Business coaching case study

Barbara has owned a salon for nearly 20 years.

I have coached her business for 15 months.

I asked her to explain how my coaching has helped her run her business better.

Tell me about your coaching journey

It has dramatically improved my business on a financial level, but the most important impact was how it rekindled my passion for developing my business.

What did you feel initially?

To begin with I thought “How on earth can this approach work, it's just not boss like."

“I'll surely lose respect from my team and it's just going to take too long. “

Of course, I was conveniently forgetting how at every team meeting the same topics kept rearing their ugly heads.

Nothing was ever resolved. I was constantly frustrated - I needed a way to unblock progress and there was no instant answer. Indeed I didn’t know the answer

I had to change the way that I did things in order to get my team to alter their behaviour …by which I mean change, permanently.

So how did my coaching help you?

I realised that a coaching leadership style is the most perfect tool for our industry.

Hairdressers are creative individuals - there can be no one standard way to motivate everyone. Adopting a style that values individuals and brings out the best in them also truly supports the team.

It now seems the most natural thing in the world to run my salon this way.

So how was it - working with me, personally?

Fun, challenging & always enlightening!

Changing your business takes hard work, mind. When I feel I am missing the point or things go slowly, I’m frustrated. But as you explain so well this is no instant fix. It’s more a gradual shift almost like a block dissolving. So I know what to expect

Once I have understood what is happening there is always something that I can apply practically, immediately. I mean something that makes a real difference in the salon.

I found you had a great perception of our current situation. You seemed able to give me an amazing confidence in my abilities and the strengths of my team.

Coaching has really delivered for us; it’s so different a way of changing things.

What do you mean by that, can you explain?

We have all been on training courses where we return to the salon full of great intentions which fall flat within the month. We have invested time and money but nothing happens in the long term.

So how is coaching different?

The fabulous thing about coaching is that there is a continuous dialogue.

Because I was communicating regularly with you things didn’t fail. I had consistent support for my initiatives to change things.

In fact I find coaching increases my enthusiasm and I gain momentum. Before I know it we have results –sometimes quite fantastic changes in morale, energy and commitment.

So would you recommend my coaching to other salon owners?

Yes, I certainly would.

Your support as my coach gets my creative juices flowing.

It enables us to reach our potential. I find the working relationship easy because you join in as part of our team.

It is not like having a distant consultant who tells us what to do.

We find we can be what we can be, not just do more of what we do already.

I found your wealth of experience & knowledge invaluable.

Your compassion makes you a perfect coach and mentor for us.

I’m sure other salons too will soon wonder how they managed without you in their team.

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