Recently, Ben and Toolz 4 You won ‘Best Ecommerce Business’ at the BizX Awards. In the video Growth Story below, Ben gives an update on just what ActionCOACH Wakefield have helped him achieve.
He launched Toolz 4 You from his garden shed, reconditioning second hand tools and reselling them on eBay. But eight years later, Ben still felt his operation wasn’t running like a proper business – he could see no way for himself to be able to take any time out from his long working hours, and he wasn’t really making a proper income for himself. After receiving a call from ActionCOACH Wakefield, they immediately recognised Ben’s problems. He didn’t know it yet, but he finally had the perfect tool to help him revolutionise his business.
“My sister and I used to buy job lots of tools off eBay and car boot sales, fix them up and sell them on for a profit. We were originally just doing it as a way to save up to fund university, my sister then went off and I carried it on by myself, wanting to try repairing tools. I immediately realised there was money in it, as I had some great early success. I was working part-time at Halifax and had the chance go to university, but I’d found something I enjoyed, was good at and was making money. I made the decision to hold off on university and put my all into repairing tools instead.”
“We’d done well in eight years, but I was still nowhere near feeling like we were an established business with mechanisms for growth. Everything seemed a bit disjointed, I was scraping by and working ridiculously long days which is okay when you start a business, but the problem was I couldn’t see a time where I’d ever be able to have a day off.”
“When I got a call from one of Jenni Morgan’s team at ActionCOACH Wakefield in 2019, we spoke briefly about my business. All their assumptions about Toolz 4 You and my feelings towards it were so accurate. They suggested we have a full consultation with them and based on what they were able to work out in just five minutes on an initial call, I was keen and agreed.”
Getting the measure
“I joined ActionCLUB, a fortnightly group coaching session, and it had an instant impact. It got me thinking about what my goals were as well as some effective methods for budget setting. We started looking at different formulas for getting the results I wanted. At this point we were learning the basics, but it just made me want to spend more time with Jenni, hang my ear on her and tap into her knowledge as much as I could.”
Ben was craving the chance to get more personalised time with Jenni having seen the initial impact of his group coaching sessions, so took the decision to commit to one-to-one coaching.
“At this point I was working full time with two engineers working part time, Eddie and Martin. We were turning over around £200,000 a year but with a wedding and a house to pay for, as well as all the business expenditure, I was very much living on the edge of just surviving.”
“Straight away, Jenni helped me create a cash flow forecast which made my finances simpler and left me in greater control of knowing what money I could and couldn’t spend. She also wanted to gauge where I wanted to take the business, what my goals and ambitions were. So, we set about forming a comprehensive plan which would help my business grow and reach its full potential whilst also allowing me time out of the business, which at that point felt like a far away dream.”
Hands, Face, Pace!
It wasn’t long before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, upending countless businesses across the country and acting as a giant spanner in the works for Ben’s. Jenni initiated crisis prevention mode, setting up weekly Zoom meetings to help Ben to identify and negotiate the various pitfalls that were plaguing so many business owners.
“We would discuss the issues we were facing, she would then offer up solutions and we’d discuss how to best implement each of them. She was amazing – without her I would’ve strongly considered turning around and packing it all in, but she was such a calming influence and would always offer me considered and productive advice.”
“In the last two years, Jenni has completely revolutionised my business. Her help in restructuring has grown my team from two to seven people and we’re now in a brand-new industrial unit that we’ve kitted out. We’ve grown quickly over the last couple of years but now we’re on the verge of completely exploding – it’s really exciting for everyone.”
“She’s also referred me to multiple people and institutions which have helped our business in several ways. One of these was the West Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, who have helped facilitate our growth and we, in turn, have given back to them. Without her I wouldn’t even have thought about entering these types of partnerships.”
“In the financial year before Jenni came on board, our turnover was £220,000. Now in our third year together, our expected turnover has doubled to £450,000. In the business, we also have a number of well-defined processes. Thanks to Jenni, everyone knows what they’re doing – everyone’s roles are clearly separated, making operations a lot slicker.”
Well-oiled machine
“The best bit, long gone are my 65-hour working weeks, and when I do need to take some time for a holiday, it’s no longer an issue. The goals I set with Jenni at the very start were so ambitious that I was reluctant to believe I could achieve them. We’ve already accomplished so much together now though that suddenly my dreams feel like they really can come true. My working hours are way down, everything is more efficient, we are making more money and, crucially, my business can run without me.”
“We’re placing a focus on recruitment and advertising so I can continue to grow our team and eventually branch out to two new locations in the UK, plus one in Australia. This would mean an expansion and a restructuring to include dedicated training into management roles – I’m thrilled at the prospect of giving back to the staff who have come so far with me from humble beginnings.”
“The market over in Australia fits our business model perfectly – there’s a real opportunity to do incredibly well there. It’s fully coincidental that it is somewhere my wife, Amy, and I have always wanted to live. The future is looking bright and it’s great knowing Jenni is by my side. She really does care about results and what we can achieve – her knowledge, experience and connections are all incredible and it still staggers me when I think about how much she’s helped us to achieve.”
Ben’s Coach, Jenni Morgan’s perspective
“When I first met Ben, he was hard working, logical and knew what he wanted, he just needed education and support on how to master running a business. He’s a very hard worker, but together we’ve been able to make his hard work more productive and beneficial to everyone – himself, his clients and his employees.”
“His leadership skills have improved so much and his eye for what will benefit the business is much sharper. He’s the dream client to work with – his willingness to help himself and help others is a massive reason why his clients also love working with him.”
ActionCLUB
When Ben first began working with us, he joined our ActionCLUB – a fortnightly coaching group that he attended alongside other business owners to learn the fundamentals of growing a business. Below is a video testimonial Ben kindly agreed to record for us, reviewing our ActionCLUB.
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