Working just 3 1/2 days a week is luxury
After over 15 years in his ActionCOACH franchise, Alan Brighton is celebrating achieving a £16,000 monthly client income working just three and a half days a week. He remembers the time an executive coach and then a business coach proved instrumental in turning his career around – which now allows him to enjoy the finer things in life.
“I was working in the car industry in Finland and hired one of the top business coaches in the country – we saw some remarkable results. The company started witnessing some incredible success and that intrigued me, helping my career. It showed how, although they’re called a ‘business coach’, the repercussions are much larger. It has stuck with me ever since.”
Alan’s career started when he left school to study for his Chartered Accountant qualification. From there, he secured a role in an accountancy practice considered one of the ‘Big 8’. He developed an interest in business which lead him to management roles in large corporate firms for 15 years, leading teams to success. His biggest achievement saw him growing one corporate division to 800 employees and a turnover of £420million but, even with this success, Alan had other things on his mind.
“I became disillusioned with the corporate world and wanted something different. My time with a business coach had an overwhelming impact on my outlook and I began thinking about where I would go next – I’d never forgotten about it and that’s when I found ActionCOACH. The concept of coaching was relatively new at the time. I wanted to know more, so I officially started my wider research.”
Alan visited a franchise show in Manchester with an open mind to discover the various opportunities on offer. There was something about ActionCOACH that kept drawing him in.
“When I learnt more about their systems, I was very impressed. I had never seen anything like this through all my corporate life and I soon realised the value of the model. I gathered the information I needed to make a sensible decision and went away from the exhibition excited and intrigued.”
Although Alan was almost certain he’d found his next adventure, he still conducted his own very thorough due diligence. He spoke with several ActionCOACH franchise partners to ensure it was exactly what he was looking for. In March 2004, he signed on the dotted line for his new ActionCOACH business in Kettering – he was ready for ActionCOACH University.
A new start
“Back then, initial training was in Australia and I spent 10 days on the Gold Coast – it was amazing! It was by far the best training I’d ever received, giving a different perspective on the sales and marketing aspects of business and a whole lot more besides. It equipped me with all the know-how to hit the ground running when I arrived home. I was fully prepared for the hard work that would follow.
“I really went full steam ahead when I got back. I’d already got myself an office and part-time PA ready for business. I was going for world domination! The marketing training stood me in good stead for the best start possible and very quickly I attracted some attention. Things started to pick up and within five months I’d brought in a full-time telemarketer and associate to support me. By month six, I’d signed five clients.”
The support Alan receives, along with his fellow franchise partners, ensures they are kept at the top of their game. With events such as the Business Excellence Forum and 70 days of support available, all franchise partners have the opportunity to get more out of their business and deliver more for their clients.
“The resources we get from the UK support team is great – there’s more than I would ever need. Throughout the year, I’ve got the opportunity to receive additional top-class training, whether it’s sales, marketing, finance or any other business discipline, and they prove invaluable to my own success. The people in the support team are excellent at what they do and that resonates throughout the network.
“We really do pride ourselves on the experience within the network – ActionCOACH has the tried and tested systems that would take years to produce otherwise. Not only would it take a while to learn them and understand their value, it would take forever to put them into practice.”
Alan’s road to working just a few days a week was a conscious decision he made, stripping things back to basics and choosing to be both the coach and business development manager.
Building a better lifestyle
“I’m now at a nice stage where I don’t need to actively market. I’ve got 12 clients at the moment, with an annual client income of £200,000, but I’ve started to become a lot more selective about who I work with. I only agree to work with clients who I feel passionate about and want to help long term. My average client stays on for 33 months, but I’ve got those who have been with me for seven, eight and 10 years.”
Not only is Alan a coach’s coach, helping to onboard any new franchise partners, he is a regular speaker at ActionCOACH’s UK conferences. He believes it is important for him to share his knowledge with the rest of the network, especially those franchise partners just starting out, and demonstrate how collaborative it is. He thinks himself as a prime example of how ActionCOACH can impact your whole life.
“ActionCOACH has given me a great deal of flexibility, allowing me to focus on the three hobbies I love – fly-fishing, long-distance open water swimming and gun-dog training. I know I can fit things in around meetings and coaching sessions – that’s ultimately what I wanted to achieve. It also gives me the opportunity to spend precious time with my wife, Sheila, our children, and their children when we want to.”
