Stuart Wright: From Serial Entrepreneur to Franchise Success

Discovering the true meaning of business ownership

Stuart Wright has always been passionate about business. At just 21, he launched his first venture with £26, selling sandwiches to local offices in Harrogate. Within six years, he had grown the business to £1.5 million in annual turnover and built a team of 40 employees.

By most measures, Stuart had achieved remarkable success. However, behind the impressive figures, he was discovering that owning a successful business and building a business that works for you are two very different things.

Breaking through the business growth ceiling

As the business reached a plateau, Stuart found himself working long hours for limited personal reward. With a young daughter at home, he began to question whether the sacrifices of business ownership were worth it. In 2003, he decided to sell the business, accepting considerably less than he believed it was worth.

His next venture involved importing silver jewellery from Mexico and showcasing it in hotels across the North of England. Once again, the business grew, but Stuart soon found himself facing familiar frustrations.

Reflecting on this period, Stuart explains:

“I started to blame the same things as I did in my previous business – the staff, the market conditions. Then my accountant gave me a copy of The E-Myth by Michael Gerber, and I started to wonder if maybe the common denominator in these businesses was me. I was the problem.”

This realisation marked a turning point. Stuart recognised that he had reached the limits of his knowledge and decided to invest in his own development. He began reading business books, attending seminars and exploring new approaches to running a business. Although things improved, progress was slower than he wanted.

In 2007, he decided to seek professional support and engaged ActionCOACH UK coach Chris Fordy.

The impact was significant. With the right guidance, Stuart transformed the way he approached business ownership, learning how to work on his business rather than simply working in it.

As his jewellery business flourished, Stuart gained the freedom to explore new opportunities. He went on to purchase an EnviroVent franchise, operating in the domestic ventilation sector.

With support from ActionCOACH UK, the business achieved annual profits in six figures and double-digit year-on-year growth. Stuart eventually owned five EnviroVent franchise territories while spending just half a day a week in his business owner role.

He had discovered what a well-structured business could make possible: strong financial performance, greater freedom and the opportunity to focus on the bigger picture.

A new opportunity: Building an ActionCOACH UK franchise

With his businesses performing well, Stuart began considering what to do next.

“One year ago, I found myself sat in my garden wondering what to do next,” he recalls. “My initial thought was to spread the word about ActionCOACH. It seemed mad to me that more business owners weren’t using an ActionCOACH coach in my area of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.”

Stuart offered to host a seminar, initially hoping to help Chris generate new clients. The event proved successful, and several business owners expressed interest in coaching. More importantly, the experience sparked an idea.

“I enjoyed the seminar and, sure enough, people showed interest in being coached. That’s when the seed was planted.”

It was some time later that Chris explained Stuart could take the next step and build his own firm of coaches through an ActionCOACH UK franchise, rather than simply working as an independent coach.

The prospect of developing a team, supporting more businesses and creating a lasting impact appealed to Stuart. He spoke with Ian Christelow, UK Co-founder of ActionCOACH, to explore the opportunity.

“Ian explained that my only limitations on growing my ActionCOACH firm were the limits I put on myself. I completed the UK training in the last week of July and came away with the overriding sense that I couldn’t fail with all the systems to follow.”

On 1 August 2016, Stuart launched his ActionCOACH business covering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, with an ambitious vision for the future.

His goal was to build a firm of 50 ActionCOACH coaches, supporting 1,000 businesses every year.

For Stuart, this ambition was about far more than business growth. It was about helping local business owners build stronger companies, develop successful teams and improve their quality of life.

“I believe that business is a force for good. If a business is truly successful, then that is down to a great team. If a team is successful, then they are enjoying work, are rewarded for their work and life becomes a seven-day weekend!”

Turning coaching into measurable results

Having experienced the benefits of business coaching first-hand, Stuart was able to put his learning into practice from the outset.

Before completing his initial training, he had already begun introducing ActionCOACH to his BNI networking group. This quickly became an effective source of new clients.

Within just four months of launching his franchise, Stuart had secured 12 one-to-one coaching clients and seven group coaching clients.

With a typical one-to-one coaching client investing around £1,500 per month at the time, the early results demonstrated the potential of combining Stuart’s entrepreneurial experience with the proven ActionCOACH UK franchise system.

“I never set out to concentrate on just one lead generation activity, but I haven’t had time to do anything else!”

For Stuart, the speed of his progress reinforced the value of the franchise model and the experience he had gained as a coaching client.

“It’s a testament to ActionCOACH. I’ve been able to leverage the power of the franchise system very quickly, having been coached myself.”

He also recognised the role ActionCOACH had played in developing the business coaching profession in the UK.

“Twenty years ago, no one knew what business coaching was, and our ActionCOACH coaches have represented and grown the business coaching profession in the UK almost single-handedly.”

Stuart’s early achievements demonstrated how the right combination of training, systems, support and entrepreneurial drive could help turn an ambitious vision into a growing business.

Building a team and creating a lasting impact

With his own coaching practice established, Stuart’s next priority was to build a team that could extend his reach and support even more businesses.

“My first employed coach is being recruited now. I then want to steady the pace of my coaching commitments to enable me to build the firm from there.”

His long-term ambition remained clear: to develop a successful team of coaches capable of helping business owners throughout Yorkshire and Lincolnshire achieve their goals.

Stuart also saw ActionCOACH UK as an opportunity to pass valuable business skills on to the next generation. One of his daughters was joining him to gain sales experience, while his other daughter wanted to establish her own business.

For Stuart, coaching her would mean helping her understand the ActionCOACH definition of a real business: a commercial, profitable enterprise that works without its owner having to be involved in every aspect of its day-to-day operation.

It was a lesson he had learned through experience, and one he was passionate about sharing with others.

From business owner to business builder

Stuart’s journey illustrates how the right knowledge, support and systems can transform the experience of business ownership.

From starting a sandwich business with just £26 to managing multiple franchise territories, he had already demonstrated his ability to build and grow successful businesses. Through ActionCOACH UK, he discovered how business coaching could help him achieve greater freedom, improve performance and create opportunities beyond his own businesses.

By becoming an ActionCOACH UK franchise partner, Stuart could take those lessons further, helping other entrepreneurs build stronger businesses while developing a successful coaching firm of his own.

His story highlights the potential of an ActionCOACH UK franchise: the opportunity to combine entrepreneurial ambition with a proven business model, make a meaningful difference to business owners and contribute to the success of the wider local economy.

Interested in building a business that makes a difference?

Discover how an ActionCOACH UK franchise could help you turn your entrepreneurial experience into a rewarding business coaching venture. Book a discovery call