Although the business was profitable it wasn’t really structured very well and I just seemed to be a lot more frantic and stressed as a person than what I am now.
Back then I thought my business was quite good but it was actually quite poor compared to what we’ve made it now. My days are a lot better structured with time slots for key tasks like order preparation and emails and everything is a lot more planned, so there’s no stress throughout the day. When I come in each morning I know what I’m actually going to do for the day, rather than coming in and running around like a headless chicken all day.
The coach made us think about different options and about really planning for a year rather than just planning day by day. We now plan a quarter in advance which has made a big difference and this year we’ve had the best start we’ve had to any year since we’ve started the business.
Profit wise, before Action Coach came on board I didn’t actually know how much we had to turn over to break even, now we not only know that but with the strategies we’ve implemented we are making 20 to 30% more profit on every item that we sell.
We’ve put systems in place by doing a little bit every week. It’s OK saying you’re going to do this, this and this, but sometimes you need someone to help you put in the structure and make sure you do what you said you would.
Anonymous
