Beginning his career in the IT sector in the 1980s, Rob Pickering always had a passion for two things – programming and people. Exchanging computers for management consultancy, Rob left the world of technology to focus on his other motivator in life… helping people.
“Whilst working at my management consultancy, I met a potential client who was opposed to consultants but asked me if I offered business coaching. Having never heard of the concept, I was introduced to ActionCOACH and found their culture and attitude incredibly inspiring.”
This is when Rob made the decision to completely change his career path, investing in the franchise to begin his new venture of helping others with the experience he had accumulated over the previous three decades. He launched ActionCOACH Reading & Wokingham in 2010.
Configuring his future
“I’ve always had this belief it’s about who you are as a person rather than what achievements you have accomplished in your life. The fact 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, growing 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 I’ve been able to transform my clients’ lives from day one.”
All systems go
“Since becoming an Action Coach I’ve benefitted no end, 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. Now, just over a decade later, I’m 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.
“ActionCOACH has done so much for me, which is why I always strive to give back to the community as much as I can. I coach other Action Coaches within the network and it’s one of my 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.”
Although Rob is at an age when he could retire, he has no plans to stop coaching. “My wife and I both hit 60 this year, but I’m at a point where I enjoy coaching so much, I don’t want to stop. In my old corporate life, my stress levels were high but now I don’t really remember what that feels like – I suppose over a decade of loving what you do will programme that into you!”
Source: Business Franchise
