ActionCOACH’s flexible franchise model has proved perfect for Angus Lyon
Angus Lyon started his new franchise with a view to big growth; a flexible business model wasn’t on his checklist. Then a surprise package made him rethink plans.
“I enjoyed corporate life but, even whilst celebrating the wins, I realised I had stopped growing as a person.”
Angus was living with his wife, Suzanne, in Surrey, when she received a call from ActionCOACH about her resume, whilst they were initially interested in Suzanne, Angus was attracted by what ActionCOACH had to say about the franchise opportunity.
“We both went to a discovery day at head office and I was hooked. Ian Christelow, ActionCOACH’s UK co-founder, took a copy of The E-myth off the shelf in the boardroom. This was a book I had listened to so many times whilst commuting and it took on a new meaning for me at that point. I was 45 years old and, even though I was leaving my corporate career behind, I still wanted to set the world on fire, not retire.”
“Ian suggested I talk to a few Franchise Partners before I finally made up my mind. I was heartened to find the values displayed by Ian and his support team were shared by them – the company’s strong, positive culture really shone through. It seemed like an ideal fit for me as business has always held more of a fascination for me than IT ever had. Three things came together for me to make up my mind – the proven system meant there was no invention needed, plenty of people were being successful in the network and, as I’m a people person, everyone I had met at ActionCOACH were genuine and likeable.”
From consultant to coach
Angus chose to centre his business in Woking with a goal to building his name as the go-to person for business coaching. In January 2012, he and Suzanne travelled to Las Vegas for initial training.
“The strong sense of community continued here. Imagine a whole bunch of people from all over the world – US, South Africa, Europe – ActionCOACH truly is an international brand. As my background is working internationally, this great mix
of people triple underlined the quality of the brand for me. The training itself is immersive, it pulls and pushes you beyond your comfort zone with a massive volume of work over the 10 days. Being an expert isn’t important, it’s about having the tools, knowing the questions, to focus your clients and make things clear for them in their business.”
Angus learned the difference between coaching and consulting and found it an easy transition from corporate life to owning a business because of having an established community and like-minded people to discuss ideas with. But it wasn’t all plain sailing.
“Having worked abroad for 20 years and then 14 more in corporate, I had no links to my local community. It’s a challenge to build a business with no relevant contacts. In my first three months, I got three clients and then progress stalled. I hit a black patch and was paired with New Zealand’s finest master coach, Bruce Wilson. His two decades with ActionCOACH were inspirational and I managed to figure out my identity as a business coach. I realised I had to use the strategies from the toolbox that complemented my style, I wasn’t just implementing one straight system. The turning point was getting measurable results from my clients, that gave me the confidence to step into my persona and be a coach, not a consultant.”
Part of the community
Angus interacts regularly with his fellow Franchise Partners and support team in the UK but admits, he should do more. Community is a big driver for him, whether that’s within the ActionCOACH global community or closer to home around Surrey.
“One of the major benefits in being part of the franchise is the community. It’s where the knowledge and support resides – and a great resource we can draw on not only for ourselves but for our clients. It’s part of our competitive advantage and our USP.
“I go to all the UK ActionCOACH conferences and this year I went to Global Conference in Vancouver. We have Monday morning webinars to share best practice and I’ve delivered a couple of those recently. We’re given the support to follow ActionCOACH’s system and I think anyone can succeed with a bit of hard work.
“Community involvement is important. If someone asks me why I’m a coach, I say I can’t change the world but I can change my small part of the world. Change one business owner’s life for the better, change one business, it all rolls forward… together we can then improve the life of a family, the money that flows from the business to the employees to the places we live. In the corporate world, the mantra of Think Global-Act Local is often cited. Being a business coach working with local businesses, I can truly say that I make this happen. It’s what gets me up in the morning. Changing the world one business at a time; it’s a virtuous cycle improving the local community by improving businesses, increasing employment, improving the wealth and health in people’s homes.”
The gift of change
The business began to flourish for Angus and, with two years under his belt, he got an unexpected gift.
“I’m a big picture person. I hadn’t thought about what I would earn outside of corporate life. My goal was to get into the top 100 global coaches and then into the top 30. Five years in and, at last count, I’ve reached no.86 in the rankings out of circa 1,000 coaches worldwide. Every year my income has increased so it is now well over double my last corporate salary but, most importantly, I’m working half the hours compared to back then.”
“We’d resigned ourselves to the fact that we weren’t going to be blessed with children and then, miraculously, Suzanne fell pregnant with our daughter. I had never considered needing a flexible business model but I was now re-evaluating my life and the time I wanted to spend with my family. The flexibility of the franchise model is ideal, I could never have freed up that time if I had still been in my corporate job. I could choose how many clients I worked with, when I scheduled their one-to-one coaching and fit business development in times that worked for us as a family.
“Now our daughter is at nursery school, we can re-think how to structure our business again. ActionCOACH allows me to live my life the way I want to. I wouldn’t call it a lifestyle business, there are subtle differences but the main one being you can’t upscale a lifestyle business the way you can with ActionCOACH.”
Life choices
Angus is certainly an ambassador for the ActionCOACH brand and culture, so what advice would he give to someone considering the franchise?
“Working at Microsoft was the best time of my life until I started working with ActionCOACH – along the way, I found my life’s purpose. I would ask those interested in the franchise, where are you in life now and what do you want out of life in the future? This is a business which allows you to run your life the way you want and supports you when you need it. You can build a large firm of business coaches or stick to being a one-man-coach.
“I can scale my business up if I wanted to pay for private education for our daughter, ensuring that commitment didn’t have a negative impact on our general lifestyle. It’s like buying a high-speed boat which can be taken out to sea or inland up the rivers – it just depends on the captain. The good thing about the ActionCOACH community is that others have been there first, there are maps to draw on and extend, you don’t have to start with a blank piece of paper.”
“If you know what you want, ActionCOACH delivers you the framework, support and community to build your dreams. And if your dreams change, they can support you for those too! My mentor once said to me setting a goal is an invitation to yourself for growth. When you set a goal you often don’t know who you will have to become to achieve that goal. What I do know is that, as an ActionCOACH Franchise Partner and owner of a business coaching franchise, my opportunities for growth are limitless. What is in your future? What change for the better could you bring the world?”
Next steps
If you would like the flexibility and opportunities ActionCOACH has to offer and you:
- Get a buzz from helping others succeed
- Love learning and developing yourself
- Have enjoyed success in your career or sport…
