Taking my success to the next level
After nearly a decade in his ActionCOACH franchise, Marco Soares is celebrating having been named UK Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. As well as receiving the award for Coach of the Year in the South East every year since 2012, these wins have given him the chance to reflect on his 10 years in business and plan for his next phase in business and life.
“It’s time to take things to the next level. It’s always been my dream to get myself in a position where I could acquire different businesses and it’s now beginning to take shape. I’ve come a long way in 10 years and I’m only determined to continue it even further in the future.”
Marco came over to the UK from South Africa when he was 21 years old. After graduating from the Institute of Marketing Management, he and his friend bought flights, setting off with just a backpack and £1,000. What was initially meant to be a two-year holiday, turned into a trip where they both secured jobs and settled down. Marco got a job with the Independent newspaper where he honed his sales technique.
During this time, he was headhunted for a role in advertising where he was in charge of the live events section for concerts and festivals. He was then promoted to responsibility for managing the sales team for advertising space in Q, Mojo and Kerrang magazines. Marco was a keen musician himself, being in a metal band, but he was disheartened to see that their music wasn’t getting any traction.
“I said to myself, ‘I don’t think I’m happy with the path I’m on’. I’d always wanted my own business – it felt like the perfect time to go for it. I’d previously worked at Cash Converters in South Africa, so I was familiar with the concept of franchising. I knew it was the most sensible way of getting started by providing a suitable and stable foundation to make my dream a reality. I visited a franchise show to get inspiration, but I didn’t find anything that felt right.”
Not one to give up so easily, Marco consulted a franchise finder service to find the right franchise match for him and ActionCOACH was the result. In November 2009, after conducting his own due diligence, Marco signed up to launch his franchise. In March 2010, he was ready for his training at ActionCOACH University.
A new start
“The 10 days of training were very good and comprehensive. I was provided with all of the information required to get my business off the ground, but I knew that was just the tip of the iceberg. It was all about putting it into practice when I arrived home.”
Marco launched his ActionCOACH practise in Haywards Heath in April 2010. With his head buzzing with ideas and raring to go, Marco went full steam ahead to generate awareness for his business.
“I employed several marketers who focused on direct mail and follow up. I’ve got to admit that it was a slow start as it took a while to understand how to build a consistent and efficient sales and marketing machine. I signed up five clients in year one but, since then, I’ve grown every single year.”
A decade on, ActionCOACH’s UK Support Team provides three weeks of training in the UK to support your business launch – the third week being hands-on training in client acquisition at their exclusive client generation centre in Sheffield. The ongoing support Marco 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 (BizX) 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.
“There are plenty of opportunities to keep things fresh and introduce new tools to the toolkit. We’ve got workshops happening throughout the year, an internal development programme for me as a coach and constant assistance from the UK support team. I especially love BizX and the UK conference as we are all together to learn from world-class industry leaders in the right environment – we’re all hungry for advice and soak it up like sponges.”
As Marco got into his stride, he began to think about ways in which he could develop his business. In his second year, he introduced workshops to his coaching repertoire where he delivers practical advice for clients to implement into their own businesses. It was in the years that followed where he began to achieve a great level of success.
“I currently have 30 one-to-one clients in a range of sectors. What’s great is I don’t have to target any specific business to become a client – the tools and processes can be implemented in any company, no matter how big or small. I’m now earning way more than I would have in my former corporate career and have achieved a better work-life balance.”
Taking things to the next level
After seeing a 20 per cent growth in his income from 2018, Marco committed to speaking at ActionCOACH conferences to share best practice and highlight the accountabilities of being a coach. Using his success as a catalyst, he is determined to push even further than ever before.
“I’ve worked with 110+ businesses in the last decade and my next goal is to create 50 new jobs in the area every single year. It gives me great satisfaction not to just help the business owners, but to support employees and families too. I want ActionCOACH to bring to them exactly what it’s brought to me – a rewarding career and great lifestyle.”
When he’s not coaching, Marco is a fan of obstacle course racing. But the real impact is on the time that he’s now got to spend with his loved ones.
“I have the freedom to have the lifestyle that I want – going on nice holidays, spending quality time with my wife, Jane, and my two young children. It’s also important for me to be able to go back to South Africa to visit the rest of my family. Without the flexibility to create my own work schedule, that wouldn’t be possible.”
For most people, after a decade of running their own business, they might start to get complacent. But not Marco. As he approaches the tenth birthday of his ActionCOACH business, and with an awards cabinet that is bursting at the seams, he shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
