My franchise story: From programming to prosperity

ActionCOACH franchisee Rob Pickering traded in his computer for coaching, and he hasn’t looked back since

Beginning his career in the IT sector, Rob Pickering always had a passion for two things: programming and people. Exchanging computers for a management consultancy, Rob left the world of technology to focus on his other motivator in life - helping others. “Whilst working at my management consultancy, I met a potential client who was opposed to consultants but asked me if I offered business coaching,” Rob says. “Having never heard of the concept, I was introduced to ActionCOACH and found their culture and attitude incredibly inspiring.”

Configuring his future

Rob has always believed that life should be about who you are as a person rather than what achievements you have accomplished in your life. He explains: “The fact that I found a company which completely aligned with my values is what sealed the deal for me - the culture and community of ActionCOACH are second to none.

“I arrived home from initial training on the Saturday and on the Monday morning I had my first session. I was grateful to be able to hit the ground running. The prospect who had first mentioned business coaching to me became my first client, and we grew his business from a turnover of £2.5 million in 2009 to over £100 million in 2022.”

“New Action Coaches often ask what you should tell the clients. The answer is, we don’t tell them anything – we ask them what they want to get out of the coaching and what their dreams are, using our business acumen and the strategies provided by the ActionCOACH system to help them reach their goals. I truly believe it is with this mindset and because of the continued support from ActionCOACH that I’ve been able to transform my clients’ lives from day one.”

All systems go

Since becoming an Action Coach, Rob has benefitted to no end, both professionally and personally. “As I was able to get stuck into coaching straight away, I was generating £10,000 a month in less than a year,” he says. “12 years on and I’m comfortably generating £30,000 a month.

“Not only is my income fantastic, but I’ve been able to integrate my work and my home life a lot more. I’m a self-confessed workaholic, so when I had no structure, it was a work-work balance with a bit of life occasionally thrown in. Since becoming a coach, my whole family is on the coaching journey with me – some of my clients have become family friends too.”

Rob strives to give back to his community as much as possible. He coaches other Action Coaches within the network, which is one of his favourite parts of the job. “I look at it this way - if I help one client, that’s one business, but if I help another coach, then this multiplies the number of businesses I can help by 10 or 20.”

ActionCOACH provides an excellent business opportunity to anyone who wants to build a business with scalability and longevity. If you would like to make a difference in your local community, love learning and developing yourself, and have enjoyed success in your career or a sport, ActionCOACH may be the right franchise for you.

At a glance

Established:

1993 in Australia, 2001 in the UK

Number of franchised outlets:

200+ in the UK

Location of units:

UK

Investment range:

£69,000

Minimum required capital:

£20,000

Contact:

Rainy Bradley - 01284 701 648