Does Business Coaching Work? The story of my journey

When I was first introduced to the concept of business coaching, it was not something I had considered for my business. A lot of the time people spoke of business consultants but that often had a negative connotation.

With business coaching, they often say "when the student is ready, the coach will appear" and that is exactly what happened with me a year ago. 

I had never thought to go to business seminars but then I came across JT Foxx's event on a friend of mines facebook page. This was Friday afternoon and the event was Saturday morning. I just figured I had nothing to lose and I knew we needed to do something different but I did not know how. I registered and went with my business partner and we had no idea what to expect. We had never heard of JT Foxx but when we had the opportunity to meet him and learn from him we could understand why everyone spoke so highly of him. JT Foxx (Worlds #1 wealth coach) immediately became my role model as I knew this was an individual I could look up to and learn from. People often talk about a switch going off and that is exactly what had happened that weekend.

First Event

As the year has gone on, I have seen the growth in our business but predominantly in myself. One of my biggest fears was that I would not be able to take over the business and I would run it into the ground but I no longer fear that. I know with the support and guidance from my family, friends and my coaches I can not go wrong. Business now excites me and the challenges it poses only motivates me to succeed and push myself harder. The high level individuals I have met this last year and have the fortune to call friends have opened opportunities and created connections that are invaluable.

How business coaching helped my business:

This past year our business has grown by 21%. We have expanded our product lines, moved from 200m2 warehouse to 600m2 warehouse and even that is too small now. Expanded into 2 new countries. Started to supply bakery equipment which is our newest business venture (Bakery in a Box) and opened a training school for bakeries. We now analyse our numbers and have implemented more systems and feedback mechanisms. This is only a few of the changes our business has undergone since we have received business coaching. 

This is why I can say business coaching does work if you do these 2 things:

1. take action AND 
2. have the correct coach.

 Some highlights of my year with my business coach.

Meeting and Learning from Jay Abraham

Speaking on Cliff Central

Meeting Michelle Mone

Myself with JT Foxx and Sylvester Stallone

Myself with Steve Wozniak and JT Foxx

Backstage at the worlds number 1 networking event

Honours Graduation

One of SA's original millionaire underdog

Sharing the success of my business in front of 450 entrepreneurs

Worlds number 1 wealth coach JT Foxx: 15 ways to grow and explode your business.

In business conceptual thinking is crucial! 

You must not JUST copy, but copy and make better or different.

Marisa da Silva and JT Foxx

See these 15 ways to grow and explode your business that I learnt and implemented from JT Foxx (Worlds number 1 wealth coach):

1. Stay Small
• Companies can afford to be sloppy when they get too big. Stay small in expenses but think big in terms of vision. It is crucial for you to maintain that stringent mindset.
• We have implemented this mindset in our business and become a part of our culture by always asking "what will the return be?" This thinking has got us to think more strategic.
2. Be the David v.s. Goliath
• When you are the David, you have to be the best because you have no other choice. This constant fight will drive you to think more strategically. 
• In our industry we are the David and this constant strive for being the best is how we have survived in our industry. Always think how can I be the best and how can I do this better-> this strive has revolutionised my business to always better who we are as individuals as well as our products and service offerings.
3. Get the details right
• Constantly ask how can I do better or be the best.
• You can fix as you go along but make sure you are NOT over analyzing that you never actually take action.
4. Must be inventive
• Watch where you are spending. Finances are the thin line between success and failure-> must find creative ways to fund projects and growth.
• Being inventive does not necessarily mean a new product but could be packaging previous products differently-> this allowed us to expand our basket to our customers and got them to try a wider variety of products. 
5. Keep Moving
• In business things go wrong all the time as long as you fail forward.
6. Innovation
• Differentiation is crucial! You do not have to be radical with a product offering. 
• What we did is improved recipes or new packaging. 
7. Trust your instincts
• This is so crucial in business. 
• Do not second guess yourself.
8. Say yes
• It may be scary but say yes to opportunities. Many opportunities will cross your path, you have to evaluate it and have the courage to say yes.
9. Do business differently
• Be bold! You have to be driven. 
• Always think how can I be the best? How can I better this?
10. Keep your ear to the ground
• Listen to everyone, do not just act. Always look for opportunities- even the silliest things.
• By keeping our ear to the ground with the help of coaching we have created training programmes for the bakery and made it user friendly with the help of infographics. 
11. Make sure employees can make decisions quickly
• Empower your employees to act autonomously. 
• Always trust but verify so make sure you have a short string. If a problem arises and it takes to long to get to top management, may be too late.
12. No such thing as bad publicity
• Pop up and stand out. Dress boldly and use small quotes that catch readers attention in media. 
13. Diversify your brand
• Make sure your brand can diversify into completely different industries. Make it possible to do unrelated business 
14. Have fun
• If your organisational culture has a fun aspect, this creates a great environment to have employees thrive. 
• With coaching, we added an idea board and if you have an idea and it is something we can implement the employee receives an award
15. Negotiate everything in every way
• Your negotiation skills are crucial for your business to grow and explode due to the need to form strategic alliances or for better deals as you will need all the help you can get.

These 15 steps are only some of the tips i have used in my business and they have had phenomenal results. Often it is just a small change you need in your business to take you to the next level. With the help of coaching from JT Foxx  (Worlds number 1 wealth coach) I have learnt to grow my business and think transformationally. This has changed my life and my businesses.