Builder pinching himself
after best year in 25 years of
business ownership
An unbearable situation
After 25 years in business, Paul needed a way to escape from the constant stress and heavy workload of running a residential building company (where he was responsible for every single decision in the business). Approaching 50 his “hard work fixes everything” approach was affecting his family and health. Selling the business could give him the life he wanted, but the business was not saleable in its current form.
Finding the heart of the problem
Paul’s stress, workload, and inability to sell the business made him feel trapped. During a complete review of his business we identified the demons keeping him shackled.
Shackle 1 – Style of operation. Paul was operating the business by brute force. This way of operating would never allow him to step back or sell the business, as his operation was too dependent on him and would fall over the moment Paul stepped away.
Shackle 2 – Limiting beliefs. Paul had some beliefs that were keeping him stuck, such as a fear of delegating (“I could never have someone else fill this role, I have to do it”) and a lack of confidence in the business (“business is going to dry up soon”).
Shackle 3 – Lead generation. Paul had no control over lead flow, meaning the business simply rose and fell with the market, which caused him constant anxiety about the future of the business.
52 weeks of execution
1-1 Advisory provided the extra space and energy and guidance to crack these long-standing problems. In 12 months the following initiatives were achieved.
- Stage 1 – Documentation. The business lived in Paul’s head, with no documented systems or written instructions. This made delegation problematic because it required staff to “be Paul”, which was an impossible task.
- Stage 2 – Delegation. With clear job roles documented, the task of delegating admin and management roles became more achievable, and Paul began the process of finding, hiring, and managing staff for key roles that he had always thought he couldn’t hand over.
- Stage 3 – Lead Generation System. With Paul freed of most day-to-day tasks he had more time to work on advertising and partnerships to drive more leads. What surprised me was how much creativity came out once his stress and work levels were healthy.
- Stage 4 – Operator to CEO. Once freed of operations, Paul was able to spend time out of town and work remotely. His role became one of visionary and seeing the next challenge, and embracing a detachment from the business, making it a very attractive asset to buyers.
Results: A year of firsts
- Smaller workload. By hiring and training staff for “impossible” roles, Paul went from doing 90% of of daily operations to 20% and saying things like “It’s unbelievable, he’s doing the job even better than I was”.
- Less stress. “I now enjoy my morning coffee and go to the gym before I even check my emails, knowing the business is in safe hands”. Paul’s wife insists “he is a different person”.
- More confidence. Initially set on selling the business “before it’s too late”, Paul has now decided to keep the business for the foreseeable future.
- Consistent lead flow. New advertising channels and partnerships have produced more consistent leads. The pipeline of contracts increased from 9 months out to 2 years, giving Paul a renewed confidence in the stability of his business.
- More income. Increased personal income (profit) by $160,000 in 12 months, due to Paul’s ability to oversee more projects and market actively. Healthy businesses grow!
"Remarkable" changes reported by Paul's accountant
“It’s been an exciting time since you started business coaching sessions with Paul. I’ve been with him for just on 4 years now and the changes I’ve seen since he engaged your services last year are truly remarkable. He’s a great bloke who works so hard to succeed in his business and with your help now (together with the small team he has built), he’s well on his way!”
LZ, Company Accountant
Want to have a year like Paul?
If you’re interested in going on a similar journey to Paul, he started with a short 5-week review, which led to a 12-month Advisory Partnership. See below for more details on each.
Monster Map
You are 5 weeks away from a dramatic shift in confidence
Paul started where all my clients start. A 5-week business review where you and I together identify the fastest surest path to your goal, and the snakes and ladders we absolutely must see to get you there.
Advisory
You are 12 months away from your goal if it's non-negotiable
1-1 Business Advisory is essentially the “all-in” version of business coaching, with access to your coach 365 days a year. It’s for when you decide to make your income or lifestyle goal a non-negotiable for the first time.