Former soldier goes from Action Man to Action Coach
Steve is now a franchise owner with ActionCOACH, the world’s number one business service franchise*.
The 47-year-old, from Newton Abbot, left his army career with the hope that he could spend more quality time with his family. Steve joined the army in 1985 and 22 years later became the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, ending his career as a commissioned captain.
Extensive research
In the run up to leaving the army, Steve carried out 18 months of extensive research into what to do and kept coming back to ActionCOACH. Steve explains: “I went to The Franchise Show at ExCel and met the ActionCOACH team and things fell into place. I left the army in August 2013 and began training with ActionCOACH in September. I had done some really cool courses in the military, attempting SAS selection was the hardest, most challenging and best. ActionCOACH training came a close second – it was life changing!”
The business, very quickly, allowed Steve to become part of the hub of his business community. He not only directs his local Business Network International Chapter but he also became the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce committee. Through discipline and focus, Steve now owns a successful business with great growth aspirations for the future. Whilst he has autonomy in the delivery of his coaching, he has the support of a national and global support team. “Being a franchise owner has been a fantastic way to get underway in business and master your own destiny. It has given me the freedom and flexibility to live my life in a truly abundant way with my family, friends and great clients.”
Fulfilling and rewarding
“Having no time and being the busiest person in a business is not an unusual initial insight when I first talk to a new client. Indeed, it was the case with a manufacturing company I work with. With the prospect of a young family looming, it was going to be a tough transition to parenthood with the knowledge of having no time. Today, with a General Manager appointed and an overseas client coordinator, they now have the time to focus on growing a profitable business and having quality family time. What’s really fantastic is the 2016 nomination as finalists for a manufacturing award for its people and skills. They go from strength to strength.
“It can often feel challenging to grow a business, let alone set specific goals regarding turnover. So, when I help a client develop a focused business plan with significant growth aspirations, it’s rewarding to see the bottom line grow on a monthly basis of 30%; on track for massive growth. What’s marvelous is along the way, the real passion has been unleashed and the business culture being created is nothing short of inspirational.
“For me, what’s also been a great opportunity has been to help my son, Quinn, develop. So, once he’d completed his degree, and after some contemplation, he was employed by us and trained as our business development manager. Twelve months on, he has been able to relocate to Sydney with one of our ActionCOACH firms as a BDM and Head of Media.”
Whilst all of this business success is great news, the most important thing for Steve was to spend more quality time with his family after so many years of active duty with the Army. “It sounds like a cliche but none of this would have been possible without my wife’s unbelievable support. Sam has been my rock, looking after our family during my absence on deployment, always placing her needs second and being there for me and the kids. My office is now very close to home and I don’t have to miss out on family events. My son has learned and developed a career thanks to the business and my daughter has plans to follow my footsteps into the armed forces.”
High achiever
Steve won the inaugural Nationwide Resettlement Awards as Franchisee of the Year for 2015, beating off many other entrants and two other worthy finalists. The business that he initially started from home has moved into spacious offices where he can offer one-to-one coaching or group sessions. “The business has just gone from strength to strength. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. It’s been hard work but I am proud of what has been achieved and we have some exciting plans for the future.”
“I have a very clear vision of where my business will be in five years. On a daily basis I have one simple rule: always be working on the most valuable and profitable activity at that point in time.”
It’s not surprising to hear that Steve has a very regimented approach to operating and growing his business! He now employs a Business Manager and a Business Development Manager, who have helped him to leverage his time dramatically and allows him to add real value when coaching his clients. In fact, Steve expects his business to grow to the level where he will need to employ an additional business coach too.
The ActionCOACH team
ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business services franchise, with 1,000 offices in 60 countries. With over 150 offices in the UK and, since founding the business coaching profession, ActionCOACH has become the UK’s Best Mid-Priced Franchise at RBS’s Best Franchise Awards and is the Best UK Business Opportunity according to CompareTheFinancialMarkets.
ActionCOACH is proud to say that their franchise owners are some of the most satisfied in any UK franchise system. In 2013 ActionCOACH became the first recipient of Smith & Henderson’s coveted Five Star Franchisee Satisfaction Award with record-breaking satisfaction scores. In 2016, ActionCOACH became one of just five franchisors to receive 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction rating 4 times! Smith & Henderson’s Franchise Satisfaction Survey has been adopted by over 100 franchisors since it started in 2011 and all ActionCOACH franchise owners are invited to anonymously rate their franchisor, its products and services and its infrastructure every year.
By becoming an Action Coach, you’ll be invited to a world of knowledge, experience and guaranteed returns on investment. You only need five customers to make it a profitable business and ActionCOACH helps you get those clients via its exclusive lead and client generation centre.
You receive world class training, an intensive 10-day induction training and 5-day UK MasterCLASS. You have access to a library of resources and the ongoing support of their global and national Support Teams through group coaching webinars, individual coaching calls, quarterly conferences, quarterly team meeting and training days, and an extensive global intranet system – in fact, there are around 70 days a year of professional development opportunities for its franchise owners. With over 3,500 strategies and tactics, guaranteed to make businesses successful, including your own, ActionCOACH helps business owners in several areas, including teaching them how to increase their profits, develop powerful systems and build a strong team.
Next steps
ActionCOACH’s franchise owners come from all walks of life from soldiers to teachers. To join this rapidly growing team of over 150 business growth coaches in the UK, you’ll need to raise a personal contribution to your investment of at least £10k (banks can lend up to £30k unsecured) and impress the ActionCOACH directors with your past successes, desire to help others and appetite for learning and growth. The basic entry level investment for an ActionCOACH franchise is £21k and some of the UK coaches have already achieved revenues in excess of half a million pounds a year.
If you’re inspired by ActionCOACH’s success stories and the feedback from the people who matter most, the franchise owners, and you:
A) get a buzz from helping others succeed;
B) love learning and developing yourself; and
C) have enjoyed success in your career or sport
Then find out more by watching the 6 minute overview video at actioncoach.co.uk.
* According to Franchise Direct’s Top 100 Global Franchises 2016.