"They know what works" - The business-boosting power of ActionCOACH in the latest magazine
Published: 11 July 2024
Business coaching journeys don’t tend to start at the hairdressers, but for Sarah Austin a trip to the local salon was just the ticket to finding a coach that would work for her and her business. When ActionCOACH Gary Keating came on board to aid with her Puddle Ducks franchise in Bristol and Bath, Sarah knew it was the perfect match.
“I go to NOCO hair salon, which is another client of Gary’s. Noel and I would always start chatting about our businesses, what was going right, what wasn’t working, and he would always recommend that I speak to Gary and ActionCOACH … one day I decided to go for it and, well… the rest is history!”
Sarah’s business, a Puddle Ducks franchise for Bristol and Bath, provides high-quality swimming lessons for babies, toddlers and school-aged children in the area. “I’ve always loved what Puddle Ducks offers, and it has been such a rewarding journey for me since I launched the franchise in September 2008. However, COVID came around and I was feeling a little flat about the business. I’d put in an enormous amount of work throughout COVID and I felt so proud to have got through that challenging time. After 14 years of running my business, combined with being exhausted from the COVID challenges, I felt a bit lost. I really needed some guidance to help me plan for the team, our customers and my future.”
Knowing what works
Starting coaching in the summer of 2022, Gary knew how to strike the right chords to get Sarah motivated as the effects of the pandemic on business dissipated. “The first thing Gary worked on with me was my confidence and self-belief. He told me I had such a great business, that we were doing so much for so many and I should be proud of that. Instilling more confidence in me was a massive step to re-energise my work so we could move on to improving other areas of the business.
“Straight off the bat, I could see the improvements. Knowing I had a coach I could trust was a big help. When we were talking about developing my leadership skills, I had full faith that Gary knew what would work, so it was easier for me to take his advice on board. And obviously seeing it work right away was an added bonus!”
Sarah says that, since working with Gary, “We’ve seen our turnover increase; our gross profit and net profit have both gone up too. Since 2022, we’ve gone from 30 members of staff to 43… we’re also all pulling in the same direction. I love the atmosphere we’ve created now.”
Over 18 months on, Sarah has now offered Gary’s coaching to her management team. “There is one member of our team who started working with Gary and the difference now is amazing! They were super talented, hard-working and a great asset to the business but maybe a little shy. After a few sessions with Gary, you could really see a change in self-belief and now they’re flourishing.”
“I’m 50 now so I want to have some more time to do what I want to do! We’ve set the target of a gross profit of 50% and a net profit of 25%. Over lockdown I trained to be a yoga teacher, so I’d love to travel around the world teaching while still taking a salary from the business. A bit further down the line, I’ve got the goal to sell the business for over £1million.”
Gary believes that, like so many businesses, Sarah’s has the power to change lives – in this case by teaching such valuable skills. “I knew from when I met Sarah I wanted to coach her. She just needed the belief and confidence to build a really successful business. She always does the work and it’s paid off. All their numbers are up, and the business has grown significantly since August 2022. It’s been such a pleasure working together, and I’m looking forward to helping Sarah shift her work-life balance to have more time for herself by working on the business rather than in it.”
Gary’s own journey in franchising
From a multi-millionaire musician at 25 to a bankrupt business owner at 27, Gary Keating's life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride – including failing to enjoy an early retirement! But the Bristolian entrepreneur who lost it all only to build an even bigger empire, found a new rhythm in the world of franchising.
Gary is a testament to the transformation that can occur when one combines self-awareness, hard work and the strength of a proven business model. Here, the ActionCOACH Bristol franchise partner, who regularly places in the top three partners globally, shares his story so other investors can reap the rewards of a franchise…
Find out more about how Gary achieved success with ActionCOACH and to read the full interview in the latest issue of Business Franchise here>>
