I hired a coach about 1 year into business, and the business was going well, but there were some questions I had about what type of reports should I be running, is my business doing as well as I can hope that it would. I didn’t really have a central source that I could go to. I had my accountant, I had friends who were dentists, and I had professors that were mentors of mine, but I didn’t have someone that specialized in running a business and how to successfully run a business. So it made sense to me to hire a business coach to help me along the way.
After the first year of coaching, I had more than 100% growth, and after the second year of coaching, I had another 100% growth. So I attribute doubling my numbers at the end of the year, much of it, to coaching. The biggest benefit of coaching for me personally has been to have someone to hold me accountable and also to have someone to celebrate with when big things in the business happen. My team has grown from a two person team to an 8 person team. Without guidance on who the right team members are going to be, the best way to encourage my team, and the best way to establish systems to make my team excited and efficient, is what coaching helped me establish. As far as challenges go, coaching has helped me understand what’s important when monitoring growth of my business. What are some red flags and what are some key performance indicators to insure that I’m accomplishing the goals that I’m setting forth for my business. When I was counting every penny that came in and went out, I thought “Can I afford coaching? What could I buy if I didn’t invest in coaching?” And after about 3 months, I started seeing the tangible and intangible rewards of having a coach there, helping me along the way. And I thought, it wasn’t about me being able to afford it, it was about me not being able not to afford it. Going back now, it was a no brainer for me. It was investment I had to make in my company, and I’m so glad I did, and it’s hard to imagine the success that I have now being anything like it is without my coach.
Dr. Mary Shields, Triple Crown Dentistry
I was leaving a previous practice, and Mark was the coach for one of the doctors prospectively trying to hire me. In the process of working with her and with Mark, I ended up starting my own business. I actually asked permission from the previous doctor, “Can I work with Mark to start my business?” because I was so impressed with how he worked with her that I brought him onboard with me when I set my own business up. It’s amazing…we’ve gone from zero patients to over 5000 patients in 3 years. The culture was the biggest thing that Mark was able to help me help my staff develop, to a place where it’s actually fun to go to work. I can honestly say that where I had previously been, it got to be where it was laborious and not fun. Now it’s actually enjoyable to do what we do, and to be able to serve people while we like each other, which is amazing, so I love that. It’s really developed me personally to be in a lot more peaceful place at work. That’s the thing that ActionCOACH does differently; they care about your faith, they care about your health and yourself and things of that nature. With Mark I’m able to have the whole body experience with me personally, and then help my whole staff have the same effects, which is nice. It’s the best move I’ve made when building my business, because when I started out, I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t have the confidence to reduce some of the major errors that you can make when you first start a business. With Mark’s help, I was able to make rapid growth, extremely fast, and not make major financial mistakes and business mistakes that could’ve hurt our business and hurt our growth, and I’ve slept better because of it. That’s a big bonus too.
Dr. Kirk Hearne, Hearne Vision Care
It’s been very enlightening. It’s taken a period of time in order to find and watch the results develop. It’s not an overnight sensation. I had already made up my mind that we needed to make some changes. I wasn’t sure how we were going to make these changes. The money that is spent on ActionCOACH is very well worth it. You have to be receptive to change and you have to do a lot of listening and a lot of planning, and it’s very well worth it. You learn how to plan from ActionCOACH, and how to be intentional about what you want to do and how you want to achieve it. We already have started to involve additional team members to be coached besides the two that are currently coached. We have two young men that are coming up within the management of our organization; we feel it’s very important to get them involved with Mark and ActionCOACH at the early stages of their careers, which will ultimately be a huge success for them long-term.
John Haydon, RAME Contracting
We manage recruitment and retention for small to medium sized companies. I started working with ActionCOACH when I was with a different organization and started to develop a business plan and exit strategy with that company, so it made total sense to come in and take advantage of the success of working with a coach and sticking with the business plan. I would recommend the GrowthCLUB event to take an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, and to work ON the business instead of IN it, even if it’s just for a few hours.
Molley Ricketts, Incipio Workforce Solutions
Hiring Mark as a coach was one of the top five decisions I’ve ever made for my business. He forces me to do the things I know I need to do and helps me see the things that I need to do but just can’t see on my own. I think more analytically about my business now, making decisions that are more thoughtful than simply what “feels right.” He’s also helped me structure the business so that it runs without me – I’m not the “product” anymore, so if I want to take a day off, I can, and things back at the office are still running!
Patrick East, Hanapin Marketing
Our business before coming to Action was at a crossroads. We’ve been in business for 9 years. We’ve had our ups and we’ve had our downs. My business partner Terri and I knew we needed to do something in order to bring us more success. We met with Mark, Mark is our coach, and decided that this was something we needed to do to help ourselves and our business. ActionCOACH is amazing.
Marcia Cotner, Massage Envy and European Wax Center
Working with Mark McNulty & Action Coach has really trained us to look at our numbers. We are monitoring many aspects of our practice (Key Performance Indicators) now & have a much better understanding of what we need to work on to be more successful. He has worked with us set goals & taught what to focus on to meet those goals consistently. In addition, he has helped me train my leads and to delegate more effectively to them, which allowed me to take 6 weeks Maternity leave without feeling like I needed to check in every day. The practice ran smoothly during my time off, and I am able to focus more on my personal priorities more than ever day in and day out.
Dr Kathleen Busby, Busby Eye Care
“ Coaching with Coach Mark and ActionCOACH has been a transformative experience. He teaches you to do the things that need to be done but he will not do them for you. He is a guide. In my type of business in particular, the temptation is always to take care of patients and ignore business. Now with coaching, I set aside the time to focus on and plan the aspects of my business as well. I am now a much better financial manager than I ever imagined I would be. I’ve improved interpersonal communication, staff morale and business growth in general. My volume has grown, as well as my charges and revenue. I find that with Coach Mark’s coaching, I am more comfortable and serene in my daily life.
Dr Drew Robertson, Wellspring Pain Solutions
Coach Mark has been invaluable in my transition from physician to business owner. He has recognized what I lack in experience and expertise in the managerial and entrepreneurial side of practicing medicine and has given me the insight and tools to keep me focused and forward thinking. At times I get overwhelmed with the numerous tasks necessary to run a successful business, but have realized in Mark’s pushing me beyond my comfort zone to face budgets and cash/flow items that I dread, I am growing not only as a business owner, but as a person outside of my career, as well. He has a remarkable insight into which business professionals and contacts would best benefit my practice. What impresses me most is the fact that he encourages and reinforces the viability of my business in the early start-up stages when it can be very overwhelming and discouraging.
Dr Katrina McGillivray, Cypress Wellness Center
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the help you have been in improving our business. I have included a copy of our income statement for the replacement systems department of our organization. It clearly shows the sales for the year before we started, and the steady growth in sales over the first two years. The amazing thing is the improved profits that we have achieved in the second year. In the two years we have almost doubled our gross sales, and we have doubled our gross profit. The biggest improvement for me has been that we have achieved the results in profits, and I have more free time than I have had in 10 years. I am able to have dinner with my wife and not be gone every evening. This is having a business that works for me and not one that exists only because of me. Thank you for all you have done to help.
Adam Ruddick, Reliable Comfort
I came to know Mark McNulty through his work coaching other colleagues and clients. He has highlighted areas of business opportunity and process. While I have counseled businesses for over 13 years, I had never focused the analysis on my own “business”. In working with Mark, I have gained insight into areas of my business that can be improved and processes that can be created and instituted that yielded immediate benefit in terms of efficiency and reduction in stress levels. Specifically, a couple of areas showed dramatic improvement. First, Mark showed me how to take control of my calendar to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by my workload. Secondly, Mark assisted me in preparing a process for monitoring our conversion of client calls into engagements. I look forward to continuing to benefit from his business acumen and his role creating a process of accountability.
Jeff Rocker, Beck Harrison, P.C.
I highly recommend Mark McNulty’s ActionCOACH business coaching. In fact, I can’t stop talking about it, because it has been such a help to me. I had been in business over nine years, and was beginning to feel rather overwhelmed. I was both bored with the business and feeling unprepared to take it to the next level. With ActionCOACH, you receive so many practical tools right from the start. Because of this, after meeting with Mark only once, I discovered I was enjoying a peace of mind and confidence about the business and its potential that I hadn’t been feeling in several years. Every time I meet with Mark, I leave energized, with new ideas and concrete goals to meet. He’s a super nice guy who’s easy to work with, who wants to see you succeed, and will keep you on task. The Action Program is comprehensive, logical, and goal oriented, and is exactly what business owners need to make sure they have addressed every aspect of developing a healthy successful business. The investment in business coaching from Mark McNulty has proven to be one of the smartest business decisions I’ve made, and I wish I would have found his program years ago.
Sheryl Woodhouse –Keese, Twisted Limb Paperworks
Using the information I received with Mark McNulty’s coaching, I opened my first retail store. I’d worked from home for years. Mark gave me skills and confidence to take the next step. Since I’ve opened my store my business, in all aspects, has doubled. My help has all doubled their hours (they were all part-time). We received both newspaper and radio free coverage. I would have probably not taken this step without the encouragement and information Action International provided. Thank you Mark!
Margaret Fette – The Tailored Fit
As a result of your coaching program, I’ve had an entirely new, different, more positive approach to my business. With your training I’ve analyzed my life goals, created business goals that will complement and realize them, and am now implementing systems to make them a reality. Your expertise and encouragement from an outside perspective are exactly what I needed to motivate some serious changes in my business! In addition, you’re always available when I need a sounding board for a quick decision. Thanks for all your help.
Jehromy Adams – FloorWorks
Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your knowledge. Your involvement in our business has taken away a lot of the anxiety in running a small business. It has opened our eyes to believe that greater opportunities are possible. Your attention to the details of the financials of our business has been very helpful. You have instilled much greater level confidence to be able to run a very successful small business.
Glenn Harris, Harris Services
Since starting Klaes Image Productions, Inc. in 1981, I’ve heard and read over and over, “Don’t work harder, work smarter.” I’ve also heard, “Don’t work in your business, work on your business.” But no one ever told me how to do this, until I enrolled with Mark.
The weekly coaching sessions show me what to look for, where to look for it, and what to do with it once I find it.
Bill Klaes, Klaes Image Productions, Inc., Seymour, IN
I’m so glad I’ve got Coach Mark working with me! It’s very comforting to know that he (and Action Coach) is available to answer my many questions about the business and retail world. He’s helping me find ways to grow my business and has a wealth of ideas and suggestions, not to mention contacts. He is advising me while I work on accomplishing some of my goals; and, more importantly for me, he’s there to coach me along the way and make sure I stay focused. Being the owner of a small business is both very rewarding and very challenging. It’s sure good to have someone out there rooting for you!
Marlene Miller – Wishful Thinking, Nashville, IN
You have been a great coach and have taught me many wonderful things about how to be a better businessman and entrepreneur. You have been a great asset to our team and to me personally.
• You taught me and helped our team establish a culture of excellence within the practice.
•We run very good meetings now.
• Understanding how to use policies and procedures as helpful tools instead of deadly weapons has been a blessing.
• KPI’s and outcomes have made us much more productive, effective, and efficient.
• Understanding new paradigms of business today compared to how things were when we grew up has helped me move my perspective and understanding into the new millennium.
• Helping Lisa and I not to engage in frustrating conversations that got us nowhere and learning not to take things personally has truly been a blessing. I could go on.
Dr. Brian Sosnin, Bluegrass Community Family Practice
I’m a strong believer in business coaching to begin with and have had a few coaches in my career . . . but the Action Coach model is supreme. The whole foundational system is strong, and then the coaches at Action Coach Bluegrass customize the program to the local business owner making the program highly beneficial and very worthwhile.
Tammy Moloy, Advancing 502
As a small business owner, it is easy to feel like the products out there are just too big to work for smaller-sized businesses. There is a slew of companies out there trying to sell products, services, and assistance that never really fit the needs of, say, a solopreneur or a 5> employee company. In this market sector, those business owners have a dream and are good at what they got into the business to do. The rest? Well, the rest can be extremely daunting and challenging to navigate through.
I have the pleasure of working with ActionCoach Bluegrass coach Sandy Merritt. My startup focus up to this point is keeping doors open and making it to the “Okay, we’re still here; what’s next” moment. We have made it there, so now, what’s next? I had the opportunity to join one of Sandy’s Board of Advisors meetings, and I couldn’t have been more impressed by the concept.
It’s essential to be surrounded by fellow business owners, leaders, and professionals to understand that we are all chugging through our pains. The Board of Advisors meeting was a fast-paced 90-minute meeting of 8 professionals, allowing each to discuss a business pain they were experiencing. I was happy to know that other successful individuals have gone through the same issues and that I have overcome some problems they are currently working through. I walked away with the confidence to know I am not alone and excellent advice from my peers and coach Sandy on how to overcome and conquer. I was not expecting my advice to others to further solidify my business processes and lead to expanding or pivoting from those processes; it made me think of my own model and allowed me to move accordingly.
I couldn’t recommend utilizing Sandy enough and the platform that ActionCoach provides. If you are worried about what hiring a business coach will look like, I urge you to reach out and attend one of these Board of Advisors meetings. The time spent is the best investment in your business you can make!
Aaron Henson, The Insurance Artist
I’m so glad I’ve got Coach Mark working with me! It’s very comforting to know that he (and Action Coach) is available to answer my many questions about the business and retail world. He’s helping me find ways to grow my business and has a wealth of ideas and suggestions, not to mention contacts. He is advising me while I work on accomplishing some of my goals; and, more importantly for me, he’s there to coach me along the way and make sure I stay focused. Being the owner of a small business is both very rewarding and very challenging. It’s sure good to have someone out there rooting for you!
Marlene Miller – Wishful Thinking, Nashville, IN
The best way to experience how ActionCOACH Bluegrass can help you build a business that gives you the life you want is to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching session with one of our business advisors. Put our team to the test. You won’t be disappointed.
9300 Shelbyville Rd #506
Louisville, KY 40222