ActionCOACH spent three years investing, planning and pitching a TV series to open up the world of business coaching to the general public. When Amazon’s Prime Video picked up the series Business As Unusual last year, four of their franchise partners – and experienced business coaches – shared the stories of eight businesses on their tumultuous journeys through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If you’re persistent, you’ll get it, if you’re consistent, you will keep it,” said Mitali Chopra in the hit TV series on the popular streaming service. Here Mitali explains why she lives by this motto and what it’s like to be part of a franchise which is both incredibly supportive and innovative.
“I absolutely live by this motto – the first two years as a business coach I was persistent, taking every single opportunity and focusing on growing. I continued to be consistent and it paid off, winning awards for Best Client Results and Best Coach. I encourage my clients to embrace this motto too – including those featured on the programme – and they do. They’re very hard workers and even some of them have won national business awards too.”
3 wishes
Mitali Chopra had 17 years of a very successful corporate career in India but when she moved to London with her family in 2015, she had a very specific idea of what she wanted to do next.
“The move to London gave me the chance to follow a dream of mine with three specific wishes. Firstly, I met an executive coach many years ago who really made an impression so it was always in the back of my mind that business coaching could be a great profession. I had worked with the SME sector for a long time and, more often than not, the basics of business were missing – I knew I could help them grow and flourish.
“Secondly, I had wanted my own business for a very long time and this was now an ideal time to pursue that. Thirdly, I was determined that whatever I did business-wise, I wanted it to create a positive social impact. These were now my non-negotiables on my checklist.”
In November 2015, Mitali went to a business show at ExCeL London to learn more about the British SME landscape. Although she wasn’t looking for a franchise, she attended a seminar on how to build a sales and marketing machine where a franchise partner spoke about her journey with ActionCOACH. Mitali instantly connected with her story and started researching further into the franchise.
A bright start
“I’d never considered a franchise over starting my own business from scratch, but I soon began to realise it gives you so much support and a springboard to success. I continued my research into ActionCOACH and reached out to several franchise partners – I wanted to make an informed decision and ensure my checklist was covered before I took the next step. When I met the ActionCOACH UK Support Team at a discovery day, I was already convinced that joining ActionCOACH was going to tick all the boxes for me.
“I’d been told by every franchise partner I spoke with that the ActionCOACH community was very inclusive and supportive, but I didn’t completely believe them until I experienced it for myself. During my initial franchise training, I was amazed by the team environment and I’m still amazed today by their collaborative nature.
“I launched my ActionCOACH business on 1st August 2016 and, within eight weeks, signed up five one-to-one coaching clients. My clients come from a range of sectors and they’re all at different stages of the business lifecycle. The work I do is life-changing for my business owner clients. They understand their business better, improve profitability, enjoy work more and can see the possibility of more growth and financial freedom in the future.
A star lights the way
“I’ve reached a level of income that is triple what I earned in my corporate career. However, I don’t consider my success as a result of what I’ve achieved – it’s about the results my clients have experienced. My ‘champions’, as I fondly call them, are achieving growth and improved profitability while getting more personal time out. A creative agency improved their profits by 300% and got successfully acquired by a publicly listed company. I coach Luke Murfitt in his cleaning business and he was named UK Entrepreneur of the Year last year. He went from the job centre to winning the award in 22 months, seeing a growth of 650% and bringing 39 mothers back to work – all whilst going through a personal battle with Parkinson’s. It’s no wonder he won, and it was incredible to be part of his journey.”
Mitali’s work clearly has the impact she so desperately craved. She has worked with hundreds of businesspeople in her local area and, for every client she signs, she sponsors a child’s education in India – over 70 children have received scholarships so far thanks to the growth of her business. Her amazing outlook and client success are just a couple of the reasons she was chosen to be part of the TV series.
“Being on Business as Unusual was the best experience – I was able to see behind-the-scenes and it seemed a bit surreal! It was the first time I had been out of the house since COVID but it wasn’t scary because of the brilliant people involved – we were all there for the same reason: to see the impact coaching can have. Everyone got stuck in and it was amazing to meet so many passionate people.”
If you haven’t seen the programme yet, search Business As Unusual on your Prime Video streaming service to watch now or follow this link: https:/www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0B8RQCGTS/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
