Finding success in finding purpose
It has been a big month for local business owners Lee and Mark Blume, from Business Coach Central West (Representing ActionCOACH).
Not only did they walk away with two international awards from the Asia Pacific Business Excellence Awards held in Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam, but they have also welcomed award success for a long-time client.
“Our success is in our client’s success,” said Mark, at the news Pat Lenehan from Parkes-based Regos Plus Tyre & Mechanical, took out a trifecta at the NSW Business Chamber Regional Business Awards earlier this month.
Pat was awarded “Best Small Business”, “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” and “Best Overall Business”. He now goes to the state-wide awards in Sydney later this year.
“It was a great honour that a business we have coached for a number of years won at regional level against an amazing list of other successful businesses,” said Mark.
But for Lee and Mark, helping others achieve success is what they are all about.
Mark and Lee set up their ActionCOACH franchise 12 years ago — at the time it was the only business coaching business in the district.
“We’d been in business in town for the previous 20 years. We had started Opposite Lock, a four-wheel-drive accessories business, just around the corner in 1987 and we then purchased the franchise itself and were part of the growth of the business right around Australia,” said Mark.
“Then somebody came along with an offer for us to come and do something else and we started the Action Coach franchise in 2007. We’d always wanted to assist and mentor other businesses and in fact part of what I was doing inside the franchise business in fact was coaching… during that time there were 20 businesses we helped start and guided to be successful and it is what I really enjoy.”
Since moving into full-time business coaching Mark has coached more than 150 local businesses and seen clients grow from just an idea on paper right through to thriving businesses with scores of employees.
“Business coaching is about getting owners clear around where they want to take their business and guiding them along that journey,” said Mark.
“I specialise in businesses that want to take the next level of growth, so I can go in and relatively quickly get a handle on where they’re at, what needs to change and set some goals and plans with them.”
At the recent Asia Pacific Business Excellence Awards Mark was recognised for “Client Retention” a field of business he is particularly passionate about.
“I coach my clients to grow their business by better engaging and retaining current clients rather than investing all their time and resources chasing new ones. It’s great to be recognised internationally in how I apply this to my own business,” said Mark.
“My clients would not stay with me unless I'm making a difference to their business and to win that award out of a group of ten countries and more than 200 coaches was really cool.”
Lee Blume now carries the title of Bucket List Coach of the Year but said the real reward is in helping people find their purpose.
“As a Bucket List Coach I work with teams and individuals to help them find their ‘Why’ — their purpose. Why they are getting out of bed in the morning. Why they are going to work,” said Lee.
“There are a lot of people who are actually living to go to work, rather than working to live. But by the end of a session they have a purpose, they know they want to do this, this and this. It is so rewarding!”
Business owners too have found the Bucket List session improve their teams’ motivation and engagement in their workplace, she said.
“And what’s our Why?” said Mark. “Our Why is to develop our communities by growing business owners and their teams to be more successful, which makes our communities more successful.”
Business Coach Central West
Representing ActionCOACH
Ph: 02 6362 8970
leeblume@actioncoach.com
www.bccw.com.au www.actioncoach.com/markblume
