How Mark transitioned from his corporate career to running his own business
Husband and father of two, Mark Jennings, held a senior role as an electrical engineer for 15 years, travelling the country running large-scale distribution and warehouse operations for the likes of Tesco, Argos, Nestle. Here he tells us how he transitioned from his corporate career to running his own business which netted him over £1 million by year five.
Why ActionCOACH?
“I was contacted by ActionCOACH via LinkedIn and I quickly began to understand what business coaching was all about. From talking to coaches and talking to clients, going to events and fully understanding what was being offered as part of the franchise, for me it seemed the best way forward. I had always been in a corporate environment, with other people around me and I felt the way that ActionCOACH was structured meant that I would have a good support network and community to be working alongside.”
Getting Started
“I thought the quality of the initial training and the context in which the training was being given, to support me in starting and growing the business, was some of the best I’ve ever had. It set me in good stead for my business launch but help with the application of it was also important. I had a daily call with the support team, to keep me on point with what I was doing, what else I could be doing, reading material and where to find things in the system.”
Growing the business
“I started to use a telemarketer to get some appointments in the diary – nowadays, we have ActionCOACH’s exclusive client generation centre to do this for us. After a few months, I also ran a couple of 6-step seminars which, with hindsight, I wish I’d done sooner. I also did a lot of networking and made the most of my existing contacts.
“In terms of income goals, I came in at around £70,000 in my first year, £150,000 in the second and £210,000 in the third. A couple of months ago, I noticed in my KPIs my sales revenue topped £1 million and if you’d have told me five years ago, having never sold anything other than a second-hand car and a motorbike, that this would be the case, I’d never have believed it.”
Rewarding Work
“I worked with a double-glazing firm and the business owner was having issues with managing the day-to-day running of the business. There were issues around accuracy, consistency and he didn’t really have any understanding of the numbers in his business. We reviewed his sales process and put in procedures around finances and team. As a result, they saw a 200% increase in net profits and he can now spend a day a week with his son, without worrying about the business falling apart without him.”
“I love the freedom of being my own boss. I coach three days a week and then get to decide what I want to do the other two days. One of my personal goals is to cycle the top 100 highest peaks in the Alps and, so far, I’m halfway through! I’ve even been able to help my wife start her own business. The flexibility my business offers means I can take my daughter horse riding and watch her doing stuff that a lot of parents miss out on.”
Next Steps
If you would like to get out of the rat race and you:
- Get a buzz from helping others succeed
- Love learning and developing yourself
- Have enjoyed success in your career or sport…
