Alan Bark: From Corporate Sales to Building a Business Coaching Community

After 20 years in senior sales roles within the technology sector, Alan Bark faced a difficult decision. He had been offered what he describes as the best job of his career, complete with a directorship and shares in a business. Yet the idea of building something of his own continued to draw him in.

Alan chose to take the leap and joined ActionCOACH UK in 2018. Today, he runs an exclusive business coaching territory in Chester, where he has built a growing community of business owners. His events have attracted more than 100 attendees, with world-class speakers including Frank Dick OBE and former world heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno.

Choosing his own corner

With two decades of sales experience behind him, Alan knew he wanted a new challenge. He had reached a point in his career where starting his own business had become a serious ambition.

His research brought him to a crossroads. One option was a senior role in an occupational health business, offering a directorship and shares. The other was to invest in a franchise and build a business for himself.

“I had a contract for a directorship with shares in an occupational health business. It was sat on my desk waiting for me to sign. Meanwhile, my desire to start my own business took me to a franchise exhibition in Birmingham to speak with a few of the franchise brands on my shortlist.

“One of those options wasn’t exhibiting but did have an ad on the back cover of the show guide which piqued my interest. The franchise was ActionCOACH.”

The following day, Alan contacted ActionCOACH UK and spoke with UK co-founder Julie Wagstaff. He then arranged a conversation with fellow co-founder Ian Christelow.

Those conversations quickly led to a discovery day at the UK support office in Leicestershire.

“Ian talked about the huge number of businesses not reaching their potential and, in many cases, failing. I was ready to commit to being part of the solution. As we were taken through the systems and strategies ActionCOACH has used with thousands of businesses all over the world, I wondered how I’d never found them before. It lit a fire inside of me and I knew I had to become an ActionCOACH.”

After discussing the opportunity with his family, Alan returned to his desk and tore up the contract for the occupational health role. He had made his decision.

“It felt like a truly pivotal moment. We’d sold our house, my little girl was now two years old and, with some financial backing from NatWest, I was facing a new beginning. It was late February in 2018 and I was due to launch my ActionCOACH business in Derby in April. There was a lot to do before then.”

Finding the right support

Before attending his initial training week, Alan went along to one of the masterclasses organised for the ActionCOACH UK franchise network. It was delivered by UK Performance Director James Vincent, whose knowledge and enthusiasm made an immediate impression.

Every franchise partner is allocated a master coach to help them develop their business. Alan already knew who he wanted in that role.

“It was delivered by our UK Performance Director James Vincent. His knowledge and passion blew me away. Each franchise partner is allocated a master coach to support them in their new business, so when I turned up for training, I went straight to Ian and asked if James could be my master coach.”

Working with James gave Alan a strong foundation as he learned how to run and grow his coaching business.

“We complemented each other really well. We identified what I needed to work on, getting my teeth into the business straight off the bat.”

Alan set clear targets for his first year. He secured his first clients through a networking group, with his third client coming through LinkedIn advertising.

He also invested in testing different ways to generate new business, tracking what worked and adjusting his approach as he went.

“I put significant budget behind testing and measuring a variety of client generation activities. At the beginning of year two, I had a breakthrough where I was regularly landing two clients a month. I’m a big fan of a combined lead generation approach of walk-ins, direct mail and follow-up calls.”

The experience gave Alan a clear understanding of the importance of consistent business development and having several ways to reach potential clients.

Building an exclusive territory in Chester

Alan's first territory was in Derby. Around 18 months after launching, ActionCOACH UK introduced a Senior Partner licence, giving successful applicants the opportunity to operate exclusively within a territory containing around 10,000 businesses.

Alan saw the opportunity to establish himself in a new market and applied. In 2019, he opened his exclusive Chester territory.

The business has since developed into a coaching operation supporting owners across a wide range of industries.

“I have around 20 clients at the moment, businesses of all different shapes and sizes and in a whole range of industries. You name it, I’ve probably coached them!”

Alan has also built a team around the business. His Business Development Manager, Denise, has played an important part in developing relationships and bringing local business owners together.

“We have a great team too. My business development manager, Denise, is one of the best networkers I’ve ever seen and no doubt has contributed to our success in creating this close-knit business community.”

Having spent much of his career in corporate environments, Alan particularly values the culture within the ActionCOACH UK network.

“Corporate can be quite a cold atmosphere at times. You feel that people want to stab you in the back. ActionCOACH, however, now that’s a different kettle of fish completely. Everyone wants you to succeed, and help is always there if you need it.”

Celebrating the success of local businesses

Five years after opening his Chester territory, Alan had established a business that was delivering coaching to local owners and creating opportunities for them to learn from one another.

For him, some of the most rewarding moments come from seeing what clients achieve and the difference those achievements make to their lives.

“What keeps me motivated is celebrating other people’s successes. One of my clients recently had to battle a family illness. Seeing his mental resilience and will to succeed was truly awe-inspiring. Another told me they’d grown their business to a point where they could consider growing their family. It means a lot to play such an important role in changing people’s lives.”

Alongside one-to-one coaching, Alan has developed a programme of local GrowthCLUB events. These bring business owners together to work on their plans, review progress and set priorities for the next 90 days.

The events have become an important part of the Chester business community.

“I’m so proud of all the work we’ve done in Chester. Our GrowthCLUBs are proving really popular too. Our last event at Chester Racecourse with Frank Dick OBE was attended by 120 people. The next one we have scheduled at the town hall in December will feature Frank Bruno and James Vincent. We’re aiming to get over 150 people through the door!”

Becoming the first name business owners think of

Alan's ambition is to make his business the recognised name for business coaching in Chester.

His mission is straightforward: “To help everyone we meet achieve more.”

He believes there is an opportunity to raise awareness of what business coaching can offer local businesses. While most owners can readily name several accountants or solicitors, he feels many would struggle to name a business coach.

“We want to be the first name they think of and want every business owner in Chester to think that way.”

Looking further ahead, Alan is also interested in acquiring businesses and potentially expanding into another territory.

Inspired by ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars and his experience of turning businesses around and selling them for profit, Alan is keen to explore business acquisitions himself.

Wrexham is one possible location for future expansion. He sees potential in the town and is keeping an eye on opportunities there.

No regrets about taking the leap

Looking back, Alan is certain that choosing to build his own ActionCOACH UK business was the right decision.

“Yes. Absolutely. No regrets. When I came out of the corporate world and I was seriously considering jumping back into another job, albeit a dream one, there was a strange draw to ActionCOACH which I just couldn’t entirely put my finger on. When I attended the discovery day, it felt right. Now I know it was right.”

He particularly values the people he works alongside, both within the franchise network and among the businesses he coaches.

“I love the community of coaches and the businesses you work with. This kind of environment of unconditional support and a culture of abundance is very rare in large organisations or in the City. There’s no backstabbing or shifting the blame onto others.

“Moreover, being surrounded by world-class thought leaders makes learning not only enjoyable but transformative. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of the ActionCOACH community. You can sleep soundly knowing you’re making such a profound impact to not only a business’s fortunes but changing people’s lives for the better.

“Be prepared to work hard, have an open mind and you’ll be empowered to become the best version of yourself.”

For Alan, the decision to turn down a senior corporate role and build a business of his own has given him the opportunity to use his sales experience in a different way, support other business owners and become part of a community that shares his ambition to help businesses achieve more.

Could you build a business with ActionCOACH UK?

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