ready for a change:
“I felt I’d taken the role of FD as far as I could. I wanted a fresh challenge. I had more business knowledge to share than the FD role allowed. I read an article about ActionCOACH and liked the idea of coaching as a way of working with businesses in a much broader way.”
Many in Kevin’s position might have just started coaching, after all he had been self employed for some time and he’d recently gained an MBA with distinction, so he had lots of knowledge. Why did he go with ActionCOACH?
“Colleagues and friends told me to save my money and do it on my own, but I felt it would take me five years to amass the tools, techniques and knowledge I’d have from day one with ActionCOACH. I didn’t want to wait five years before I was equipped to get motoring!”
The approach, resources, philosophy and global network of 1,000 coaches all impressed Kevin, who sees ActionCOACH as like a big corporate but without any of the negatives:
Thorough as ever, Kevin did look at all the other options:
“The choice was clear for me. ActionCOACH might have been the highest investment, but was clearly the best value, something we also teach to our clients.”
Obviously the cost mattered to him, but he argues that if you think about it logically it’s not an issue:
“If I wanted to be a partner in a major accountancy firm like PwC I’d be expected to buy in. I felt I was doing the same with ActionCOACH. Looking at it from that perspective, given the strength of the global brand, and the personal growth potential, the return on investment made perfect sense.”
That’s not to say it has all been easy. Kevin says there have been challenges. For instance he had to develop new skills:
“I’m a reserved accountant, I wasn’t used to sales, or being on stage presenting. It was a big shift, but it was a welcome one. I discovered I’m more outgoing than my career to date had allowed, but I needed to be. I had to be out there showing people that an ActionCOACH would really make a difference to them.”
It’s when talking about his clients that Kevin gets incredibly animated. It’s obvious he loves the work.
“My clients are all so different, all shapes and sizes, but that’s what makes it so interesting. Every week I have highs.
“I’m giving people their life back – they’re working for their business and have no work-life balance or no head space to grow their companies.”
Today, Kevin is taking his business to the next level. The firm has taken its own offices, with coaching suites and a training facility. Kevin now has other coaches working with him and aims to bring on more – all working within the firm.
“I just love being a coach. It doesn’t feel like a job. When times are tough I still can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
