After succeeding and failing (and finally succeeding again) at a number of business opportunities, and inspired by watching videos of ActionCOACH CEO and founder Brad Sugars, a happily retired Gary Keating launched an ActionCOACH business in February 2016.
“ActionCOACH set my fire alight,” he says. “I had new inspiration. Once again, I realised how becoming an Action Coach could make a difference to Bristol, give me a purpose and create a legacy.”
You have to be all in to succeed says Keating, who has built his ActionCOACH operation while retaining his property business.
“I set a goal to reach £10,000 in client income by month six and £20,000 by year one,” he explains. “I harnessed my business connections and got my first three clients through referrals and identifying businesses I knew that could be hugely improved by the ActionCOACH system.
“I followed the system myself and in my first year had two members of staff, an employee coach and began recruitment for another employee coach for ActionCOACH one-to-one coaching.”
Bringing in more coaches and expanding his operation is what he wants next. “I’m transferring my skillset to our coaches, impacting more and more people in the region. Moving away from me being the ActionCOACH Bristol brand creates more stability in the business. We currently have three amazing coaches – Geraint, Jane and Corrine – and we’re looking into recruiting a fourth.
“Since our launch in 2016, we have seen our clients franchise their businesses, win awards for their work and massively increase their profits. Incredibly, over 1,200 jobs have been created in the Bristol area through the growth and profitability that we have helped generate in our clients companies.
“As a small business owner, you start your business to gain independence. But somewhere along the line you can lose track of what it is you’re trying to achieve. We’re passionate we can change the fate of business owners throughout Bristol and the surrounding area. Our mission is to provide the business leaders of Bristol the tools to achieve business freedom.”
With a predicted turnover in the 7 figures this financial year, Keating is enjoying the halfway house between retirement and full-time employment that he has created for himself. When he is abroad at his villa in Thailand, he can continue his coaching via online video conferencing.
“The ActionCOACH system is brilliant,” he says. “I have a large family including a grandson who is one month older than my own son, Callum. We all spend plenty of time together, whether that is teaching piano, tinkering with tractors or joining me on my latest passion of farming sheep and pigs.
“I often think if I’d had a coach, I would have been much better at getting perspective on myself and my first business would have had a very different ending. Instead, I waited to gain on-the-job knowledge which meant, more often than not, learning from mistakes.”
“I see my success as a responsibility as I know the more abundance created in the network will lead ActionCOACH to transform even more businesses and lives. Therefore, I offer my time and expertise to anyone in the ActionCOACH network as I know this will not only make a difference in their lives but in our lives as well.”
