Sylwia Latacz, owner of Accolade Support and Care shares her experience of business coaching and reveals the impact it has had on her business and personal life.
Before I started working with ActionCOACH Cheltenham, my focus had always been on the quality of the service we delivered.
Quality was key in my ambition to make Accolade the number one care provider in the area. And the number one choice, not just for clients, but also for the people who come to work for us.
But whilst focussing on the care we provided for our clients and staff, which I am really proud of by the way, I somehow lost sight of the financial side of running the business.
I just thought it would take care of itself. That it would somehow happen naturally behind a closed door.
Instinctively I realized that I needed some help in this area, to understand my finances better to drive my business forward and that’s when I reached out and asked ActionCOACH Cheltenham for support.
In my first sessions with my coach Neil Martin, we started to dig into some of the detail in the business. There was so much I was unaware of. With Neil’s support we started to unravel some of the challenges and issues and it was a classic case of realising “what you don’t know you don’t know”.
I definitely felt out of my comfort zone in those early coaching sessions. But Neil guided me through the importance of having a growth mindset which helped me a lot.
And the lights came on!
Having greater visibility led to clarity in my business.
Even though it was uncomfortable at the beginning it had to happen. And it happened at the right time because if I’d done nothing, I would still be in the dark. And actually being in the dark is not as much fun as being in the light!
I’m not afraid of my business anymore. I have so much more clarity and I have realised that it was not just the financial side of running the business, but I needed to improve the areas of building my team, to be better organised with systems and processes and managing my time.
Step by step, and being held accountable to my business coach, I’m moving my business into a really good place.
Hiring a coach has been the best thing I’ve done for my business.
I love numbers now and I’ve got a healthy five figure monthly profit.
The more I understand the numbers I can see where my business is going.
Business coaching has also helped me reorganise our team. I’ve looked at how we recruit and put in a better structure on getting the best out of our staff, which is in line with my ambition of making Accolade one of the best places to work.
Communication in the office has improved too – partly through understanding of our DISC profiles and putting a system in place about our individual time management.
Adhering to the famous ActionCOACH frog sheet has become standard practice in the Accolade office now!
Everyone plans their week and diaries to make sure the most important things get done first and there is a lot more transparency around everyone’s role and what they are doing day by day.
Since starting my business coaching, I have changed lots of little things in my business but they have led to big improvements.
My business is 50 percent bigger now.
So substantial growth, better clarity, I’ve gone from loss making to profit making, better communication and better forward planning.
What I hadn’t expected about having a business coach alongside me is having someone there to champion me. To recognise that things aren’t just “happening” but I am making these successes happen. It feels like Neil is part of our team which is really empowering and I totally appreciate that.
Of course, the flip side of that is when your coach asks you the questions nobody wants to ask you!
Like I said at the beginning, I felt uncomfortable at first but without that scrutiny I would have carried on doing my own thing. I needed to change the way I looked at things and change my approach.
My perspective has changed and I have much better self-discipline now which has given me the confidence to move on and push the business forward.
Working with ActionCOACH Cheltenham has totally transformed my business and personal life. I feel that Neil understands my goals and the whole Cheltenham team are there to support me to reach them.
It feels very personal – but practical and achievable too.
There is flexibility within my coaching sessions, so I can ask Neil to work with me on certain areas of the business but I still get the discipline and accountability of other areas – to keep me on track.
This actually feels very precious to me. To feel supported and have the confidence to move on in a better direction.
My business feels more stable and secure now.
This stability has also had a positive impact on my personal life. Knowing that I can take credit for my success, to say to myself that “I did that” feels really good.
I want my business to be the best and I want to be the best with that business as well. I feel that I am growing with the changes that we have introduced – so growing with it as a person.
And I‘ve got peace of mind now.
The business is in a much healthier place. Before I was a lot more “scatter gun” but now I am more relaxed and understand that I need to keep on top of everything too.
The team are happy, the office structure is more secure and I am feeling very positive about the future.
What would I say to anyone thinking about business coaching?
Just go for it!
I tell anyone who asks, or who maybe sitting on the fence, that I knew I needed help and working with ActionCOACH Cheltenham has been the best decision I’ve made. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone.
