Business owners from across the Black Country and Shropshire are being offered free expert support to help them get through the latest lockdown. Multi-award-winning business coach, Andy Hemming, is offering free sessions to SME owners in an attempt to help boost the region’s business community.
Mr Hemming, who runs ActionCOACH Black Country, says despite the lockdown, there’s still many things people could be doing to secure the future of their businesses - and it’s vital people act sooner rather than later.
“It’s true that some sectors have been hit harder by the pandemic and will be suffering again because of the latest lockdown,” said Mr Hemming. “There are still things that business owners can do, but it can be hard for them to see the big picture while they’re in the middle of it. The situation we’re currently in means everything gets amplified – if you’re a procrastinator you will procrastinate more, if you’ve already got dramas in the business they will be magnified. Those who act now have a greater chance of coming through it stronger.
“We’re able to work with businesses by bringing objectivity to the table and stripping the emotion out of the decision-making processes, and that’s something business owners often aren’t able to do.”
Mr Hemming, who has been consistently placed in the top 10 Action Coaches in the world since 2014, says he speaks from a position of experience - which is why he’s keen to help others avoid making the same business mistakes.
“I’ve been there in the recession of 2008, I lost my head and my business nearly went bust. I know what it’s like to panic and not know what to do. I understand what it’s like to be in pain and watching money draining out of the bank account, not knowing what to do about it.” Mr Hemming’s fellow business coach, Lewis Hayden, said he had also been in a similar position before receiving help from Andy.
Mr Hayden said: “I first met Andy at a really tough time for our family business back in 2012.
“Following a difficult period of trading we were approaching the point where dissolving the company was looking like the only option. Thanks to Andy’s help and support we were able to turn it around, with the business now having a healthy turnover of £3m and employing 22 people.” Mr Hemming said this was why he and Lewis were both passionate about helping as many business owners as possible. I’m passionate about supporting SMEs because they are the backbone of the economy. They are often very good at what they do but don’t know how to run a business. I want to give my knowledge away to strengthen that local SME community.”
ActionCOACH Black Country has a proven track record of helping people to grow their businesses, improving efficiency and increasing profitability and turnover through business coaching.
“Last year, as a business, we managed to achieve double-digit growth, despite the pandemic. We kept almost all of our clients and added new ones, and all of them increased their profit and turnover. I think that speaks volumes. Opportunities are still out there and I’d urge anyone who’s struggling to pick up the phone to see how we can help,” added Mr Hemming.