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What my clients say…
The folowing quotes have been extracted from the testimonials I have received from my clients. These show the results that my clients have achieved because they took action...imagine how your business will change if you can get similar results.
Click on the quotes to go to the full testimonials which are reproduced below.
Further testimonials are available on my LinkedIn profile here
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"I used to go to bed anxious and nervous as I prayed for the success we knew we deserved, and now I go to bed excited and energised to move more mountains tomorrow... Steve has showed us piece by piece how simple it can be to put things right, we have quickly seen transformations in every aspect of our business ... We haven't even begun yet, we're as positive as we've ever been, our sales have increased, our operations are top class and there's no stopping us. We're going right to the top"
Jonathan Staker - Keypak Ltd
"We have learnt a tremendous amount of new skills we had never focused on before ... It has been a real life changing experience. How can you thank someone enough for changing your life!!”
Helen & Dirk Lindenmayer - Future Einsteins
“Just one of the ideas I picked up from Steve helped me boost turnover by 52% in January compared to the same period last year.”
Rob Copley - Farmer Copley's Farm Shop
“Thanks for saving my business. Thanks for helping me get my life back ... Delegating to an effective team has a double benefit of giving me time back to spend with my family and that’s what I wanted from working for myself in the first place!"
Mike Hunter - Storage Distribution Ltd
"After only 6 months, profit is up by 21% and the production and marketing systems are in place to ensure continuing growth in the future.”
Andrew Murray - Murray and Sons
“[Steve’s] approach is sensible and provides a great deal of clarity and focus”
Haydn Fields - McCarthy Ellis Insurance Broker
“Steve is a truly great asset to any business”
Steve Kennington - The Best of Wakefield
The quotes above have been extracted from the full testimonials below...
We just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the help you have given us since becoming our coach. To be totally honest before employing your services I was personally very sceptical of the benefits that could be achieved but thankfully due to my business partner and wife, Louise, I decided to give it a go and looking back I have no regrets, only praise for the work you have done with us.
You have successfully helped us deal with many team issues that were previously, quite frankly, dragging our business down. A previous employee who was in a high level manager position had left our business in somewhat of a mess and together we have totally turned that situation around and much of it is due to the focus and attention we have given, with your guidance, to critical areas of the business.
I am pleased to report that we have expanded our business since becoming involved with you and now have two offices in Spain as well as two offices in the UK. Our new head office has a warehouse attached whereas before we were living with a logistical nightmare, having the warehouse located over 3 miles away. The new offices are modern and have raised the profile of the business substantially. This has gone some way to helping us secure business contracts with several key industry companies now wishing to conduct business with us, some of them on a joint venture basis. We have managed to maintain our UK staffing levels through the recession and we have managed to increase to 11 employees in the Madrid office and 3 employees in the Marbella office (We are currently recruiting two new positions also).
The most pleasingly element of our growth has to be the increase in our order levels and our turnover, which has obviously resulted in a massive improvement in our cash flow and our profit margins. This growth has been remarkable considering the fact we have been through a global recession and also lost one of our most profitable products in the UK market due to a change in regulatory affairs relating to the herbal industry. Iin the first ¼ of 2009 we have achieved a 127% increase in orders compared to last year. In 2008 we achieved sales of around £1.2 million but in 2009 our combined sales of the UK and Spain are in the region of £2 million (a growth of 67%).
The most encouraging news however, having just completed our first quarter of 2010, is that things are continuing in the same direction! This last ¼ we have achieved sales which means, if we continue at the same level for the rest of the year, the group will achieve a turnover of around £3.1 million (that’s an increase of 150% in only 2 years. However, we anticipate that this figure will be considerably more as we have numerous websites launching and several high profile deals on the table with potential worldwide JVs.
As if all of that wasn’t enough we have found time to launch a new company namely Ruby Says... and Core Design has continued to hold its ground through the recession with expansion plans for that business now being brought into action. There is no way we could have achieved all of this without your help Steve. Our past team issues are ‘almost resolved’ both Louise and myself are finding time to have a life outside of work and I am even training twice a day, competing in kick boxing events at a national level and an ironman event in July. It’s truly amazing and for all of that ... WE THANK YOU!
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One of the big reasons why we approached Steve was because we were looking for motivation, and definitely looking to do things differently from the way that we had been doing them.
We heard all the doom and gloom on the radio and in the newspapers about how we were entering this big recession. Our business was quiet and we just felt that we had to do something to stay in business because the sales weren’t coming in and we felt that we needed some assistance.
When we look back it’s almost embarrassing to think that we were doing so little, it’s a wonder that we managed to stay in business and to keep our customers happy.
After working with Steve we went from contacting probably a dozen customers a month to contacting somewhere in the region of about 150 customers a week. The percentage increase in marketing is massive.
Overall it has led to an 80% increase in enquiries, a 50% increase in customers and a 35% increase in turn-over.
We now test and measure everything we do to make sure that it’s working. We never used to do that, we’d put an advert in the magazine or whatever and hoped that it would bring some work in, it was just a bit of a hit and hope strategy really. Now we check out whether it actually is working for us and if it isn’t then we stop spending our money on that and we’ll spend it on something else.
And the other big thing is just having someone every week to answer to, to make sure that you do things, to make sure that you’re going to get on with what you said you’re going to do. Just someone to prod you every week and say you said you were going to do that have you? Without this you just end up getting caught up in the day to day running of your business and you think oh I’m too busy for this, I’m too busy for that but you need to do these things if you want to move forward.
The future’s much brighter. I think we’re going to have a very, very busy year. We’re already recruiting another guy for this year. And well we’re hoping to recruit even more after that. If we can carry on getting the amount of sales and enquiries as we are at the moment then we will definitely be recruiting again before the end of this year, and we will have a fantastic year and make a lot of money.
For anyone considering having a business coach... just do it, it’s well worth it. In fact it’s necessary. We all seem to think we can do these things ourselves but we can’t. Everybody who is any good at anything has a coach to tell them to do it, you don't find Olympic swimmers who don't have a coach and you don't find footballers who don't have a coach. You need a coach, you need a mentor to help you because you never know it all.
(Chris & Lisa sold CLB in 2011)
I first became aware of Steve Scholey at the back end of 2008. I liked the structure which I thought we needed in the company. Right from the outset, I realised the more I went into the Action Coach programme the less I knew and the more we needed it.
The structure at first seemed a little bit rigid, but as I got used to it and as we moulded it to the requirements of the business, it became very good. The biggest impact it’s made is it’s enabled me to promote staff and to bring them on in a big way. It’s allowed me to delegate much more, and because of that I've seen the strength of the team much more than I thought was possible.
I think the key benefits that I've found from undertaking the programme is that it’s enabled me to look at individual parts of the business, identify those bits of the business which are most important, and those areas which actually need the most work. For instance we looked at some areas of stock control which has benefited the business in a big way.
The other thing that it’s enabled me to do really is to look at the team and it’s very much been a team building exercise. It’s helped me to identify the stronger members of the team, it’s helped me to identify individual strengths and weaknesses, and probably most importantly it’s helped me to identify my own strengths and weaknesses.
It became very apparent to me that my staff were actually a lot more capable than I’d imagined they would be. I’m not sure I would ever have got to that point without the programme, I’m not sure I would have been brave enough.
It’s also encouraged me to step back a little bit and allow other people to make some decisions and use their initiative. That's been incredibly rewarding because we’ve got three or four people who are really working for the business as opposed to simply doing their jobs. It’s becoming a more enjoyable place for people to work and I think a much more rewarding place. People are enjoying what they’re doing and at the same time the company’s benefiting from that enjoyment.
When I first bought the business there were some key individuals in the business that frankly I was frightened to lose. I’m now in a situation where I’m not being held over a barrel by one or two people who think they are key to the business. We’ve actually looked at it as a whole and realised that it’s much more important that everybody buys into the culture of the business. We now have some common values and beliefs and also everyone shares a common target for the business. Because of that, we are going forward much more quickly and we’ve got much clearer views, not only where we want to go, but how we want to get there.
Finally, It was nice to have somebody to be able to talk to who has got experience of other people going through the same process, and who hadn't got any vested interest from within the organisation, or any pre-conceived notions about how the business should be run and what individuals should do within that business.
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Mick Gardner Racing provides and maintains speciality shock absorbers for race and road cars and bikes. Before we started working with Steve Scholey my business was operating OK but to be honest it was going in any direction it wanted and I was working a lot of hours. 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 round like a headless chicken all day.
Steve 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 Steve 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.
I’d be happy to recommend Steve to any other business owner because he’s done such a good job for us. However I wouldn’t want to recommend him to one of my competitors the same market place because I’d hate to give them an unfair advantage like he’s given us.
I was a coaching client of Steves for 12 months…when he first started coaching me I was running my business by instinct I had had no formal training or education in business and desperately needed help if I was going to develop it further. In fact at that stage I didn’t particularly enjoy it and was considering selling up.
Steve was a godsend he renewed my enthusiasm, my motivation and most of all he taught me how to go forward and applied enough pressure to make sure I carried out the strategies we had put into place. It wasn’t easy, especially at first and even now some things elude me but slowly I started to think in `action terminology` and the business started to progress, I learnt how to market, how to network, 4 ways , 5 ways, how to recruit, build a great team, set my USP, vision, mission and culture and so much useful information and advice, it was worth every penny that I spent and best of all my growth is up 15% and profit … up 33% [after] the first 12 months of coaching.
I am now looking forward to continued growth, expansion, development of new ideas and enjoying the challenges of business. I feel that thanks to Steve I am now a passable business woman instead of a woman letting business pass by. My accountant is astonished at the change in me since we met a year ago; he says he would recommend Steve even though he’s never met him just on the strength of my new confidence and enthusiasm.
To summarise I would recommend coaching to anyone who is struggling to grow their business or wanting to move forward but doesn’t know how to go about it, Steve in particular is an exceptionally good coach, he takes the time and trouble to get to know his clients so that he can help them develop their business in the right way to suit their personality. He is interesting, intelligent, articulate, enthusiastic and well motivated and I can’t thank him enough for the changes he’s made to my life.
Steve is a very conscientious and thorough business coach, ensuring that every detail within your business is looked at and managed as effectively as possible. Already, within a few months, my business, turnover and profit have increased thereby making his coaching more than cost effective
After 40 years in business, we’ve never let a consultant or a coach past the reception desk, but there was something about Steve Scholey that touched a nerve immediately, and what a good job he did!!
We’ve always been a solid business with great staff and a good turnover, but we’ve also known that there’s been heaps of potential for us to be ten times the company we are! We were working too hard IN the business and not hard enough ON it, and we were fed up! As a director, I was under immense pressure to control internal procedures and to motivate the sales staff to give us a reason to be under control!!
Steve has showed us piece by piece how simple it can be to put things right. Starting from the very belly, we have quickly seen transformations in every aspect of our business.
I used to go to bed anxious and nervous as I prayed for the success we knew we deserved, and now I go to bed excited and energised to move more mountains tomorrow.
My team come to work everyday and stand behind me united, all ready to resume battle to become “The benchmark company in our industry”.
Since beginning work with Steve Scholey we have:
• Successfully brought all packing operations in-house and increased stock availability to 97% consistently
• Implemented procedures which enable operations to run smoothly and simply
• Gained the total support and willing back up of our sales team and operations workforce
• Changed the way we approach every aspect of the business
• Set up marketing material which is directly responsible for bringing in 31 new customers this year
• Increased sales by 6% on last year DURING A CREDIT CRISIS!!!
• Just missed a record sales month in March
• Gained formal appointments with 5 top UK retailer’s in our target market from which we may see sales increases of up to 150% by early 2009
As I write this, I feel it right to point out that we haven’t even begun yet. On the verge of economic disaster, we’re as positive as we’ve ever been, our sales have increased, our operations are top class and there’s no stopping us. We’re going right to the top!
Thank you for all the work you’ve done for us over the last 12 months. We’re a successful fast growth recruitment consultancy but we’ve been suffering with all the growing pains that, I guess, many businesses go through.
You’ve really helped us identify where we want to go and what we need to do to get there. Above all, you’ve made the path to progress clearer, helped us break the path down into manageable amounts and pointed out the errors of our ways when we’ve tried to stray!
I’ve expanded my comfort zone and dramatically changed my role in the business. With your help I’m more focused on the important tasks than I have ever been and I now spend much more time working on the business rather than in the business.
You’ve educated us in many simple to grasp business development techniques that we’ve turned into useful tools.
Thank you for all your help over the last year. We’ve made great strides. Our work has meant that we’ve been able to increase our turnover by almost 50% and our profits have almost doubled. Furthermore, because we’ve built a management team and strong business systems we firmly believe that we will continue to progress.
Thank you Steve for helping me and my business grow.
(Phil sold his half of Sewell Moorhouse to his business partner in 2008)
When we first met Steve Scholey we made the decision straight away to take Steve on board because of his enthusiastic explanation of the services of Action International and also of what he would be able to help us achieve. The whole concept seemed to make sense. We only asked the price of the service at the end of the meeting!
It became clear from the first meeting that our business was in need of an overhaul not just in organising time management, which we felt was our weakest area, but in all areas…We are now being stretched out of our comfort zone but we know it’s for our own interests and the best results. We have learnt a tremendous amount of new skills we had never focused on before and with the help of our coaching sessions we know Steve is there if we need any input or guidance.
Since the training day, which Steve presented to our Team, we have found it had a positive impact on our staff. They see themselves as important individuals as well as being part of the team. For us we want to succeed because we know we can. Having Steve as a coach has made us believe in ourselves.
When we first met Steve I was working in the business 40 hours a week and trying to fit in any extra time to work ON my business. If you had asked me then that I would spend all my time working ON my business I would have laughed and said it was impossible. However, six months later I no longer work as a nursery nurse I work as a Director, I lead my team and support them. The nursery works better and staff are happier because they have taken on more responsibility…We have an expansion plan in place to have 2 further nurseries up and running...
Financially our business is planned to make more money as I now have time to look at controlling our costs and increasing our profits. We have started to provide extra services to our parents [and] we are also better at keeping an eye on our cash flow and have stringent payment terms in place for parents.
Being successful is infectious and I now find people ask my advice and also ask to be part of my bigger business plan. I could go on and on as it has been a real life changing experience. How can you thank someone enough for changing your life!!...We had lost sight of our aims and vision but we definitely have bigger dreams now, which we know we will achieve!
(Helen and Dirk sold Future Einsteins in 2009)
I joined the ‘Profit Club’ that Steve runs every fortnight in Wakefield to help business owners pick up ideas on how to grow their businesses. It has helped in almost every part of my business and personal life I now try to analyse and understand why what is happening is happening. Just one of the ideas I picked up from Steve helped me boost turnover by 52% in January compared to the same period last year.
Thanks for saving my business. Thanks for helping me get my life back. Thanks for getting me re – focused on what I want to achieve. When I look at those three short sentences it makes me realise what good value working with you has been.
I decided to work with you as a business coach when the penny dropped about working ON the business instead of working IN the business. Results were almost immediate.
It’s great to be clear what it is I want to achieve in business and in life. I have ultimate and intermediate goals and timetables and stepping stone objectives that will get me where I want to be. Talking things through with you has helped me to prioritise the important things – especially the mastery of the weekly sales and costs – this has enabled me to react almost at once when my revenues were threatened by industrial action by employees of my most important customer.
My team have responded brilliantly to the new demands placed on them by me no longer doing some of their work – they feel that I trust them to do what I am paying them to do – in a way it’s simple but it wouldn’t have happened without you coaching me to look at things differently. Delegating to an effective team has a double benefit of giving me time back to spend with my family and that’s what I wanted from working for myself in the first place!
Andrew Murray (Murray & Sons, Pallet Supply & Wood Recycling, Pontefract)
I am a pallet supplier and wood recycler in Kinsley and I was having trouble making money before I started getting coached by Steve. Now after only 6 months, profit is up by 21% and the production and marketing systems are in place to ensure continuing growth in the future.
Haydn Fields (McCarthyEllis Insurance Broker, Morley)
Steve has had a positive influence on both my business and the way I approach my business. His approach is sensible and provides a great deal of clarity and focus and I know he has been a great asset to other businesses.
Steve Kennington (The Best of Wakefield, Internet Marketing, Wakefield)
Steve is a truly great asset to any business, he achieves the ideal mix between ensuring your business develops and ensuring you have fun running your business. He is supportive, no matter what level your business is at and nothing is too much trouble. I have found working with Steve really opens your eyes to both old initiatives I knew about, but wasn’t implementing and new ideas that really work. Give Steve a call now and he’ll help you take your business to the next level.
(Steve sold his interest in The Best of Wakefield in 2010 to focus on his other business interests)
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