THE X FACTOR BLOG

Many SME owners crave a better work/life balance and dream of one day growing their business to the point where they can either scale back their hours, or have someone take over the reins so they can retire completely. For many, this freer lifestyle doesn’t always come to fruition, but for those that seek out professional help and set their mind to it, the pipedream can more easily become a reality.

Here’s the story of one business owner’s journey to a better work/life balance.

Taking the leap and going solo

Phil resigned from his full time IT consulting role to focus on setting up his own business after attending a Boardroom Edge event, hosted by 10X Logan in 2009. In October of the same year, Phil set up a commercial cleaning company - The Clean Academy – in order to help him achieve his dream of a more flexible lifestyle, as his own boss.

Part of Phil’s plan to get his business off to the best possible start included joining 10X Coaching Club, which he saw as a “best practice” necessity for start-up businesses. Phil also saw the program as an investment in his future, as he was confident the tools and mentoring he’d receive would help him build the business smarter and faster – allowing him to achieve his lifestyle goals sooner.  

The pay off for thinking big

Through 10X Coaching Club, Phil learnt the importance of marketing to his bottom line and proactively took his cleaning services to the business community by preparing quotes. On one occasion he was asked to quote on cleaning a warehouse from ceiling to floor after the Brisbane dust storm.
The job was by far the biggest Phil had ever been asked to quote on and he was unsure how to quote on it (or even if he wanted the job for that matter). Phil brought this challenge to Coaching Club, to ask for feedback from his fellow club members and 10X Coach Glenis Gassmann. After some discussion, Phil reached the conclusion that yes, he should quote on the job and prepared the quote, for $13,800 inclusive (translating to a 7K profit) which the client subsequently accepted.

An unrivalled support network

Being part of 10X Coaching Club gave Phil the confidence to utilise the concept of ‘pricing a job as if you don’t want it’ – a tactic which paid off both financially and psychologically. Phil found that being part of a team of business owners enabled him to draw on a wider range of experiences, ideas and advice to find a solution. Phil also found that that by having the whole club discuss this challenge, the BIG picture of his business was revealed – specifically that he should quote on bigger jobs with confidence, knowing that he could work out the ‘how’ later.

“Without the ongoing support, guidance and whip cracking from my 10X Coach, Glenis and fellow Coaching Club members, I would have stumbled badly on this quotation,” Phil says. “I would have either just covered expenses or been discarded as a genuine bidder for the job. 10X Coaching Club has given me the tools, knowledge, advice and confidence to achieve the results I have so far,” Phil enthuses.

An investment in building the business

The positive impacts of 10X Coaching Club on The Clean Academy from just one job, equated to $7,000 – a ‘win’ which has already paid for the business’ next 7 month’s of coaching. Even better, Phil has already reached his first goal of hiring a permanent casual team member, who has been onboard since June 2010.