FAQ: Interview with Albert Wright

How did you come to be helping solo professionals build more profitable businesses?

It’s a long story. In 1990, after 20 years with Marks and Spencer plc I left on an early retirement package on account of ill health – what was called in those days a mental breakdown.

I eventually recovered, went into Will Writing and when my franchisor went bust, into business planning, advice and counselling.

I had found my first, second career and I loved it, helping people start their businesses by assisting them with business planning and finance raising.

As some clients went on to develop successful businesses they began inviting me back to do more work and I gradually moved up the “food chain” to work increasingly with established businesses rather than start ups. Although I did some interim management for larger organisations, my main work was with micro business owners who wanted more of a coach and mentor than an adviser.

To improve my coaching I went on courses with various organisations, investigated a number of coaching franchise companies and in 2004 got a coach of my own, John Niland of Success121.

With his help I improved my own business and life and went on to buy a license from John to become an accredited coach for his Outstanding Professional Programme, which is what I now mainly deliver to my clients. It works.

Over the last 15 years I have learned several lessons of how not to run a small business from my own life and from my clients. A common error is not to take independent business and personal advice when things get tough.

We easily become too emotionally involved with the business and then make the wrong decisions. Not having a friend, confidant or coach is not a good idea.

So I set out to more specifically help people not make the mistakes others had made but to focus on the positive and achieving a more successful business and personal life.

I enjoy being a coach more than I do a business adviser and consultant, although with many clients the roles overlap. My work also involve training and mentoring, asking clients the tough questions - challenging them to face reality when others might not.

I now help solo professionals build a successful practice that reflects who they truly are.

What else qualifies you to help me build a successful practice?

Personal experience, I’ve done it before, not just for myself but for others too.

I built successful internal businesses within larger organisations, have grown my own business and those of clients during 20 years as an employee and 15 of self-employment. I have a track record done under different circumstances with different people and I am doing it again now.

In addition I have always sought out the best training for myself and that knowledge is incorporated into my work with clients.

How would you define success?

For me it's about quality of life; the freedom to do what I love with who I choose, to take a holiday when I want, to work no more than a 4 day a week if I want, to be able to afford all I need, (which is not a lot) to have financial security and not to stress over where business will come from.

You said that your experience working with small micro and start up businesses and on business growth programmes provides a sound framework to your work, what else do you draw on?

Having developed growth businesses from the business support angle certainly helps.

The fact that I have had therapy and am being coached myself has helped develop a listening ear, a lighter touch but still backed by an iron fist.

For me the most successful solo professional businesses are those that fit the personality of their founder. Part of our work is to ensure you do what you love and be who you are. Business then ceases to be ‘work’ and becomes a way to help your clients to success. When clients are well served, prospective clients will ‘find you ’ and growing the business becomes easier.

I have also attended a range of coaching courses, read widely and studied deeply on the subject.

I use NLP and CBT and GROW; I am a trained business counsellor who also trains other business counsellors and an associate of the European Coaching Institute and a member of the Coaching Academy.

Who are your clients?

I work with people who are the owners of professional service businesses. They are generally great at what they do, but many struggle to build a viable practice, one with a steady stream of clients paying a realistic fee. Quite a few are other coaches and business advisers.

Most of us set out to create a business where we have more freedom, more fun and make more money than when we worked for someone else. But the majority of business start-ups have folded by year 3. That’s a terrible waste of energy. I want to help you beat the odds.

Specific clients have included: Accountants, Architects, Inventors, Engineers, Bookkeepers, Consultants, Web Designers, IT Professionals, Photographers, Musicians, Sculptors and prospective undertakers.

Can I be sure I’ll recover the investment I make in this programme?

In one way, no you can’t. It really depends on you. I can and will do my best, help you set goals, help design pathways to reach them, suggest shortcuts, support your efforts, praise and challenge you. But you have to take action – and I can’t force you to do that. I can bully you a bit if you wish, but in the end it’s up to you.

You will get benefits, the tips and techniques you learn will stay with you, year in and year out but knowing what to do is not enough, you need to take action. As a man said, no one has learned to ride a bicycle just by reading a book on how to ride a bicycle – to do it, at some stage, you have to get on the bike.

What you’ll get as we work together, is a series of tools, ideas, techniques, “aha” moments when new ways of looking at things, new ways of doings things will fall into place. You’ll achieve things that working on your own would likely never have happened – I know I did.

I am not sure, how can I get a taste of how you work?

I run live workshops and telefora where, with a minimal investment, you’ll gain a good sense of how we can work together. Subscribe to my newsletters for notices of upcoming workshops and gain a different perspective from reading my tips and commentary month by month.

When you are ready, ask for a free 30-minute taster session.

I have a few questions

Feel free to call me on 020 8343 8558. If I am not around, leave a message with your phone number and Zoe or I will ring you back.

Ready to start?

Call me now on 020 8343 8558 or +44 20 8343 8558 if calling from outside the UK.