A flexible business that can fit around your family
Juliette Ryley is 39 and lives with her family in Warwickshire. Family has always been very important to Juliette and she went straight into the family business from school, studying graphic design in the print firm.
“I fell pregnant with my first child at 19 years old but I continued to work and completed a business degree through the Open University in the following years.
When I inherited my father’s print business, it was with the help of a mentor that I brought it into the 21st Century. My mentor, Guy, had been my father’s accountant and he really helped me out when my father died. When the business was sold in 2014, it was Guy who encouraged me to become a business coach.
Unfortunately, Guy died about 8 weeks after I joined ActionCOACH, so he never got to see my success and the difference he made to my life.”
“I was looking to go into coaching and running a local business group at the time. I had been let down by the guest speaker and a friend of mine recommended a great coach who could help any business – it turned out to be Mark Jennings, an ActionCOACH since 2011. After speaking to him, I decided to find out more about the franchise.”
The first steps
It all started with a phone conversation. Juliette spoke to ActionCOACH UK’s Recruitment Director, Julie Wagstaff. She then went to a discovery day run by ActionCOACH UK’s Co-founder, Ian Christelow.
“There were three things that stood out for me when making my decision to join ActionCOACH. Firstly, the UK support team and their calendar of over 70 days of support is world-class plus the help that’s forthcoming from over 180 franchise partners in the UK made me feel extremely comfortable in my decision. Secondly, ActionCOACH’s system is outstanding with over 3,500 strategies and tactics, guaranteed to make businesses successful, including your own. Finally, the earning potential with some franchise partners banking over £1 million a year – even if I grow to a quarter of that, I’ll be happy.
“It was clear I could do more by joining the franchise than by starting from scratch by myself. I went into the due diligence phase and within three months, I was booked onto my initial training week. The training was very intense but also an amazing experience. I learnt so much about myself – it was a massive eye opener. Life would have been a much smoother ride had I known about the ActionCOACH system years before!
“Ongoing, there’s a multitude of training available to tap in to from both the US and UK support team. They broadcast at least four live webinars every week which are recorded so you can play them back whenever you want. The topics vary from improving techniques to get more new clients to coaching strategies to improve client success.
Getting off on the right foot
Juliette launched her ActionCOACH business in January 2016 with a first-year goal of having six clients on one-to-one coaching, working just three days a week.
“It was hard at first, like starting any business, you’re doing something completely new – you need to find your feet and work hard. It does pay off though and, if you follow the system and take up all the help and support, it becomes very lucrative. My first client was referred to me by fellow ActionCOACH franchise partner, Mark Jennings and I still work with them now. Following that, LinkedIn has been by far the best marketing strategy for me. I was soon on my way to reaching my year two goal of generating enough income to put both my youngest children through private education.
“I currently have 15 clients who all have one-to-one coaching some come to my office, I visit some at their offices and a few are coached via Skype.
I team up with franchise partners Mark Jennings and Matt Ewer to deliver GrowthCLUB every quarter – a 90-day planning event which brings all our clients together.”
Hot on the heels of success
Reaching her financial goals each year was something to celebrate for Juliette but she wasn’t prepared for the amazing feeling of seeing her clients win every week.
“It’s by far the best thing about being an Action Coach. All my clients are successful and I believe success can be measured in all levels. For instance, when I met Jo from Willowbrook Nurseries, she was running around like a woman possessed. She had money problems, staff issues and was working round the clock. In the past two years, Jo has transformed her businesses into a profitable company where she only needs to spend four days a week and, in her own words, has a dream team.
Juliette has a morning routine and makes sure she takes time to concentrate on herself, her family and her business.
“I’m in the office for 7.30am most mornings. I coach three days a week where I often travel to meet my clients and then I’m based in the office Mondays and Fridays. I’m always home for 5.00pm and at least twice a week, I’ll pick the kids up from school. I’m 100% Mum when not in the office – since joining ActionCOACH, I’ve changed the way I look at life, family, friends and myself. I believe I’m a better person for that.
“Running a business in heels is always going to have its challenges. The business world is very male orientated and many industries are competitive. I think many women don’t reach their full potential due to interference – whether that be from corporate challenges or home-life expectations. Being organised is key and I learnt this in the early days. There’s no such thing as time management, it’s self-management that makes the difference. Be proud of yourself and stop worrying what other people think – it’s none of their business!”
Stepping in to the future
“I now plan to develop my business into a coaching firm, employing a team of coaches who will change the face of business ownership in Warwickshire. I want to play a part in helping local businesses escape today’s failure rates of four in five businesses not making it past five years of operation. Business owners deserve to enjoy work and life and so do the people they employ and the community surrounding them.
“Joining ActionCOACH is the best thing I have ever done. It’s a fantastic community who help each other continuously and I have made life-long friendships with other coaches and clients – both of which I expect to appeal to women looking at starting a business. I’m here for good now… they can’t get rid of me!”
If you would like to step into a new career where you are in charge and you:
- Get a buzz from helping others succeed
- Love learning and developing yourself
- Have enjoyed success in your career or sport…
