Helen Pethybridge: From Corporate HR to Business Coaching

After more than 20 years working in senior HR roles for multinational companies, Helen Pethybridge began to feel ready for a different kind of career. She had always wanted to run her own business, but a chance conversation on a flight to Istanbul helped her realise how she could put her experience to use in a completely new way.

Nearly a decade after joining ActionCOACH UK, Helen has built a successful coaching business, developed a close-knit community of local business owners and found a career that gives her a greater sense of purpose and satisfaction.

Finding a new direction

Much of Helen’s career had been spent working in large multinational organisations. She held senior HR positions, partnering with business leaders and supporting them through complex changes, including restructures and mergers.

For nine years, she worked at PepsiCo, supporting its commercial activity across Europe. Although she enjoyed the work, she began to feel that she needed a fresh challenge.

“For the last nine years I worked for PepsiCo supporting with their commercial activity in Europe. I enjoyed my work but it began to feel somewhat stale. I was in need of some added motivation.”

The moment that helped Helen see what she wanted to do next came during a flight to Istanbul. Sitting next to someone who ran an architecture practice, she found herself discussing the challenges of running a small business.

The conversation quickly turned to one of Helen’s areas of expertise: building high-performing teams.

“I was sat next to someone with their own architecture practice. I didn’t know much about the nuts and bolts of running SMEs, whereas we established he was unsure on how to build a high-performing team, which of course was my area of expertise!

“I gave him some advice. One, it felt natural, and two, it felt great! I was giving him things he could take with him and immediately implement into his business. It was the spark that ignited the flame. From there, I knew I wanted to leave corporate and work with SMEs.”

Helen had considered setting up her own HR consultancy, as several former colleagues had done. But she wanted to use her experience more broadly and work with business owners on the wider challenges of running and growing a company.

Her search took her to the British Franchise Association website, where she began exploring franchises in business services.

“I saw business coaching and was immediately really excited. It would give me the option to be involved strategically, much wider than just HR. I emailed for more information and 24 hours later two brochures arrived, and I knew my next step: ActionCOACH.”

Helen had not originally planned to buy a franchise. As she researched the practicalities of starting a business independently, she began to appreciate the value of having an established system and support network behind her.

“Setting up your own business is very time-consuming. There is so much to consider, even down to choosing the right printer! But ActionCOACH provides you with over 3,500 strategies and tactics to help you really get to grips with your business, helping you to get up and running smoothly.”

Learning the business and finding her first clients

At the end of January 2016, Helen began her initial training at ActionCOACH University in Las Vegas. She was among the last cohorts of ActionCOACH UK franchise partners to complete their initial training there, spending 10 days learning the coaching methods, systems and strategies behind the franchise.

“The calibre of people leading the training was excellent and that has continued into all aspects of the support I’ve received from the UK team since.”

One of Helen’s early challenges was finding her first clients. Her corporate background had given her extensive experience working with senior leaders, but she did not yet have the right local connections to generate a steady flow of enquiries from small and medium-sized businesses.

The support available through the franchise helped bridge that gap.

“They were really helpful when it came to securing my first client. My background in the corporate world meant I didn’t really have the right connections to fly out of the gates in terms of lead generation. That was where the franchise had my back. Their client generation service is how I signed my first client and from there I grew in confidence.”

Having that first client gave Helen the confidence to start building her own network and developing her approach to business development.

Building a community of business owners

In the early stages, Helen focused mainly on group coaching. As her business developed, she moved towards working predominantly with clients on a one-to-one basis.

Growing her client base took consistent effort. Helen invested time in marketing and attended a wide range of networking events, building relationships with local business owners and establishing her reputation.

“I’m in a great place. To build up the community of clients I have now, I had to work hard on my marketing and attended a huge variety of networking events.

“I’m a little more selective these days on which I attend, but I do enjoy it. I currently lead four networking events but with the client community we’ve created over the last decade, we generate new leads through existing clients recommending our services.”

That community has become an important source of new business. Recommendations from existing clients reflect the relationships Helen has developed and the trust she has built over time.

Her coaching approach has also evolved. With more experience behind her, she has become increasingly confident in challenging clients and holding them accountable for the actions they agree to take.

“Accountability is top of my coaching agenda. I’m more demanding these days. I think that’s to do with being more confident in what I’m delivering to them.”

At the time of the original interview, Helen was working with just under 20 clients. A significant part of her work involved helping established business owners plan for the next stage of their lives, including retirement and selling their businesses.

“Nearly half of my clients are at the stage where they’re either looking at retiring or selling the business on.”

Her HR experience has given her a useful foundation for this work. Understanding people, leadership, teams and organisational change remains central to the way she supports business owners.

Growing the business around the right team

After building her client community over several years, Helen began thinking about how she could develop the business further while making better use of her time.

Her husband joined the business during the pandemic, and the move has worked well for them both.

“My husband joined the business during the pandemic and it’s been a great move. We make a good team, balancing each other’s strengths, making it work around our time away from the business too.”

Helen was also considering bringing another person into the team, giving her more capacity to focus on coaching and the parts of the business she most enjoys.

“I want to optimise my time coaching, so having a solid team is a great help.”

She was also looking at ways to broaden the services available to her clients. Having completed training for ActionCOACH’s 12-week MasterCLASS programmes, she was enthusiastic about introducing them into her business.

“I’ve recently completed training for ActionCOACH’s new 12-week masterclasses and, I have to say, from the training I did, I’m really impressed by what they offer, and I know my clients will be too.”

Alongside developing her coaching services, Helen was interested in following the example of ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars by investing in local businesses, applying her experience to help improve their performance and potentially sell them on for a profit.

“It’s a big challenge but one that could work out to be super rewarding!”

The value of being part of a network

For Helen, one of the most valuable aspects of becoming an ActionCOACH UK franchise partner has been the support and relationships she has developed across the network.

She appreciates being able to ask other franchise partners for advice and receive practical help quickly.

“The network is always happy to help. If you need some advice, a quick message in our WhatsApp group and you’ll receive three to four replies within five minutes.”

She also values the opportunity to keep learning and introducing new ideas into her business. Having access to new coaching services and approaches gives her options to develop what she offers to clients, while retaining the freedom to decide what works for her own business.

“Part of the reason we continue to thrive is the access we have to fresh new ideas, meaning our coaching services never fall flat. However, you only have to implement new services if they work for you and your clients. It’s refreshing to have that freedom in your business.”

Seeing the difference coaching makes

Although Helen enjoys the business she has built and the community around it, the results achieved by her clients remain one of the most rewarding parts of her work.

She particularly remembers the progress of two clients whose businesses were in very different positions when they started working together.

“My longest-serving client has gone from loss making to looking to sell their business to pay off the mortgage and retire. Another went from a turnover of just four figures to over £200,000 and she now has a team of four.

“It is a pretty great feeling. I don’t know another role that is as rewarding as this.”

For Helen, these experiences demonstrate the wider impact business coaching can have. Improvements in business performance can give owners more choices about their future, whether that means building a team, preparing to sell or finally having the freedom to retire.

Her advice to future franchise partners

When asked what she would say to someone considering joining ActionCOACH UK, Helen is clear about the importance of making the most of the support available and committing to the opportunity.

“There’s no shame in asking for help. Everyone wants you to succeed. You need to commit fully, have an open mind, be ready to learn and know you’ll have to work hard initially.

“But at the end of the day, the fruits of your labour are worth the time and effort. It’s such a rewarding opportunity and you can have a real impact on so many people’s lives.”

Helen's journey began with a conversation on a flight and a desire to find something more fulfilling than her corporate career. She has since built a business around her experience, developed a community of business owners and found a role where she can see the difference her work makes.

For anyone considering a similar change, her experience shows what can be possible when professional experience is combined with the right training, support and willingness to build something of their own.

Could business coaching be your next move?

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