Business Coaching

What is a business coach?

If you lead a medium sized business with a strong proposition and ambitions to grow further, you may benefit from Webb Strategy’s Business Coach service.   The service targets open minded business leaders who are insightful and keen to learn, yet lack strong commercial experience, in order to take the business to the next level of success.

Webb Business Coach brings a fresh pair of experienced eyes to the business, and works with the leadership team to identify areas of opportunity.  Over a three month period, the coach will immerse herself in the client’s world, helping the leaders improve performance - of themselves, their staff and the business.  Webb Strategy’s coaching service includes a review of areas such as product offering, pricing, purchasing, staffing, communication, marketing, web presence, customer service, operations and new business development.

Busines Coaching - Leading the service

Helen Webb leads the Business Coach service.  Helen has a degree in Management Studies as well as 20 years’ commercial experience, largely in the travel and retail sectors.  She spent 13 years in marketing and purchasing, before becoming UK Managing Director of lastminute.com from 2000 – 2004.  After the birth of her son, Helen set up Webb Strategy and has worked with a wide range of satisfied clients.   

Helen has a strong work ethic and a ruthless customer focus. She also has a good sense of humour and a pragmatic approach to business thinking, enjoyed by past Business Coach clients.

"The whole process has not been about pages and pages of analysis. It's been a hands on approach to making as much difference as possible, every day." 

Business Coaching - Service offering

The Business Coach 3 month programme includes three key areas of business support;

1.       Understanding key issues / business overview (Month one)

Helen will spend time interviewing the Founders, investors and staff.  She will review the sales & marketing, product & services, financials and risk within the business.  Helen will gain an understanding of the competition as well as an insight into customer feedback and customer service processes.  Where possible, Helen will make first hand observations of the product and service offering.

Helen will then report back, sharing insights gained and offering ideas & suggestions on a range of issues and opportunities.  From these, she will identify, together with the Founders, one key issue for further development.  This will be an area which drains management time, margin or customer satisfaction - ideally, the issue which most impairs business performance and growth. 

2.       Key issue management  (Month two)

Helen will outline an action plan for dealing with the key business issue, working very closely with the business leaders and, where appropriate, other stakeholders.  The approach will be “hands on”, guiding the management team through new techniques and communication.  The idea is to support the business leaders in their learning and self development, and to bring them to a new level of confidence and performance, rather than to solve the issue for them.

3.       Mentor / sounding board

For the remainder of the coaching period, Helen will be on hand to answer ad hoc phone and email queries on a range of issues, as the business leaders implement the agreed action plan.

Business Coaching - Service levels

The standard Webb Strategy Business Coach service includes at least 12 days of Helen’s time, made up as follows:

1.       Understanding key issues / business overview, report and recommendations.  6-8 days

2.       Key issue action plan, recommendations and implementation.  3-4 days

3.       Mentor / sounding board.  1-2 days

By appointing Helen Webb as your business coach, you are buying her time, experience and expertise. 

In addition to this, you will benefit from Helen’s passion for your business.  If Helen decides to work with you, it’s because she feels you have a business which has great potential, she can relate to what you are trying to achieve and you are people she would enjoy working with.  Once working together, Helen will feel a great involvement in your business and will be thinking about it while out and about, doing the washing up, watching TV etc.  in the same way you do (though maybe not quite to the same extent!)  If marketing partnerships are important to you, she will be thinking about them while she shops in the supermarket, highstreet and online.  If you are looking for new business premises, she will take detours when out and about if she think there might be a good opportunity nearby.  She doesn’t charge for this “off work” time; it’s just what she does.

Business Coaching - Getting Started

The starting point of any Webb Strategy business coaching programme is an hour to two hour’s meeting with the Founders, followed by a discovery day where Helen experiences the product offering and interviews key people around the business.  And don't forget to call Business Link, to see if you qualify for a Train to Gain grant of up to £1000 towards the coaching.

Business Coaching - Summary

In summary, the Webb Coach service offers a cross between Gordon Ramsey (without the swearing) and a non-exec Director (who actually does more than attend board meetings).  Past customers have found the service to be a great help which directly improves productivity, staff and customer satisfaction - and your bottom line.

Webb Strategy asked searching questions which opened up whole areas of possibilities and opportunities which we hadn’t considered.  We were given lots of ideas and areas for discussion and importantly, Webb Strategy gave us the confidence to get the business going in the right direction.

Helen Sadler, Co-Founder; Your Care Home