Case Study – business coaching with Global Occupational Health Solutions Ltd
Prior to coaching with Fiona, the driver for growth was fear, fear of not being able to generate enough income to keep costs covered, fear that if something went wrong we would not be able to cope or recover (financially) and fear of taking risk or making the wrong decisions. This fear kept me awake at night and in fact prevented growth as I became too risk adverse. We didn’t feel in control of our finances and didn’t understand our how the figures in our accounts translated into practice.
We wanted a normal working week with time to work on the business as well as in the business but couldn’t see how to make this happen. We wanted to open another premises but weren’t sure when and how to do this. We wanted to upskill our team to take the pressure off us but felt worried about taking them off productive work to train them. We felt a lack of control from being too reliant on subcontract labour. We rarely had time or energy for family or personal goals and constantly felt overwhelmed, pulled in too many directions
Whilst the business was growing slowly, so was the fear.
With coaching, we now understand our business far, far better and fear has been replaced with excitement (with just a healthy dose of concern). The result is that we are still growing but growing faster and with more direction and vision. For me, however the fear is no longer there and I feel that coaching for us has been a little like rebuilding a Jenga Tower, before we had a tower but it was wobbly, with lots of holes. Now it feels these holes and been filled and we can build upwards, together.
After coaching with Fiona for 18 months, we have
- Increased our turnover 33%
- Reduced our working hours by at least 15 hours per week
- Much more time for personal goals; cycling, family, remembering important events i.e. birthdays
- Quartey business strategy session & weekly admin days
- A new premises opening in the next few months
- Hired 3 new staff, 2 fee earners and 1 support role
- Increased feeling of control over work and team
- Clear processes in place for staff to follow, increasing productivity and reducing stress
- A feeling of confidence about our finances, better understanding of profit and cash
- Greater ability to step back, relinquish some control and allow staff to step up
Now we feel positive about the future and knowing we have quarterly meetings planned to keep us on track, both finically and strategically. These have become the foundation from which we build (and continue to build) the business. Without these, we would not have a clear direction and whilst would have continued to grow (I hope) it would have been chaotically. With the coaching sessions, it has provided structure, focus and support, an opportunity to explore, learn and grow and these in turn this has become the bedrock on which the business is now based.