Mark Van Rol: From Management Consultant to Business Coach

Finding the right environment to grow

By the beginning of 2018, Mark Van Rol was ready for a new challenge. After years working in management consultancy, he had reached a point where he no longer felt stimulated by the work he was doing. He wanted to keep learning, develop something of his own and find a career that gave him more control over his time.

ActionCOACH UK offered the opportunity he was looking for.

The business coaching franchise combined the commercial experience Mark had built throughout his career with the chance to help other business owners improve their businesses. It also offered a culture built around personal development and continuous learning.

Three years after joining, Mark had found the professional satisfaction he had been missing, while building a business that was delivering strong financial results and giving him greater flexibility for family life.

“I’d reached a point where I wasn’t learning any longer,” said Mark. “I wasn’t being inspired by projects I was completing in my management consultancy, which was the moment I knew I had to find something else. Not only that, but the arrival of my daughter made me examine everything I was doing. I knew things had to change, and today I’m reaping the benefits in every aspect of my life.”

An international career and a change in priorities

Born in Sydney, Mark completed a business degree and qualified as an accountant before moving to the UK.

What was originally intended to be a year travelling around Europe turned into a much longer period of professional exploration. Mark found himself taking on work wherever he went, with opportunities sending him to different locations across Europe and Africa.

After returning to the UK, he met his wife Kate. The couple eventually settled in Berkshire and started a family.

As their family grew, Mark began to think more seriously about what he wanted from his career. His management consultancy work no longer provided the challenge or enthusiasm it once had, and Kate had noticed the change too.

“Kate also noticed I had lost my get-up-and-go. We discussed the options for going into business and realised that franchising offered the perfect balance. I could find something I was passionate about to create a successful business, all whilst having the security of the franchise model behind me.”

Mark had plenty of commercial experience to bring to a new venture. What he wanted was an opportunity that would continue to challenge him.

“I had plenty of commercial experience, which would fare well in ActionCOACH, but what it also gave me was the challenge I was craving. I researched other brands, but none of those offered the same level of potential as ActionCOACH.”

Learning from the ActionCOACH UK network

Before committing, Mark spoke with several existing franchise partners to understand what running an ActionCOACH business involved.

Those conversations helped him make his decision, and in May 2018 he attended ActionCOACH University.

The training gave him an introduction to the coaching approach, the systems behind the business and the importance of areas such as mindset and personal transformation.

“The entire process was extremely professional and slick. Right from my very first exposure to ActionCOACH to getting on the training, it was so streamlined.”

Some of the material challenged the way Mark had previously thought about business. He began to appreciate how much there was to learn beyond the commercial and management experience he already had.

“In the training, there were elements of business which I’d never really thought about before, such as transformation and mindset. This was a turning point, and I realised I would constantly be learning from this point forward.”

The ongoing development available through ActionCOACH UK was another important part of the opportunity.

Mark valued the daily webinars, weekly seminars featuring speakers such as sales experts Jeffrey Gitomer and Andy Bounds, and the wider programme of training and development activities.

“Although there was so much to take on board during the training, I was reassured I would be supported throughout the life of my business. To this day, I’m still amazed at how many opportunities there are available to franchise partners and our teams. There really is no better environment to thrive as we continually learn and develop.”

For someone who had been searching for a fresh challenge, the opportunity to keep developing his own skills while helping others do the same was a major attraction.

Building a coaching business in Berkshire

Once he had completed his training, Mark turned his attention to establishing himself in the local business community.

Although he had experience in client relationships and consultancy, marketing himself and generating new business were relatively unfamiliar territory.

“Initially, I had to get a grasp on marketing myself, as I’d never had to do this in my previous roles. I understood the client relations side of things, but it was up to me to put in the work to attract new business.”

He began attending networking events, becoming more active on social media and looking for opportunities to introduce business owners to his coaching services.

The process required him to put the lessons from his training into practice and develop his own approach to generating leads.

“I focused on generating a buzz around my coaching services, attending networking events, being active on social media and using every moment to grow. Before long, I was well in my stride, and the business started to gain traction. Going through the marketing process myself was a real learning curve which made my business better off for it.”

For Mark, building his own client base also gave him a better understanding of the challenges business owners face when trying to attract customers and grow their companies.

Supporting businesses through the pandemic

Mark's business experienced steady growth during its first two years. Then, in March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic brought a sudden change to the way businesses operated.

Like many coaches, Mark had to adapt quickly. He enjoyed networking and meeting people face to face, so losing that physical connection was initially difficult.

But he recognised that business owners needed support more than ever.

“It’s fair to say 2020 was a gamechanger. I love networking and really come into my own when in front of people, so losing that physical connection was difficult to deal with initially. Thank goodness for video conferencing!”

Mark quickly adapted his coaching to virtual delivery, continuing to work with clients while also extending support to the wider business community.

He hosted weekly online workshops, regularly attracting between 80 and 100 people to each session.

For his existing clients, the focus was on helping them navigate the practical and emotional challenges created by the pandemic. According to Mark, around 80% of his clients did more than survive during this period, with many going on to have their best year ever.

“It quickly became clear I was still able to help clients and deliver coaching virtually. It wasn’t just my clients I resolved to support during the pandemic, I reached out to the whole business community too.”

The experience also demonstrated that the business could continue operating without Mark needing to be in one particular location.

Building a £20,000 monthly coaching business

By the time of the original interview, Mark was working with 15 one-to-one clients and generating around £20,000 a month in client income.

That level of income had already surpassed his best earnings from his previous corporate career.

Having built the business through a period of considerable economic uncertainty, Mark felt confident about setting more ambitious goals.

“I now plan to double the size of the business, in income and profitability. 2020 made me realise there is still a fountain of knowledge waiting for me. Being open to continually learning and improving is what creates an abundance in our lives.”

His focus was on continuing to develop the business while making sure it was sustainable for the future.

The experience had also changed his view of where and how he could work. During the pandemic, Mark had discovered he could operate his business remotely while staying in a villa in the Canary Islands.

That flexibility became part of his longer-term plans, with the ambition to spend four months of each year in warmer climates.

Making time for family and the future

For Mark, the opportunity to build a successful coaching business was closely connected to what he wanted outside work.

Spending time with Kate and their two daughters was important, and he wanted to create a business that would give the family more options in the years ahead.

“I love spending time with Kate and our two girls. We both used to horse ride, and we’d like to get the children enjoying it too.”

The flexibility of the ActionCOACH model had already given Mark a glimpse of what could be possible. His next priority was to build a business that could continue delivering strong financial results without relying on him being involved in every aspect of its day-to-day operation.

His plans to double income and profitability were therefore part of a wider ambition to create more choice over how he spent his time.

Finding the right environment to thrive

Mark's decision to join ActionCOACH UK was driven by a desire to find something that challenged him again.

His experience shows how a background in management, finance and consultancy can provide a strong foundation for a career in business coaching, while the training and wider network provide opportunities to develop new skills.

He found an environment where learning is part of the role, where he could put his commercial experience to use and where he could build a business around the things that mattered to him.

For Mark, the value of the opportunity has been measured in more than financial performance. It has also been about rediscovering his enthusiasm for work and creating greater flexibility for his family.

Interested in becoming an ActionCOACH UK franchise partner?

If you have experience in business and want a new challenge that allows you to help other business owners succeed, discover what becoming an ActionCOACH UK franchise partner could offer.

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