Creating a more fulfilling business
Tom Hosking had worked in the advertising, media and digital space for over two decades, but he decided he wanted more fulfilment from his career and the three-hour round trip every day just wasn’t worth it anymore. With a significant interest in coaching, he discovered ActionCOACH and, one year on, he can’t believe the impact choosing this franchise has had on his life.
“It’s certainly helped with my work-life balance. Now I’ve got my evenings back, I can spend more time with my family. I’m enjoying my weekends more too, making sure I factor in time with my wife, Jacqui, and two young children. The flexibility and free time is a far cry from what I had in my previous career, and I’m now contributing to local businesses in a much more rewarding way.”
After more than 20 years in the advertising sector, Tom became tired of the long daily commute and wanted to find something more fulfilling to challenge him. He’d been exposed to coaching when he was managing large teams and he had an instinct it was an interest he should follow. He researched business coaching firms online and ActionCOACH was one of the first results to make an impression – Tom wanted to know more.
“Rather than it being simply a matter of having a certificate or licence to practise, the franchise would be behind me 100 per cent with a tried and tested system. ActionCOACH has a comprehensive toolkit with a proven success rate for both their franchise partners and clients. Having been established for over 25 years, the power and culture of the brand was extremely attractive – I knew it was the only option for me.”
Tom was confident knowing he could piggyback on the success of the brand to market himself in his local community. Once he’d carefully conducted his due diligence to make sure he was making the right decision for him and his family, Tom signed for his Senior Partner licence for the exclusive Territory of Brighton in February 2019.
A new challenge
The following month, Tom attended ActionCOACH University. The fortnight of training equips new franchise partners with the know-how to hit the ground running when they arrive back home – Tom was fully prepared to absorb it all.
“The training was split into two separate weeks, the first focusing on learning the system and the second with the client acquisition process. It was clear the ActionCOACH UK support team place so much emphasis on the importance of continual learning, readying us for the future. A great example of what’s available to create the best chance of success is the Business Excellence Forum – a two-day conference for franchise partners and their clients hosting world-class thought leaders – which fell in the middle of my two weeks of training. It was the perfect opportunity to see the size of the network and get an idea of the success my business could achieve.
“I arrived home buzzing with information from the whole experience. I already had an office set up in Hove and was focused on raising awareness for my new business. I hosted my 1st seminar with hands-on help and guidance from the UK support team, inviting business owners to take away free business advice to easily implement. This was great as an initial introduction, but I knew there was still a long way to go.”
Tom became a regular member of many several business networking events after learning which were the best to attend. He quickly gained momentum, grasping the operations of his business and how best to develop it for the future. He made an initial plan to collaborate with other coaches in the network which has recently come into fruition.
“I’m partnering with two nearby coaches to deliver group coaching events to clients. ActionCOACH has a culture of teamwork where franchise partners can work in partnership to support one another and create an environment to achieve the best results.”
The support Tom receives from the ActionCOACH UK support team ensures he is kept at the top of his game. As well as the Business Excellence Forum, 70-plus days of support give franchise partners the opportunity to get more out of their business and deliver more for their clients.
Stepping it up
“I’ve got six clients signed up on various business coaching products including one-to-one, group coaching and strategy events. My monthly client income is sitting comfortably above £10,000 and growing quite considerably now I’ve established myself and my business in the community.”
Helping his clients achieve success is something very close to Tom’s heart. This year, one of them is shortlisted for a Best Retailer award and the well-deserved recognition is a great achievement for them both. Whilst his business is still considered to be in its infancy at just one year old, Tom is expecting to multiply his impact.
“I now plan to build a substantial coaching firm, recruiting an employee coach in the first instance. They will help support with day-to-day coaching, so I can shift some focus onto business development. I’ve forecast to achieve a six-figure profit by the end of 2020 and introducing new coaches to the team will certainly help reach my goal.
“By far the best impact ActionCOACH has had on my life is how much time I get to spend with my family. It’s certainly brought us all closer as we can now make time to take holidays, go on trips at the weekends and enjoy our hobbies of cycling and learning to swim in open water – a triathlon is on the cards. It’s especially crucial with my children as I want to be around for the most important part of their childhood.”
