Remember where you came from
I’m a great believer in remembering where you came from and the people that helped you get you to where you are today.
I am often asked why I only work with builders, and why I don’t coach other industries. That’s an easy one for me to answer; it’s what I know and love. I have had the privilege of working with very knowledge people in the industry who have helped me get to the point where I can run my own business, so I wanted to give a shout out to a few of them.
Early on in my career, a gentleman by the name of Hans Oudemans played a massive role in making sure I had the knowledge in sales to be able to close deals. Hans took the time out of his day and even some nights to coach me and mentor me to be the best consultant I could be. I remember landing my first Sales Managers role in a new homes business – it was immediately clear that I needed help with a few things. I leaned on Hans’ expert knowledge in construction and people management, and he was only too happy to help.
Another ex-colleague I had the pleasure of working with was Tracy Stone, an expert in Marketing and brand awareness. Tracy would always say to me, “I’ll make it look good, you just have to sell it”. Tracy gave me an understanding of how important it was to protect and highlight your brand, and the skills to be able to understand how important Marketing is to any business.
I had the pleasure of working with Caroline Kennedy. Any shortfalls in I had in running a business were recognised and rectified by this lady. An experienced CEO herself, Caroline showed me how to implement and execute business strategies efficiently and gave me the skills get the best out of people, showing me how to be a true leader. Caroline was always generous with her time, coaching and mentoring me to make sure I was a strong business leader.
My knowledge in finance, especially construction finance, was minimal, until I met Steve Rowarth. Steve showed how to manage business cashflow and to complete benchmarking exercises, understand profit and loss statements, and also how to understand financial breakeven calculators. This knowledge has been invaluable in helping me to grow my small business.
Each of these people have helped me in a lot of different ways, and I’m truly greatful for their generosity in sharing their time. When I’m asked why I only work in the construction industry, I can honestly answer that it’s because of the expertise these people imparted, instilling in me a genuine passion for helping builders grow their own building and construction businesses.