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Paul's Story: Part 2
My Situation (before coaching)
I resigned from my job as Head of Pricing in the AA Insurance organisation in March. The AA wanted me to stay on in a part-time role and I committed to help them for three months. I engaged Francis, for the second time, to help me set-up my own business in partnership with a friend, Richard.
The Challenges I Faced (at that time)
I had decided to set-up my own business and written an outline plan but what do you do after that? I had no clear idea of what we should do next. My partner and I needed to figure out what services we would provide, what people would pay for and where the business was going to come from.
I began to get a nagging feeling that I might have been “very silly” by resigning from an apparently secure, senior role in a major organisation.
Why or How Did I Think Coaching Would Help Me?
I enjoyed working with Richard but, in many ways, we were learning about business together.
I knew I could get help from one of the banks but this seemed to be largely about reading the book or leaflets they offered. I had also heard that there was free training available through the Chamber of Commerce or Business Link. However, I didn’t think I could afford the time to take a week out to do the training.
Using Francis as my coach was a known quantity – I knew he understood our situation and the challenges of starting up a new business because he had done it himself.
What Actually Happened and How Did This Help?
I re-engaged Francis as my coach. Francis helped me to clarify my goals, set objectives and put together a plan for my own business, working with my partner. I was really excited and very enthusiastic.
We then identified our first potential clients and began to explore what type of work we could win. Francis helped me to work out how to identify the right people to call, qualify the opportunity, plan the projects and forecast what revenue we could achieve.
At this point, I was offered a more highly paid job to remain in the insurance industry. I didn’t hesitate: I turned it down because I knew what I really wanted now.
What Were the Results?
We had some spectacular initial successes followed by a definite “hole” and I learned a lot from both.
We were very successful with our first proposals and won three important pieces of work for major clients and agencies. You can see these projects and play the adverts on our website: www.oldboymusic.com:
- Ewekulele: the music for the sheep advert for thetrainline.com;
- McDonalds “Flying For Food” - an advertisement for new range of Chinese food; and
- A remix for the band, Radiohead, of “Reckoner” using a string quartet.
After that, we had a bit of a “hole” – we had been so busy producing and arranging that we had stopped prospecting for more business.
Francis helped me to analyse how I was managing my time and whether I was allocating it effectively across all the key areas of the business. It helped me clarify the different roles I had. It also highlighted how easy it is to spend your time only on the bits of the job you enjoy.
How Are You Taking This Forward?
Francis’ coaching helped me to understand how to manage the sales process and forecast what we could do. He helped me to understand the value of my time and experience and what that was worth to clients. We also worked on how to overcome the disadvantages of a small company and negotiate effectively with much larger organisations.
We got drawn in the early days into working on projects where we could make a living. That was exciting but I probably lost sight of the other things that I wanted to do when I set-up my own business. Francis coaching has helped me to get a better balance in what I do. Now I plan to continue with the work on advertising but also be able to write songs, produce other artists and stage concerts and events.
I can see now how we would achieve the objectives we set when we started the business. I feel at one level that I have achieved more of my potential but also I feel my horizons have expanded. I am satisfied at what we have achieved and excited about the future.
What Was Francis Like to Work With?
Francis is extremely good at reframing your situation in order to help you see the oportunities that are before you. I would definitely recommend Francis to anyone who is looking to make the most of their business or career.
Copyright 2009 Francis Christie ©
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