Jeff Gosling: Finding Fulfilment and Time for Family

A new chapter with greater purpose

At 46, Jeff Gosling decided it was time to find a more fulfilling and purposeful career. After more than a decade working for other people, he was ready to take control of his professional future and build a business of his own. However, he wanted the freedom of business ownership without having to go it entirely alone.

“As I mulled over the idea of becoming a business owner, I established that I didn’t have any fabulous ideas for a new business, but I did think I could possibly take a strategic role in sales and marketing across several businesses. A good friend of mine had bought a care franchise and that piqued my interest in what franchises out there might suit me. After all my research, I got down to a shortlist of B2B opportunities I thought would suit my strengths.”

One opportunity stood out: ActionCOACH UK. Having researched several business-to-business franchises, Jeff was keen to learn more about its approach to business growth, coaching and franchise support.

He contacted the UK support team and was invited to attend the ActionCOACH Business Excellence Forum and Awards. The experience helped him make his decision.

Finding the right people and culture

For Jeff, choosing a franchise was about more than the commercial opportunity. He wanted to join a team whose values aligned with his own, particularly his belief in helping others succeed.

“Meeting other franchise partners, employed coaches and clients at this huge business conference was what cemented the decision for me. I got this overwhelming feeling of teamwork and abundance, sharing of best practice and giving back to the community. Several of my family are teachers and doctors and they give so much back, so helping others is a core value for all of us.

“I recommend to anyone thinking of buying a franchise to read ActionCOACH’s 14 Point of Culture and consider if that’s the type of team you’d like to work with.”

Jeff recognised that ActionCOACH UK required a higher initial investment than some of the other franchises he had considered. However, he could see the value in joining an established network with proven systems, resources, intellectual property and a wealth of business coaching knowledge.

“ActionCOACH was a higher investment than some of the others on my shortlist but I could see why. When you considered the intellectual property built up within the network, books and videos, systems and resources, it would take you decades to build a business coaching service on your own to be even half as effective as ActionCOACH. It was a simple commercial decision and one I made happily having experienced the culture.”

For Jeff, the decision offered the opportunity to build a business independently while benefiting from the experience and support of a wider community.

Getting started with the right support

Before launching his franchise, Jeff completed a week of pre-training, a week at ActionCOACH University and Step-up Week at ActionCOACH’s dedicated client generation centre.

By November 2017, he was ready to launch his business. The practical training had helped him prepare for the realities of business ownership, from building his online presence to developing the confidence and skills needed to turn enquiries into paying clients.

“By November 2017, I was ready to get going. The training had been hands-on and practical, it was focused on getting you up and running. Step-up Week then gave us the opportunity to get our website live, become comfortable on the phone and speak to ActionCOACH’s sales experts about turning enquiries into meetings and then into paying clients.

“It gave me the sense that there is an infinite amount to learn, which is why the follow-up support is so important. There are ongoing regular MasterCLASSes for me to tap into and experienced franchise partners share both business development and coaching advice.

“I’m a people person and I really like being part of a wider network who are so willing to give back. There is an enjoyable shared focus on constant learning and personal development via great knowledge and resources. This is considered working ‘on your business’ as it immediately translates into greater value to clients and improves your own business.”

The ongoing learning and shared experience within the ActionCOACH UK network helped Jeff develop both as a coach and as a business owner.

Growing through relationships and community

Jeff’s first clients came through networking and his existing professional contacts. Rather than relying on a single method of finding customers, he focused on bringing business owners together and building relationships that could generate referrals over time.

Much of his early growth came from developing communities of business owners, partners and influencers, both online through LinkedIn and in person through seminars delivered with ActionCOACH’s strategic partners, including NatWest.

His initial goal was to gain one new client each month while retaining the clients he had already won. He discovered that investing in relationships could deliver lasting benefits, even if the results sometimes took longer to materialise.

“I now have 11 one-to-one clients and an ActionCLUB of group coaching clients. My role is like having 20 projects on the go at once, including my own business; those projects I enjoyed so much back in my old work life.

“When I meet a business owner for the first time, they typically have little idea of how to take control of their business and, therefore, their work-life balance. Every month, I enjoy seeing how my clients take steps forward with quick wins, knowing they have so many more to follow.”

For Jeff, the reward is seeing business owners gain confidence, improve their results and start taking greater control of their working lives. His coaching work also draws on the practical strategies and tools available through ActionCOACH UK, which he can apply to his own business as it grows.

Making more time for family

One of Jeff’s biggest motivations for becoming a business owner was to create a better balance between work and family life. In his previous career, late-night calls and work trips often interrupted time at home with his two sons.

Building his ActionCOACH UK business has allowed him to take a different approach. While he understands that launching a business takes commitment and hard work, he is increasingly able to organise his professional life around his family priorities.

“Whilst I’m happy to work hard and expect longer hours as you build a business, I was used to interrupting family time to take calls late into the evening or staying away from home on work trips with my old job. Working when I should be spending time with my two sons is a thing of the past.

“I’ve been able to take time back for me to spend with the family out on walks in the countryside, playing football, supporting QPR or planning our next holiday. It’s great to have something to work towards. Our next trip is three weeks travelling along the West Coast of the US and there’s no stress as I still have the ability to coach my clients via online video conferencing.”

The flexibility to coach clients remotely has helped Jeff maintain his business commitments while enjoying time away with his family.

His business was also delivering encouraging financial results. In the first year, he reported growing his monthly income to more than £20,000. His next goal was to achieve that level consistently while continuing to develop the business.

He had also begun building a team of part-time marketing, administration and business development support, marking the next stage in his ambition to create a business that could grow beyond his own individual coaching capacity.

Inspiring the next generation of business owners

Jeff’s experience with ActionCOACH UK has also encouraged him to think about how he can help others discover the opportunities that business ownership can offer.

He believes young people should have a better understanding of entrepreneurship, including the potential rewards and the challenges they may face. Through the ActionCOACH Foundation, he saw an opportunity to help introduce these ideas to students and inspire future entrepreneurs.

“The ActionCOACH Foundation aims to fill the gap where academia fails to educate young people about the opportunities and avoidable pitfalls of business ownership. I can help people like my sons by going into colleges and explaining all this, to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

For Jeff, this is another way to put his values into practice. Alongside supporting business owners through coaching, he wants to help young people understand their options and make informed decisions about their futures.

Could business coaching be your next step?

Jeff’s journey shows that a new career can offer more than a change in professional direction. With the right training, systems and support, business ownership can provide an opportunity to build a rewarding business, help others succeed and create more time for the people who matter most.

Through ActionCOACH UK, Jeff has been able to combine his commercial experience, passion for working with people and ambition to make a difference, while pursuing a better balance between work and family.

If you enjoy learning and personal development, have achieved success in your career or sport, and are prepared to invest in an opportunity with the potential for substantial returns, business coaching could be worth exploring.

Could business coaching be your next chapter?

Discover how an ActionCOACH UK franchise could help you build a business with purpose, flexibility and the support of an established coaching community.