ActionCOACH Franchise

ActionCOACH Business Coaches are Helping Business Owners See Opportunities in the Present Crisis

Businesses rise and fall. Cycles come and go. But the cream always rises to the top.

Solid companies overcome economic challenges and turn them into opportunities, and ActionCOACH- the world’s number one business and executive coaching firm – has been doing just that.

As a result, it has been recording exceptional growth despite the weakening economy.

“Business coaching remains a growth industry and ActionCOACH Business Coaches are not looking back,” founder and CEO of ActionCOACH Brad Sugars said. “With record earnings, they have been helping small and medium sized business owners, who are even more susceptible to this uncertainty, see opportunity in the midst of the present crisis.”

Most recently, Business Coaches from three regions of the globe were recognized and honored for their performance in 2008 with the coveted “Coach of the Year” award.

“The performance of our coaches in these trying times has been outstanding,” Sugars said. “The help they are providing in this economy to business owners is invaluable and we would like to see a coach in every business – so that businesses don’t succumb to the pressures of the economy and are in a position to overcome these tough times with relative ease.”

During the company’s Asia Pacific conference held in Queensland, Australia, Bruce Campbell (who was also the first coach to have banked “Diamond” level earnings) received the “Coach of the Year” award for the Asia Pacific region.

“I have done business in 31% of the world’s countries,” he said. “I use ActionCOACH strategies to complement my diverse business background bringing great results to my clients and their businesses – recession or no recession.”

The North American conference, which was held in Las Vegas in March, saw ActionCOACH Earl Kemper come out a winner. A Diamond Coach, Kemper, dismisses the recession.

“ I feel this ‘recession’ has become a media-driven ‘state of mind’ and with the support of a Business Coach and the implementation of ActionCOACH principles, this time will prove to be a temporary blip in history,” he said. “Because of this outlook, I have positioned my clients to start taking advantage of this market, and many are actively looking for business acquisition opportunities.” Finally, Michael Shinnick from Ireland bagged the highest honor at the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) Conference held in London.

Like his peers at ActionCOACH, Shinnick also believes this economic environment presents an excellent opportunity for business owners.

“This downturn is a good time for business owners to review the structure of their business and adapt their current structure to not only survive this recession but to also gain serious market share,” he said. “Business owners have had a very tough time over the past few months and are now crying out for positive focus and direction. It is a fantastic privilege to be able to offer such a rewarding service.”

Every crisis is an opportunity to regain balance and by concentrating on the positive, companies are able to ride the winds of change and endure the toughest economic times.

By adapting this positive mindset, ActionCOACH Business Coaches are also helping their small business clients do the same in order to take advantage of these rough times.

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching and executive coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to ActionCOACH.com.

While an ActionCOACH single practice allows coaches to work from the convenience of their home-office and build a business, an ActionCOACH firm is an evolving concept that is focused on building an asset. It was first developed within ActionCOACH by a bunch of coaches who got together to pool in their knowledge, resources and skills to create a team. This turned into a successful business model and today, 30% of each graduating class belongs to an ActionCOACH firm.

The firm model is gaining much popularity as a result of astounding results and the possibility of unlimited earnings within a structure that can potentially to run on its own. This makes it a truly leveraged business model.

Here are some firm fact sheets that stand testimony to the huge success of these ActionCOACH firms.

The owners share the benefits of having a firm and discuss how a firm compares to a single practice as well as a typical law or accounting firm.

More than 100 prospective franchisees see first-hand the ActionCOACH opportunity at the company’s UK/European conference in London.

ActionCOACH, the world’s number one business and executive coaching firm, hosted its annual European Regional Conference at London’s Hilton Metropole Hotel. Due to an overwhelming interest in the ActionCOACH franchise, the company also hosted a highly successful Discovery Day with over 100 prospective franchisees in attendance.

Typically, Discovery Days are monthly events held at the company’s Global Office in Las Vegas, Nevada, and are aimed at bringing prospective franchisees closer to the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity and meet with the team members to learn more about the company.

The London Discovery Day has proved to be the largest gathering of prospective ActionCOACH franchisees in the company’s history.

“It is encouraging to see this type of response in the middle of the current economic crisis,” Director of Franchise Sales & Marketing Jodie Shaw said. “To have a turnout of more than 100 people who are interested enough to make this trip from various parts of Europe speaks volumes about the financial viability of this opportunity.”

While other companies are closing their doors, ActionCOACH is moving against the tide and actually experiencing robust growth in the middle of this recession. Earlier this year, the company recorded a 21% year-over year growth, and for the first time in the company’s history, three Business Coaches banked Diamond level earnings in one month.

The company also showed a remarkable improvement in its Franchisee Satisfaction rankings – jumping to #17 in the Unites States. ActionCOACH enjoyed similar successes in many other awards and rankings – despite the recession.

Shaw, who will be traveling extensively this year to open new territories for the company, is excited about ActionCOACH’s ambitious goal of expanding its reach to a total of 120 countries by the end of December 2012.

“We recently expanded to the Caribbean as well as Kenya, with many other new territories in the pipeline,” Shaw said. “This validates the fact that while we do well in good economic times, we do even better during tough times.”

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching and executive coaching franchise, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to ActionCOACH.com.

The editors of AllBusines.com researched, compiled and analyzed more than 700 franchise systems to compile a list of the “best of best” franchises for 2009.

ActionCOACH, the number one business coaching firm in the world, was ranked #71 and awarded inclusion in AllBusiness.com’s 2009 “AllBusiness AllStar Franchises” list.

Over the last six months the company’s team of editors, led by Rieva Lesonsky and Maria Anton (who spent more than 20 years at Entrepreneur magazine), have researched, compiled, and analyzed more than 700 franchise systems to compile the AllBusiness AllStar Franchises list.

This is the first year for this list; yet it is regarded as one of the most transparent and interactive rankings of its kind. It helps would-be franchisees sort and surface information that’s the most important to them. The company believes this is also the only list that draws upon the in-depth financial analysis of its parent company, D&B (Dun and Bradstreet).

Due to the current realities of the economy, this ranking places particular emphasis on financial health. AllBusiness representatives believe that the winners all have a strong financial foundation to survive and prosper in these recessionary times.

“This only helps further validate the fact that while we do well when the economy is on an upswing, we tend to do even better during recessionary times,” ActionCOACH Director of Franchise Sales & Marketing Jodie Shaw said. “In another ranking system that ranks franchises based on franchisee satisfaction, we have been rated as #17 – once again validating our robust financial foundation.”

ActionCOACH was recently ranked by the Franchise Business Review (FBR) as #17 and included in FBR’s Franchise 50 List. These accolades and rankings are significant for anyone looking at investing in a franchise system.

ActionCOACH prides itself in its proven and tested systems that can be used to improve any business in any industry – irrespective of the economy it is operating in. A typical Business Coach with the company has many years of past corporate and business ownership experience. Most recently, three Business Coaches from the company banked diamond level earnings – all in the middle of the current recession.

Global business coaching franchise claimed spot in top 50 based on Franchisee response, participation level for the second consecutive year -showing a remarkable improvement over last year’s #41 position. Las Vegas, Nevada – ActionCOACH, the world’s number one business and executive coaching franchise, has been selected for the 2009 Franchise Business Review™ Franchise 50.

Franchise Business Review, the premier validation service company in the franchise industry, conducts its annual evaluation of national and international franchising organizations based on franchisee response, participation level and system size.

ActionCOACH was ranked #17 in the Franchise 50 “Large Systems” category, which focuses on systems with 200 or more business units. No other business coaching company in the industry has more than 200 units in their network.

ActionCOACH Director of Franchise Sales and Marketing, Jodie Shaw received the award on behalf of the company at the IFA convention held in San Diego, California.

“We are pleased to have been recognized as one of the Franchise 50 by Franchise Business Review,” Shaw said. “ActionCOACH prides itself on achieving business success by providing world-class franchisee support, and we look forward to continuing to work with franchise owners towards future goals.”

Out of over 2,500 active franchise systems in the U.S. and Canada, just 115 companies received this award in 2009 (this represents the top 5% of all franchise companies).

While other companies saw overall franchisee satisfaction suffer due to the economy, ActionCOACH was one of the few companies that saw its average satisfaction increase.

“While we do well when the economy is robust, we do even better in a downturn,” Shaw said. “Our franchisees don’t have to suffer during tough times – a fact that has been validated by this survey.”

Franchisee satisfaction is critical for anyone looking to invest in a franchise business. Franchise Business Review provides investors with this critical information on today’s top franchise opportunities. This becomes even more critical during a recession when people tighten their purse strings and are afraid of getting into a new business.

ActionCOACH Expands into a New Territory in the Midst of the Recession

ActionCOACH Lemmie Maloiy has taken ActionCOACH to Kenya

When ActionCOACH Lemmie Maloiy decided to move back from Perth, Australia to his hometown of Kenya, he took his ActionCOACH practice with him. Ex-team member of the successful business coaching firm Business Success Excelerators Pty Ltd (BSE), which represents ActionCOACH in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and throughout the world, Maloiy is now ready to take the proven and tested ActionCOACH tools, systems and knowledge to a brand new territory.

“The business environment in Kenya is conducive to the growth of the ActionCOACH brand,” Director of Franchise Sales and Marketing Jodie Shaw said. “Kenya has a robust small business sector – which is critical to the economic success of the region.”

Expanding ActionCOACH’s operations in Kenya will take the company closer to its goal of operating in 120 countries by December 12, 2012 (“120 by 12/12/2012”).

At a time when confidence in business is at an all-time low, ActionCOACH is making huge strides in the business world.

Earlier this month, ActionCOACH signed a deal with Master Licensees in the Caribbean to expand in 26 countries in that region.

“We have an ambitious expansion plan and have been successful in spreading our wings- despite the current recession, which is being touted as one of the worst ever,” Shaw said. “We have also achieved 21% year-over–year growth in the middle of this downturn.” In a historic event, three ActionCOACH Business Coaches achieved the Diamond Coach status in the same month – it is no wonder then that the company dismisses the recession and believes in looking ahead optimistically.

These growth statistics reflect the overall growth in business coaching. A practice development research revealed that 58% of businesses use a Business Coach. This same study also found that a business can increase profit margin by an average of 46% by using the services of a certified Business Coach.

Business Coaching is a growth industry and is the second fastest growing industry, behind IT.

ActionCOACH enjoys the largest slice of this lucrative and growing market.

Having recently signed the Master Licensee rights in the Caribbean, ActionCOACH plans to make its presence felt in 24 additional countries

Master Licensees (MLs) have the exclusive right to develop the ActionCOACH brand within their territory. The Master Licensee model is regarded as an extremely effective means of expanding franchise systems nationally and internationally.

In return, Master Licensees generate revenue by selling franchises and collecting royalties on the revenue of their franchisees.

As Master Licensees, Janine and Arnout will have the dual role of growing the territory and coaching the franchisees they recruit to success.

Janine and Arnout originally hail from the Netherlands and will be operating their business from Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. While Arnout has extensive experience as a corporate executive in a large consulting firm, Janine has extensive experience in the field of small business advisory and training.

A Small Business expert, Janine spent 15 years of her career as a researcher, innovation consultant, start up advisor and University lecturer in Small Business management and entrepreneurship.

“Janine and Arnout are very capable entrepreneurs and will help grow our presence in 24 additional countries,” ActionCOACH Director of Franchise Sales and Marketing Jodie Shaw said. “This brings us closer to our goal of expanding our presence in 120 countries by the end of 2012.”

Janine and Arnout see many opportunities for business coaching in the Caribbean.

“The Caribbean is transforming into an economic community with growing inter-Caribbean trade,” Janine said. “Most Caribbean economies thrive on small and medium sized enterprises; ActionCOACH can now help these businesses become more professional and grow.”

As Master Licensees, the main aim of this duo is to make ActionCOACH the number one business coaching firm in the Caribbean. They will be actively searching for enthusiastic Business Coaches who have a passion for helping business owners in their respective countries.

“We will be traveling across the region with informative seminars,” Arnout said.

ActionCOACH’s simple, practical systems won Janine and Arnout over.

“From my experience working with many business owners, I immediately recognized that ActionCOACH could offer an answer to a great deal of their problems – with a professional, simple and practical results-oriented approach,” Janine said.

As a result of this agreement, the following countries will be included in their territory:
1. Anguilla
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Aruba
4. Bahamas
5. Barbados
6. British Virgin Islands
7. Cayman Islands
8. Dominica
9. Grenada
10. Guadeloupe
11. Haiti
12. Jamaica
13. Martinique
14. Montserrat
15. Navassa Island
16. Netherlands Antilles
17. Saint Barthélemy
18. Saint Kitts and Nevis
19. Saint Lucia
20. Saint Martin
21. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
22. Trinidad and Tobago
23. Turks and Caicos Islands
24. United States Virgin Islands

Recognition continues for world’s leading business coaching franchise

Entrepreneur Magazine has just announced the winners of the 30th Annual Franchise 500 Awards, and ActionCOACH has been ranked #103 out of its Top 500.

ActionCOACH was also ranked #1 in the category of business consulting for the sixth consecutive year.

With a ranking of #103 in an industry with a huge number of new entrants each year, ActionCOACH has displayed not only its industry strength but the company’s ongoing growth in the franchise industry.

“We’re very excited and pleased to have made the Franchise 500 list,” ActionCOACH Founder and CEO Brad Sugars said. “It is an honor to be recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine for the sixth year in a row.”

For its rankings, Entrepreneur based its Franchise 500 awards on a number of factors that include financial strength, financial stability, growth rate and size of the franchise system.

ActionCOACH has been instrumental in developing the business coaching category since Brad Sugars started the business in 1993 from his home in Brisbane, Australia. Over the past 15 years, the firm has grown into an internationally recognized and award-winning franchise with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries.

Most recently, ActionCOACH diversified into executive coaching to penetrate into this niche market by bringing the entrepreneurial mind-set into the corporate world.

The full list of ActionCOACH’s rankings in Entrepreneur’s 2009 rankings include: #1 in the Business Coaching category; #103 in the Franchise 500; #25 Top Home Based Franchise and #82 as America’s Top Global Franchise.

To find out more visit http://www.entrepreneur.com

ActionCOACH is confident that the KEM Expo will bring the company closer to its ambitious goal of 120 by 12/12/2012.

ActionCOACH, the number one business coaching and executive coaching franchise in the world, is one of the 200 exhibitors at the 11th KEM World Franchise exhibition (Feb 20-23) held at the Helexpo Palace in Marousi, Greece.

The KEM World Franchise Exhibition, which is touted as one of the most effective franchise exhibitions in the world and is recognized by the International Media as a 5-Star exhibition, has 200 exhibitors – 60 of which are international from 17 countries. There are 18,000 visitors – who are also qualified investors from 30 countries.

ActionCOACH Director of Franchise Sales and Marketing Jodie Shaw will be representing the ActionCOACH franchise at the exhibition.

“While most other companies are slashing their growth plans as a reaction to the current economic crisis, at ActionCOACH we are moving against the tide with an aggressive and ambitious growth plan,” Shaw said.

“I will be traveling all over the world to accomplish our goal of being in 120 countries by the 12/12/2012 – the KEM is a great platform for us to showcase the financial viability of our franchise system that is geared toward corporate executives and entrepreneurial individuals – looking for a business with a great life/work balance.”

A typical ActionCOACH franchisee is a past executive or business owner who uses the company’s proven and tested systems, tools and strategies to help the owners of small-to medium sized businesses as well as senior corporate executives on the various issues that affect performance.

“A Business or Executive Coach is like a sports coach who motivates athletes to reach their optimum levels of performance,” Shaw said.

Business Coaching is a growth industry and is second in global expansion to IT. This was not the case when ActionCOACH founder and CEO Brad Sugars first began his business coaching company in 1993, in a tiny room in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia.

Today, it is the number one business coaching franchise in the world – enjoying the biggest slice of the category.

ActionCOACH Ranked Number One in the Category of Business Coaching For Sixth Consecutive Year

ActionCOACH leads the business coaching category for the sixth year in a row.

Entrepreneur Magazine has ranked ActionCOACH as #1 in the Business Coaching category for the sixth consecutive year.

Entrepreneur’s announcement of the 30th Annual Franchise 500 Award winners not only demonstrates ActionCOACH’s industry strength, but its reputation in the franchise industry.

“ActionCOACH has pioneered the global expansion of business coaching, and we are extremely pleased and honored to be recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as the leader in our field,” ActionCOACH Founder and CEO Brad Sugars said.

For its rankings, Entrepreneur based its Franchise 500 awards on a number of factors that include financial strength, financial stability, growth rate and size of the franchise system.

ActionCOACH has been instrumental in the growth and development of the business coaching category since Brad Sugars started the business in 1993 from his home in Brisbane, Australia.

Over the past 15 years, the firm has grown into an internationally recognized and award-winning franchise with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries.

Most recently, ActionCOACH diversified into executive coaching to penetrate into this niche market by bringing the entrepreneurial mind-set into the corporate world.

The full list of ActionCOACH’s rankings in Entrepreneur’s 2009 rankings include: #1 in the Business Coaching category; #103 in the Franchise 500; #25 Top Home Based Franchise and #82 as America’s Top Global Franchise.

For ActionCOACH Darren Reddy, accounting was a fantastic way to learn about how a business should run and how the numbers reflect every decision made in the business.

“I didn’t like the number crunching but enjoyed interpreting the outcomes and making decisions based on the figures,” he said.

This led him to rethink his career choice. As an accountant, he had a lucrative career but found it to be unfulfilling as he enjoyed looking at numbers and providing advice, but was tired of doing the detailed work.

“I wanted to see if I could run my own business instead of being an employee,” he said. “The accounting background is an excellent basis for being a Business Coach as you have a detailed understanding of what can be an effective business – this only applies to management accountants in industry as I don’t believe a lot of tax or private practice accountants have enough practical knowledge of industry.”

Reddy believes the major difference between these two roles revolves around the manner in which one deals with people.

“I had to change my mind-set to lead people and become a mentor rather than someone involved in producing reports,” he said. “As a Business Coach, my aim is to produce results, not reports.”

Being a Business Coach with ActionCOACH- the number one business coaching firm in the world has been a great learning process for Reddy. This role has come with its set of challenges.

“Becoming an ActionCOACH, has moved me out of my comfort zone and has introduced me to many new concepts - opening my mind to the impact of vision and goals,” he said.

ActionCOACH Business Coaches go through world-class training and provide their clients with proven systems, tools, strategies and methods for success. Reddy feels that this is a new chapter in his life – one that has not only the potential of impacting people positively, but one that allows him to have more control over his own destiny at the same time.

Many of Reddy’s clients take comfort in the fact that he is also a qualified accountant with diverse knowledge in marketing, team building, sales, advertising and franchising – to name a few.

“I have been able to gain enormous knowledge through ActionCOACH’s world-class training, books, and other tools,” he said. “I have had to develop presentation skills as well as communication, marketing, leadership and people skills to become more effective and powerful in my new role as an ActionCOACH.”

Reddy is highly motivated to be an effective Business Coach – one who is able to bring results for all his clients.

“I want to be the most respected Business Coach in Australia; based on not the number of clients I have but on the best results and quality of advice I give my clients,” he said.

Reddy finds being an ActionCOACH to be more fulfilling, and as having many advantages over his previous career, in which he was an accountant.

“As a Business Coach, you can make an impact on the people and business performance whilst most accountants simply report the past and don’t impact the future,” he said.

Reddy believes that these two roles can often coincide.

“This can happen in instances where your clients don’t understand their figures in the business so you are able to give them good, practical advice in financial terms which further builds your credibility,” he said. “As an ex-accountant, I can make a decision immediately instead of needing to wait and get their accountant involved. However, I never give in-depth financial advice; instead I teach them general principles, which in most cases is enough for them.”

While Reddy believes that in order to survive in today’s economic climate, it is even more important to have an ActionCOACH in addition to an attorney and accountant, he finds getting new clients to be the most challenging aspect.

“Most people need their tax done, even government policy dictates that you must use an accountant; sadly, coaching is not seen in the same light,” he added.

According to a recent survey carried out by ActionCOACH, the leading business coaching firm in the world, one in eight business owners will consider using the services of a Business Coach.

“Today, business owners cannot go it alone; there is a need for a third “A” in addition to an attorney and an accountant. Having an ActionCOACH is no longer the luxury it used to be- it has become a necessity for businesses all over the world to employ this type of service,” ActionCOACH CEO Brad Sugars said. Business coaching was still in its infancy when Brad Sugars started ActionCOACH in 1993; today it is the second fastest growing industry next only to IT.

Given these current trends, the day is not far when every business in the world will recognize the importance of having the services of 3A’s – an attorney, accountant and an ActionCOACH Business Coaches.

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to actioncoach.com.

More Owners than Ever Turn to Business Coaching to Survive Downturn

LAS VEGAS – As bad economic news continues, owners of small and medium-sized businesses are turning to an alternative source of business development strategies to help them through the downturn.

Conventional informational tools are still popular. New books and workshops continue to offer advice and strategies for anxious business owners, but more owners than ever are turning to business coaching as a way to help grow their companies.

“The U.S. and some major European economies have entered an economic ‘winter.’ However, just like the seasons, the economic cycle will soon be on the upswing, and the owners ActionCOACH is working with want to be prepared for the next economic ‘spring,’” ActionCOACH Marketing Director Jodie Shaw said.

Because of its comparable cost to more specialized business consulting services, as well as a positive track record of success for clients worldwide, ActionCOACH is leading a new and innovative trend toward high impact, low-risk business development services.

“Business owners are looking for answers that will immediately impact their companies,” Shaw said. “Business coaching is attractive to them because coaching is a generalized approach that looks at the company as a whole, and focuses on profit, which is the most important part of any business.”

For many businesses, the benefits can be exponential in nature.

“For a consultant, an incremental increase on a big company’s bottom-line can mean millions of dollars,” Shaw said. “For a Business Coach and that coach’s client, an exponential profit increase can mean tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to that owner’s bottom-line – which can mean a huge difference in the life of the owner and the company.”

Shaw added that as new businesses start and as existing companies prepare for the next “economic spring,” there are literally millions of small and mid-sized businesses that need business coaching services.

“There is no better time for owners to get the business knowledge they need to succeed,” Shaw said. “And there is no better time to be an ActionCOACH.”

Business Owners Look for Answers from Business Coaches as Economy Slows
More Owners than Ever Turn to Business Coaching to Survive Downturn

LAS VEGAS — As bad economic news continues, owners of small and medium-sized businesses are turning to an alternative source of business development strategies to help them through the downturn.

Conventional informational tools are still popular. New books and workshops continue to offer advice and strategies for anxious business owners, but more owners than ever are turning to business coaching as a way to help grow their companies.

“The U.S. and some major European economies have entered an economic ‘winter.’ However, just like the seasons, the economic cycle will soon be on the upswing, and the owners ActionCOACH is working with want to be prepared for the next economic ‘spring,’” ActionCOACH Marketing Director Jodie Shaw said.

Because of its comparable cost to more specialized business consulting services, as well as a positive track record of success for clients worldwide, ActionCOACH is leading a new and innovative trend toward high impact, low-risk business development services.

“Business owners are looking for answers that will immediately impact their companies,” Shaw said. “Business coaching is attractive to them because coaching is a generalized approach that looks at the company as a whole, and focuses on profit, which is the most important part of any business.”

For many businesses, the benefits can be exponential in nature.

“For a consultant, an incremental increase on a big company’s bottom-line can mean millions of dollars,” Shaw said. “For a Business Coach and that coach’s client, an exponential profit increase can mean tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to that owner’s bottom-line — which can mean a huge difference in the life of the owner and the company.”

Shaw added that as new businesses start and as existing companies prepare for the next “economic spring,” there are literally millions of small and mid-sized businesses that need business coaching services.

“There is no better time for owners to get the business knowledge they need to succeed,” Shaw said. “And there is no better time to be an ActionCOACH.”

More owners than ever recognize the need for all 3A’s — an attorney, an accountant and an ActionCOACH — for their business.

For ActionCOACH Darren Reddy, accounting was a fantastic way to learn about how a business should run and how the numbers reflect every decision made in the business.

“I didn’t like the number crunching but enjoyed interpreting the outcomes and making decisions based on the figures,” he said.

This led him to rethink his career choice. As an accountant, he had a lucrative career but found it to be unfulfilling as he enjoyed looking at numbers and providing advice, but was tired of doing the detailed work.

“I wanted to see if I could run my own business instead of being an employee,” he said. “The accounting background is an excellent basis for being a Business Coach as you have a detailed understanding of what can be an effective business — this only applies to management accountants in industry as I don’t believe a lot of tax or private practice accountants have enough practical knowledge of industry.”

Reddy believes the major difference between these two roles revolves around the manner in which one deals with people.

“I had to change my mind-set to lead people and become a mentor rather than someone involved in producing reports,” he said. “As a Business Coach, my aim is to produce results, not reports.”

Being a Business Coach with ActionCOACH- the number one business coaching firm in the world has been a great learning process for Reddy. This role has come with its set of challenges.

“Becoming an ActionCOACH, has moved me out of my comfort zone and has introduced me to many new concepts - opening my mind to the impact of vision and goals,” he said.

ActionCOACH Business Coaches go through world-class training and provide their clients with proven systems, tools, strategies and methods for success. Reddy feels that this is a new chapter in his life — one that has not only the potential of impacting people positively, but one that allows him to have more control over his own destiny at the same time.

Many of Reddy’s clients take comfort in the fact that he is also a qualified accountant with diverse knowledge in marketing, team building, sales, advertising and franchising — to name a few.

“I have been able to gain enormous knowledge through ActionCOACH’s world-class training, books, and other tools,” he said. “I have had to develop presentation skills as well as communication, marketing, leadership and people skills to become more effective and powerful in my new role as an ActionCOACH.”

Reddy is highly motivated to be an effective Business Coach — one who is able to bring results for all his clients.

“I want to be the most respected Business Coach in Australia; based on not the number of clients I have but on the best results and quality of advice I give my clients,” he said.

Reddy finds being an ActionCOACH to be more fulfilling, and as having many advantages over his previous career, in which he was an accountant.

“As a Business Coach, you can make an impact on the people and business performance whilst most accountants simply report the past and don’t impact the future,” he said.

Reddy believes that these two roles can often coincide.

“This can happen in instances where your clients don’t understand their figures in the business so you are able to give them good, practical advice in financial terms which further builds your credibility,” he said. “As an ex-accountant, I can make a decision immediately instead of needing to wait and get their accountant involved. However, I never give in-depth financial advice; instead I teach them general principles, which in most cases is enough for them.”

While Reddy believes that in order to survive in today’s economic climate, it is even more important to have an ActionCOACH in addition to an attorney and accountant, he finds getting new clients to be the most challenging aspect.

“Most people need their tax done, even government policy dictates that you must use an accountant; sadly, coaching is not seen in the same light,” he added.

According to a recent survey carried out by ActionCOACH, the leading business coaching firm in the world, one in eight business owners will consider using the services of a Business Coach.

“Today, business owners cannot go it alone; there is a need for a third “A” in addition to an attorney and an accountant. Having an ActionCOACH is no longer the luxury it used to be- it has become a necessity for businesses all over the world to employ this type of service,” ActionCOACH CEO Brad Sugars said.

Business coaching was still in its infancy when Brad Sugars started ActionCOACH in 1993; today it is the second fastest growing industry next only to IT.

Given these current trends, the day is not far when every business in the world will recognize the importance of having the services of 3A’s — an attorney, accountant and an ActionCOACH Business Coaches.

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to ActionCOACH.com.

Game Plan: The Growth Behind Business Coaching

As the world of business moves faster and gets more competitive, small and medium sized business owners have found it increasingly difficult to keep up in changes within their specific industries, as well as the newest innovations in sales, marketing and management.

As a result, many business owners find they need more and better information, and that the information they need is something they need immediately, and in a form that will have a positive impact on the growth of their business.

Filling a Need
Like an athlete needs a coach to give pointers, offer advice and keep attention focused on the game, more business owners are discovering a need for business coaching to listen, offer advice, act as a confidante, and serve as a marketing manager, sales director, training coordinator and mentor.

“Very simply, coaching is helping another person produce a desired result. Just as a sports coach guides teams to success with a winning game plan, a business coach helps and guides business owners to success with a proven method to build their businesses,” ActionCOACH CEO Brad Sugars says.

Business coaching essentially focuses on five main areas, namely sales, marketing and advertising, team building and recruitment, systems and business development and customer service.

“Each is important in building a profitable enterprise that ultimately works without the owner,” Sugars says.

Growing a Category
Because business coaching looks at the business as a whole, and relies on a “generalist” approach versus the specificity associated with business consulting, more businesses than ever are turning to business coaching as an alternative to traditional consulting services.

As a result, ActionCOACH has become the leading business coaching company in the world, and continues to grow at an average rate of 20% per year.

“Once the connection is made between coaching for business owners and coaching for athletes, it’s easy to see how a business coach can benefit an owner and his or her business,” Sugars says. “And once owners realize the quality of our coaches, many of whom are former entrepreneurs, owners and CEOs themselves, the idea of business coaching takes on a whole new meaning.”

A quick overview of the typical ActionCOACH Business Coach backs up this point of view. Nationally, the average ActionCOACH is 42 years old, lives in a major metropolitan area, is married, and brings more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, management or business ownership.

Many have worked for Fortune 100 Companies, and more than 40% have an advanced degree, be it an MBA or doctorate. “Our coaches have had great success in their pre-coaching careers, and many of them see coaching as the best way to help others succeed,” Marino says. “They know the mental, emotional and sometimes physical pain the stress of business can create. On the other hand, they are expert in knowing how to get through that pain and experience the success on the other side.”

How the Skills of Accountants and Attorneys can be Complimented by an ActionCOACH

ActionCOACH Warren Coughlin felt like a round peg in a square hole and left the law firm he worked in to pursue entrepreneurship.

“I had left law about five years before becoming an ActionCOACH to pursue entrepreneurship. For me, while the law firm I was at was a great, well established and highly ethical firm, the practice of law was ultimately unfulfilling,” he said.

Coughlin feels a higher sense of fulfillment in his present full-time role as an ActionCOACH. He feels that while as a lawyer, he was able to help people erect roadblocks; as a Business Coach, he finds himself in a more constructive and unique position to remove those roadblocks.

Coughlin points out some of the striking similarities between the two professions, which essentially require the same skills-sets in terms of creative problem solving, listening and disciplined analytical skills; helping people stay focused and on track; building confidence in presenting ideas and clarity in communication.

“ActionCOACH Business Coaches and attorneys both provide professional services in the form of advice clients may not want to even hear, for a fee,” he said. “There is also a need for continuing education as well as developing interpersonal and relationship building skills in both these professions.”

Having previously been in litigation, Coughlin finds coaching to be an inherently collaborative effort, wherein a coach has the ability to help businesses in a more holistic manner.

“Lawyers can only help businesses in a limited way by illuminating legal risks, which flow from particular business decisions. Coaching is about getting into the business’ nuts and bolts,” he said. “While there are some lawyers who provide advice on non-legal business issues, it is inappropriate to do so since they are not trained in this area; they are trained to be risk averse, which is not consistent with entrepreneurial decision making.”

There is a marked difference in the way people view these two professions.

“As a coach, you are looked upon as part of the team; as a lawyer, you are perceived as a necessary evil. Also, lawyers are less interested in the personal side of things and want to focus on the issues; coaches spend a lot of time developing not only businesses but also people,” he said.

A Business Coach is like a sports coach that motivates athletes to take their skills to the next level and win championships.

“Lawyers have to do the work; coaches instruct and motivate the clients to do the work. Unlike lawyers, they are not bogged down by strenuous paperwork,” Coughlin said.

Coughlin finds it much more satisfying to work collaboratively and constructively with entrepreneurs to make a bigger pie, rather than fighting over an existing pie.

“As an ActionCOACH, I am able to do the things I cannot as a lawyer, which includes, but is not limited to achieving 300-400% business growth; increasing margins by 25%; implementing recruiting practices that improve the quality of hiring while reducing the cost of doing so; helping clients to grow as leaders,” he said.

Coughlin recalls joining law school primarily because he viewed it as a good training ground.

“They say law schools are full of smart people who can’t think of anything better to do; for me it wasn’t quite that. I had many interests ranging from politics to international relations to entrepreneurship and believed law school would be a potential learning platform,” he said.

The role of an ActionCOACH is a demanding one, and involves knowledge in all areas of business operations. Coughlin had to develop certain skills, like reading and understanding financial statements from a management perspective, hiring and training staff and working with people to overcome personal obstacles – all of which were new to him as an attorney.

Coughlin is motivated by helping fellow business owners solve problems creatively and grow. He believes that while attorneys have great advantages over Business Coaches in advising on legal issues, Business Coaches far outweigh the value they provide to businesses in the long-term since they look at the “big” picture.

“Entrepreneurs need the services of both,” he said. “However, being able to look at the bigger picture is more important than anything else.”

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to actioncoach.com.

ActionCOACH Names New Master Licensee for Hungary
Zoltan Eszik Named New “ML” as ActionCOACH Expands to its 27th Country

ActionCOACH, the world’s number one business coaching firm, has added Hungary as its 27th country of operation, and has named Zoltan Eszik its Master Licensee for the country.

“This is a great opportunity to extend our business and our brand further into Europe,” ActionCOACH founder and CEO Brad Sugars said. “We are excited to bring Mr. Eszik on board as our newest Master Licensee, and we look forward to his great work in introducing business coaching to a fast growing entrepreneurial market.”

Mr. Eszik, who previously headed an educational franchise group based in Budapest, has an excellent track record in delivering training and education to large organizations, and was searching for a way to better leverage his training and entrepreneurial skills to the more than 700,000 small-to-medium sized businesses in the Hungarian economy.

According to Mr. Eszik, business coaching seemed the right fit, and ActionCOACH was the right company.

“ActionCOACH is totally focused on the small-to-medium sized business and business owner,” he said. “Many other companies target larger organizations through consulting models or executive coaching. ActionCOACH’s systems for training and business development are targeted to the individual owner. That model is a great fit for both my skills and for the Hungarian marketplace – 60% of which is made up of sole proprietors or individuals in business for themselves.”

The need for increased help for business has correlated with the growth of entrepreneurship in the country.

“ActionCOACH has seen an increased interest in our concept in throughout Central and Eastern Europe in recent times. Business coaching fills a much needed gap in providing owners much needed help,” ActionCOACH Marketing Director Jodie Shaw said. “Economic development within Central and Eastern Europe means more savvy investors are investigating the concept to their country. Our newest Master Licensee for Hungary has many years experience in business consulting and knows first-hand the much needed gap that business coaching fills.”

Interestingly, Mr. Eszik said the word “coach” is derived from the Hungarian word kocsi, which means literally, “wagon from Kocs,” which refers to a village in Hungary where large, horse-drawn carriages were once made.

How did the term get applied to “coaching”? Apparently, as the Hungarian “coaches” made their way through Europe and England, the young students who rode in them on long trips were commonly tutored; hence, they were being “coached” in their studies.

“The idea of a tutor guiding a student to success is an analogy that also applies to business coaching,” Mr. Eszik said. “As a Business Coach, however, the goal is to guide owners to greater profits and success in their businesses.”

The addition of Hungary to the ActionCOACH business portfolio marks continued growth for the company, which is continually recognized as one of the fastest growing franchises in the world.

“This continued growth shows just how high demand for our services are, and how many businesses around the world are looking for help they can immediately use to grow their companies,” Sugars said. “Right now is a great and exciting time to be part of the ActionCOACH coaching community.”

From “The Millionaire Next Door – The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy”
By Thomas J. Stanley, Ph. D. & William D. Danko, Ph. D.

You’ve probably always heard it pays to own your own business. Maybe you’ve always wanted to. The fact is small business ownership remains the foundation of business growth in the United States – with 9 out of 10 existing businesses categorized as a “small business.”

While there are many reasons to start a business, most owners cite independence as a primary factor.

Other reasons include the fact that business ownership is one of the best and fastest ways to generate cash flow and profits – especially when compared to conventional employment, or long-term investments in stocks, bonds or real estate.

Profitability and Tax Advantages
Compared to their large corporate counterparts, many small businesses are extremely profitable, and can compete very favorably against corporations from a standpoint of costs, innovation, and more personalized customer service.

There are also tax advantages available to owners that aren’t available to employees. Tax benefits depend on a number of factors, including the type of business formed (sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation), the state or country in which the business is formed, and whether the business is in a production, wholesale, service or retail category.

Finally, ownership fosters pride and a commitment to success for entrepreneurs who tend to be highly skilled and passionate about what they do and what they bring to the marketplace.

Roads to Ownership
Once an entrepreneur decides to go into business, there are essentially three ways of taking a new firm to market: starting from nothing, buying an existing operation or franchising.

Each has their own benefits and disadvantages.

“There is no ‘perfect’ way to go into business or business model,” ActionCOACH John Layzell said. “Every advantage has a disadvantage, and vice-versa. That is part of the paradox and challenge of business ownership every owner must overcome to be successful.”

Of the three, franchising has become an increasingly popular way for would-be entrepreneurs to get into business for themselves – and is expected to be the leading method of doing business over the course of the next several decades.

“Currently, franchise systems represent a little over 3% of total businesses in the U.S.,” he said. “However, that small segment represents over 35% of all retail and service revenue in our economy.”

The growth of franchising (currently there are more than 2,500 franchise systems with more than 530,000 franchise units) is the successful result of a model that relies on brand identification, a successful way of delivering products and services to targeted markets and a proven system of marketing and distribution. “Instead of invention or reinventing the wheel, franchise owners invest assets in a brand, an operating system and on-going training and support,” ActionCOACH Yamini Varani said. “It would take an individual owner years and hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of dollars to replicate the types of systems and market knowledge each franchise owns.”

ActionCOACH, the number one business coaching firm in the world has earned a Certificate of Finalist Recognition in Best Multinational Company in North America and the Best Overall Company in the 2008 International Business Awards.

The International Business Awards are the only global, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in business.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards were presented to honorees at a gala dinner on Monday, September 8 in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. Primary sponsors for the event were Dow Jones and IDA Ireland.

Honorees were selected from more than 1,700 entries received from organizations and individuals in more than 30 countries.

Organizations all over the world are eligible to compete in The International Business Awards, and can enter in any of more than 40 categories from Best Multinational Company and Best New Product to Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program and Best Executive.

ActionCOACH was a finalist in two categories, including Best Multinational Company in North America and Best Overall Company in the 2008 International Business Awards.

“It is a matter of honor and pride to be nominated as a finalist in two categories by such a prominent and prestigious organization,” ActionCOACH founder and CEO Brad Sugars said. “While these nominations are close to the company’s heart, our real recognition comes from the strength of our franchisees and the results they bring to small-and- medium sized businesses every single day – all over the world.”

Sugars started ActionCOACH 15 years ago, when he began developing a series of seminars and workshops from a small room in a suburb of Brisbane, Australia; at the time business coaching was still in its infancy. Today, it is the world’s second fastest growing industry, next only to IT, and Sugars is often credited with helping the category’s rapid growth.

Members of the Awards’ Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staffs selected International Stevie winners from among the Finalists, which were determined by volunteer judges around the world during two months of preliminary judging.

“Entries to the IBAs grew 65% this year and that illustrates the increasing importance of The International Business Awards worldwide,” said Michael Gallagher, president of The Stevie Awards, presenters of the IBAs. “We congratulate all of the honorees, and wish them success.”

“We have a great team at ActionCOACH – and their collective efforts and synergy makes this type of recognition possible. I would like to extend my gratitude toward each one of our team members and franchisees,” Sugars said.

Coaching in a Downturn – How the “Slowdown” Highlights Key Business Coaching Principles
Business Coaches Show Business Owners How to Survive – and Thrive – in Today’s “Tough” Economy

While the U.S. economy may not officially be in a recession, most business owners and their customers certainly believe it is – and many are acting accordingly by tightening budgets and cutting back on purchases.

However, a business slowdown presents unique opportunities for both business coaching and small business owner – in addition to a number of increased challenges.

As more businesses turn to business coaching as an alternative to costly business consulting practices as a way to grow their companies, business owners are also recognizing a greater number of positives than negatives in the current economic landscape.

”As the world’s number one business coaching firm, our Business Coaches recognize the potential for small business to grow and get ready for the next expansion – even in a slowdown,” ActionCOACH Director of Marketing Jodie Shaw said.

”More money is made in a slowdown leading into the next expansion that is made in a boom.”

According to Shaw, ActionCOACH Business Coaches have been working with their clients to “get their financial houses in order,” as well as expanding their marketing efforts.

”Three areas of focus business owners should look at right now are finances, marketing and delivery or distribution,” she said.

From a financial perspective, businesses should focus on controlling cashflow (closing the “float” between accounts receivables and accounts payables); collecting outstanding payables; revising current terms with creditors (creating payment plans if necessary) and finding ways to increase profit margins while cutting some costs – realizing most firms can only cut costs so much before affecting overall operations.

From a marketing perspective, businesses should focus on developing or expanding marketing efforts. This includes a variety of low-cost marketing strategies (referral-based marketing, “test and measure” advertising, customer surveys to adjust stock/inventories to higher margin or higher volume products) and defining a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that defines and differentiates the business in its specific market.

Finally, from a delivery and distribution perspective, businesses should focus on the overall customer service experience, from front-line team members, to making it easier for customers to buy, to guaranteeing products or services.

”Many large businesses were started in a slowdown by owners who looked at the world differently than conventional wisdom or the media narrative,” Shaw said. “ActionCOACH is a good example of that. Our CEO (Brad Sugars) started the company in 1993 during a slowdown in Australia, and expanded to Singapore during the midst of the Asian credit crisis in the late 1990’s.”

Shaw also added changes now will leverage results for owners in the future.

”So there is no better time than right now for owners or would-be entrepreneurs to get their businesses on the right track,” she said. “Because when the expansion does take place – the serious business people will be miles ahead of everyone else.”

In its original French, it means, “to undertake.”

Regardless of its origins, the word has come to universally define a person who risks resources to create new products and services – and hopefully – a profitable business.

Throw the word out to a group of people, and they are likely to respond with examples of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship that range from Henry Ford and J. Paul Getty to Bill Gates and Richard Branson.

They may even cite a family member or the owner down the street.

Entrepreneurship is the backbone of the global economy and continues strong annual growth. In the United States alone, more than 650,000 new businesses will start up this year.

So what are the qualities of a successful entrepreneur? Does success require a great product? Fantastic idea? Superb execution? All of the above?

“The entrepreneur mindset is a combination of persistence and gumption, because when you get knocked down, you have to have the ability to get back up again,” ActionCOACH Master Licensee Peter Williamson says. “That person also has to have a good deal of optimism, integrity, ideation, innovation and ingenuity.”

Williamson also adds it helps to have good mentors, the ability to dream and be visionary, as well as consideration, gratefulness and humility.

“All of these things drive from a persistent idea that ‘there is nothing else I’d rather be doing,’” he adds. “It’s a need that is much deeper than a wish and stronger than a desire. People who go into business and who are the most successful are almost internally compelled to be on their own building a business for themselves.”

As more and more executives and professionals are looking for business options that best fit their entrepreneurial desires and current skill set, business coaching is increasingly at or near the top of the list for potential career options.

“The market demand for business coaching services is huge,” ActionCOACH Director of Marketing Jodie Shaw says. “One in eight business owners surveyed said they would consider hiring a Business Coach. Put that in the context of entrepreneurial growth around the world – every year – and you can see why our company is growing at 20% per year.”

While the business coaching industry offers great opportunity, the industry isn’t for everyone.

“Anyone can learn the basics of business development,” Shaw says. “But being an actual coach requires a lot of passion, enthusiasm, drive and outstanding people skills – intangibles that can’t be taught. Our most successful coaches are a combination of being highly results-oriented and having great people skills.

“The best coaches need to possess and demonstrate both types of skills to succeed.”

In 2007, Entrepreneur Magazine listed the “strong growth” trends in franchising, highlighting business coaching as one of those growth industries:

• Business consulting/staffing: “Every business needs help sometimes – and that need is keeping business consulting and staffing franchises growing. In addition to nearly double the number of business consulting franchises, there is also a new emphasis on companies offering small-business … consulting services.”
• Senior-care services: “As America ages, the senior-care industry … is maturing.”
• Personal-care services: “Baby boomers may be young at heart, but their desire to look young as well has spurred the growth of franchises offering laser, skin-care, med-spa, massage, fitness and tanning services.”
• Enrichment learning programs for kids: “When it comes to learning programs for children, the segment increased by 850-plus units.”
• eBay drop-off stores: “The largest global online marketplace has been creating opportunities for all, including franchises that list and sell items for those lacking eBay savvy.”
• Food: “Franchises and their customers will never go hungry.”
• New and unique concepts: “Innovative, original and sometimes wacky franchise concepts are starting to shake things up…Cereality…Miami Rice Pudding Co. … and P.B.Loco are among those companies that take existing products and either add a new twist or improve on them.”

Source: Entrepreneur Magazine/January 2007

The Big Question: Franchise or Go it Alone?
Once you decide to start your own business, the next question is: do you start from scratch, buy an existing operation or become part of a franchise system?

While there are advantages and disadvantages to all three scenarios, some interesting statistics back up the franchise option:

• Total gross sales from all franchised businesses total over $1 trillion. That’s about half of all U.S. retail sales and services.
• Franchises employ nearly 8 million workers in over 100 franchised industries.
• 2/3 of franchisees said they would not be as successful if they had started their business on their own.

Why has franchising been such an important part of business growth over the past fifty years?

For a number of reasons – the most important being the successful systems franchise operations have in place to get customers, deliver products and services and train employees.

Entrepreneur.com takes this idea a step further, and calls franchising “one of the greatest systematic transfers of know-how in the business world.”

The Value of Systems
“A good franchise program is designed to take people without experience in a specific business and teach them how to run a successful operation following a detailed formula,” Entrepreneur.com explains. “New franchisees are successful only if they can learn to follow the system.”

Of the number of successful business people who have chosen the franchise model for their businesses, 86% say “general business skills” are important or very important, followed by “access to capital” and an “entrepreneurial mindset.”

Increased Pace of Growth
One of the biggest benefits of choosing a franchise is instant access to a recognized brand – one with years of proven systems that would take years of trial and error for an individual owner to replicate.

In addition, franchisees benefit from regular training, operations manuals, and benchmarking through performance comparisons over time and against other firms within the system.

This leveraged use of collective knowledge and information means that franchisees almost always outpace independent business owners in terms of rate of growth and revenues.

Studies consistently show that franchisees grow quicker, reach market break out sooner and succeed more regularly than independent businesses in the same industry and category.

Tested and Proven Business Models
The biggest advantage franchises have over independent start ups are tested business models that have proven successful over time in the market place.

“The most important thing in a franchise model is that the owner is not alone,” ActionCOACH Master Licensee Kevin Alft said. “The franchise wants and needs its franchisees to succeed. That’s why there are so many levels of support in a franchise on the operational, marketing, sales and training levels. The business models and the systems are only as good as the people who are part of them and working them.

“That’s why a commitment to continually learn more about business, a good work ethic, and an ability to be ‘coached’ within a system are so important to a franchisees’ ultimate success.”

The ads, which premiered in the U.S. version of Entrepreneur Magazine, have also appeared in Australia‘s MyBusiness, in Canada‘s Profit Magazine, and in Management Today, published in the United Kingdom.

For many executives and professionals looking to start their own businesses, the search for the business with the “right fit” for their experience and skill set can be frustrating.

Fortunately, there is a “white collar” business opportunity available to executives and professionals that allows them to leverage their current skills in a business that allows them to help other business owners.

That opportunity is business coaching – which has been recognized as the world’s fastest growing industry behind information technology.

From a survey sampling of the 23 million businesses in the U.S., 1 in 12 said they would consider hiring a business coach. With more than 600,000 new business start-ups each and every year, there is a constant need for practical “how to” information in terms of business growth and development.

ActionCOACH is uniquely positioned to offer these services to its clients. The company has been named the number one business coaching firm by Entrepreneur Magazine five years running. Since ActionCOACH started in 1993, no fewer than 10 national and international competitors have started business coaching companies.

Today, only ActionCOACH remains, and currently outpaces its nearest competitor in terms of revenues by 10-to-1.

With more than 250 offices in the Asia Pacific; 500 in the Americas, and 250 in Europe and Africa, ActionCOACH is a trusted business partner – one that is highly recommended by bankers, business organizations, community groups and major corporations.

“Small-and-medium sized business owners looking for timely information that can immediately grow their businesses,” ActionCOACH CEO Brad Sugars says. “ They are also looking for an alternative to conventional and costly business consulting services. We’re the perfect fit for businesses in this regard.”

The average ActionCOACH client has annual revenues/turnover of between $2 million to $50 million, with an average of five employees.

Each working day, someone in the world joins ActionCOACH as a Business Coach, driving a company growth rate of more than 20% per year.

“We’re looking for great people who are looking to take their careers to the next level,” Sugars says. “It’s a great opportunity for the right executive or professional.”

Growth statistics
The growth of business coaching as an industry has been the focus of a number of news articles around the world:

“Coaching is the second-fastest growing profession in the world, rivaled only by information technology.” – Ray Williams, National Post, April 2007

“A recent study estimates that 40,000 people in the U.S. work as coaches (work or life) and the $2.4 billion market is growing at a fast-paced 18% per year” – MarketData Report, 2007

“Annual spending on executive coaching in the United States is estimated at $1 billion.” – Harvard Business Review, December 2006

“Use of coaching is widespread in UK organisations, with almost nine in ten respondents reporting that they now use coaching in their organisation (88%).” – University of Bristol Newsletter, 2005

“The Australian Institute of Management says 70% of its member companies hire coaches.” – Inside Business Channel 2, July 2006

“The Executive and Business coaching industry is growing by about 40% a year.” – The Economist, December 2006.