Case Study: Training Business Owner’s to Maximise Profits

This week I caught up with a top performing BGL client to find out how business coaching fast tracked his developed and helped him rapidly increase his profits

Introducing Brian Coogan…

Brian Coogan is the owner and founder of Melbourne based web hosting and development company ‘White Dog Green Frog’.  Now before you ask, yes, you’ll learn why he called his business what he did – and why not? It is an interesting story…

More importantly, though, you’ll find out why this businessman credits faster personal and commercial growth to Geoff Currie, his BGL business coach.  And why he thinks every business owner needs a coach if are to achieve a greater degree of success in a fraction of the time.

For Brian, business coaching helped “evolve” the backroom techie into a fully fledged successful businessman – increasing his monthly profits 3-4 times… But you should read on to learn how.

Client Profile

Business Name:White Dog Green Frog
Description:Provides quality, affordable web hosting and web development
Inception: 2004
Owner: Brian Coogan
Coaching Start Date: 2007
Coach: Geoff Currie
Size: < 10
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Website:www.whitedoggreenfrog.com

His story…

Brian took on a business coach after a personal tragedy struck him at the core.  His brother and business partner, Justin, passed away from an illness that has claimed so many lives –cancer.  Justin’s passing left a huge hole in Brian’s personal and business life as a part from being a close brother and friend, Justin was the “business mind” and he was the “techo.”  Brian says…

“I was probably more of the backroom person”, so…

“I had to learn a whole bunch of new stuff and cope with having lost somebody who was a very close friend to me as well”

Fact:

Whilst many business owners have not lost a family member, friend, or business partner, they do struggle through their days juggling balls that are far too precious to drop i.e. family time, their kids events, wife/husband holiday, friends, etc.  Unfortunately, many do drop the ball causing significant pain to themselves and those around them.

Now Brian’s basis for getting a business coach was not ‘to fill a lack in common sense or intelligence’.  In fact, by any reasonable measure of ‘smarts’, Brian would clear the bar – as he’s held positions in a number of Australia’s fortune 100 companies, is a straight talker and an all round likable kinda guy!  But the reality for Brian, as for all business owners, is:  running a business is more than perfecting a skill, it is knowing how to use that skill in way that fulfils the expectations you had when you first started – ‘be the own boss’, ‘control your destiny’… you know the stuff!

You see Brian knew there had to be an easier way, a short cut – if you like – to his idea of business.  Brian says…

“Geoff helped me in evolving from being a techo… to understanding business issues”

“Did Geoff push some magic button and suddenly…it was different?  Not the way it worked.”

But through talking to him, Brian says, “I developed my own flavour” and tapped into my own strengths.

“Guided encouragement with somebody who’s got real, ‘on the ground’, business experience is something that’s worth its weight in gold.”

Brian believes he wouldn’t have lasted the distance without Geoff…

Brian is the first to acknowledge that if Geoff didn’t help him implement better business practices, his business might not be around today – let alone be doing as well as it is.

“One of the coaching methodologies Geoff looked at early on was actually producing incremental improvements in a whole bunch of areas and when you improved four or five different areas you actually end up with 30% more profit for the year”

“Our income has gone up probably four or five times over the period that I’ve known Geoff”

Geoff totally revolutionised the way Brian builds and thinks about team…

Before coaching, Brian would constantly find fault in his staff – even if they were doing 80% of their job right (perhaps that’s the natural tendency in ‘find the problem – fix the problem’ industries like IT).  As you can imagine, his problem focused leadership did not encourage team members to develop their skills but encouraged them not to ‘stuff things up’ – hindering their and his businesses growth.

However once coached on how to build and think about his team, Brian says…

“I actually find people doing things right”.  And can then develop, correct, and attract the right characteristics for the right roles at White Dog Green Frog”, he said.

White Dog Green Frog…  So what’s with the name?

The story goes… Brian was in the kitchen at his home, making a cup of tea and toast when he heard a noise behind him.  It was his dog, his white dog, and yes the white dog was holding a green frog (stuffed toy) in its mouth.   And as he turned saw the dog, he said “there’s a little white dog with a green frog” and the rest, as they say, is history.
Just one of the areas which helped bring these results about was an incremental improvement in how he managed team.

What’s Brian’s advice to small business owners interested in taking their business to the next level?…

“It’s great to have somebody who you can run ideas past… that is invaluable for a small businessman”

“And without a coach who… has been there before it’s actually gonna take a lot longer”

“You can get to a greater degree of success in three or four or you can take 12 years [on your own]”

When asked about the ideal time start to business coaching Brian said…

“Now”…

“It doesn’t really matter whether you are somebody who is actually very experienced or somebody who has just started out.  Some form of coaching or input is, I think essential, to growing a company and being a manager.”

“I don’t think anyone can manage on their own”

So what about you?

Is it time you called 61 3 5338 1234 and arranged a Free Business Performance Assessement with a fellow business owner and coach to get the focus you need to get more from your business?