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Coaching Case Studies


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These case studies are based upon real world experiences with real clients. I sign confidentiality agreements with every client and have withheld their names to maintain client confidentiality.

If you are thinking of using my coaching services the bottom line is do I have the experience to coach business owners and do I deliver results?

The answer is Yes, and Yes. I have been self-employed since age 25 and have experience in more than 30 industries and have worked with 100’s of business owners and entrepreneurs.

Plus I provide a GUARANTEE - As with ALL of our programs, if you are not delighted, we will refund your money - no questions asked!

Independent Contractor Restructures Debt, Expands

A small independent contractor was experiencing 100% annual growth that created a cash flow problem. All his cash was tied up in equipment that he had purchased. He was always struggling to find money to meet payroll, hire new staff and equipment. His primary customer was demanding more capacity from him The industry was consolidating from 10 general contractors down to three. The opportunity to gain more business from an existing contractor represented a significant growth opportunity but this would require more equipment and staff. To exploit this opportunity he needed to move quickly to obtain a line of credit and a small business equipment loan he could achieve an increase of 400%.

My job was to find a way to quantify and justify these wild financial projections to obtain bank financing. I worked with the business owner to develop a business plan using existing equipment as collateral. The bank was willing to allow the equipment to be appraised at replacement value less depreciation. This worked to his advantage because he had purchased his equipment at less than wholesale and liquidation prices due to industry restructuring.

We used the business plan to show the bank how he had sufficient equity that could be assigned to restructure his current assets into long term assets using a combination of a small business loan and a line of credit.

The bank granted a $175,000 loan and a $100,000 line of credit which allowed my client to continue to leverage the market opportunity and increase his market share.

Financial Planner, Five Fold Increase

Former business manager of soft drink company starts a financial planning business and has been relatively successful but feels he could be doing better. He wanted to increase the dollar amount of his average sale so that he would be able to hire a marketing assistant. This would allow him to spend more time marketing to business owners.

As his business coach, my job was to provide him with an opportunity to ‘download’ and talk about his business challenges and problems and then discuss the best ways to go about solving those problems. My coaching focus adjusts to his needs and that of the business. This included helping him to interview and screen new employees, design marketing programs including logo design, brochures, website, newsletter and seminars.

Over 10 years his business has increased five-fold, he has substantially increased the number of business owners he services and regularly gets referrals to high-net worth individuals. The size of his average sale has increased and he now has 4 employees.

Start Up Custom Home Builder $1.3 Million in First Five Months

A start up custom home builder in Houston spent thousands of dollars on a website without any real results. They wanted to leverage the Internet to find prospects for their Custom Homes. With a web site providing them qualified leads, they could attract home buyers that were looking on the Internet for a custom home builder in the North Houston market.

The website was to become a lead generation vehicle. Meeting with the clients we were able to identify a marketing strategy that would leverage their local presence in an upscale north Houston neighborhood and their warm, friendly style. Working with the client and their web designer we developed a website that provided detailed floor plans, website copy that was both professional, warm and family oriented. Using pictures of their home, family and homes they built we optimized the web site for Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

In the first four months of the website being live they closed $1.3 million in new construction contracts from leads as a direct result of prospects visiting the website from search engines. In their first year they were able to leverage the web site leads and build 20 custom homes.

Trucking Company Gets Bank Financing in Tight Lending Market

Startup trucking company was looking for help with a business plan to obtain financing to buy an existing trucking company. The seller was well established in the oil-field and cross border US/Canada long haul business. They wanted to divest themselves of the US cross border division. My client (an employee of the seller) had an opportunity to get the customer list, equipment and contracts.

The problem was that fuel prices had jumped considerably and banks were not not accepting applications from trucking companies because they already had enough loans from truckers who were missing their payments. Working with the client and his accountant I coached him through the process to prepare a business plan that showed a realistic profit, fuel costs and documented the contracts he had in place that guaranteed a certain level of income.

We were able to find a small town Credit Union whose manager had a lending authority up to $100,000. We adjusted his business plan to reflect how the business would use a $100,000 line of credit and still show a profit despite the increased fuel costs.

We arranged a meeting with the clients’ banker, myself and the company accountant. As a result the manager of the Credit Union approved a line of credit of $100,000 which meant that the loan did not have to go to committee for approval. Even in a very tight lending market by being creative we were able to find the money so the client could buy the business.

Public Bio-Technology Firm Raises R & D Funds

A growing public biotechnology company had a tumor marker technology. They were raising funds to continue and extend their research and start Clinical Trials. They were spending about $60,000 a year producing black and white photocopies of their annual report and marketing materials. Raising money for a company developing a technology that could save lives was a lot harder than a highly speculative stock like a ‘gold mine’.

They had a great story to tell but needed to tell more of their story and improve their image to gain investors attention. My duties were to work with their CEO to develop a new marketing strategy and corporate image so the marketing materials would educate the readers, improve the image of the firm and provide the investment community with the information they needed.

Working with their CEO, Doctors and researchers we completely rebuilt their identity, hired a professional photographer and design firm to convert their current materials to put a face on the opportunity.

We combined their annual report, marketing materials into one full-color publication which saved then $15,000 per year and improved their corporate image. As a result the CEO was able to make private placements with individual and institutional investors that allowed them to fund their Clinical Trials and continue to grow.

Printing Franchise 60% Sales Increase in 3 Months

A growing printing franchise was looking to expand their capacity but needed to increase sales in order to justify the expenditure. They were in a dense downtown market and had good penetration but were seeing increased competition. If they could increase sales by 50% they could justify further investment in additional equipment and staff. This would not only increase their market share but also make it a lot harder for a competitor to enter the market.

In researching the market and surveying their customers we discovered that while they were pleased with the firm’s performance there were times when they needed their print jobs turned around quicker. Looking at the production work flow we identified the roadblock was getting artwork turned around after customer approval.

We worked with the designer to turnaround the artwork from twice per day to four times a day. On the Sales front we arranged for the print salesmen to be responsible for getting the artwork approved and then deliver the orders when complete.

In just three months sales increased by 60% and the company was able to add additional production capacity to continue to extend their reach and market share. Later they moved design completely in-house and enjoyed additional growth.

Home Based Business Goes National

Family owned, home based business serving the Dental, Veterinarian and Optometry industries was doing about $800,000 per year. The founder had passed away a few years earlier. The owners son who was working in the business took over operating the business. The company had an opportunity to increase sales but needed to make the transition for a home-based business that had outgrown it’s capacity to a new facility.

To accomplish this transition the business needed to increase sales, train staff, and improve productivity and effectiveness. I conducted a series of two, blind focus groups with existing customers. Plus created a sales training program for the owner and order desk staff. I also reorganized the production of their direct marketing and catalogue.

As a result of the focus groups we were able to discover the customers impressions of the firm and make adjustments to the structure of the business including the order desk, direct marketing, sales processes. We also moved all pre-press and design of their catalogue and direct marketing materials in-house. We were able to accomplish this for the same amount previously budgeted using an outside supplier.

Restructuring the sales, marketing and design processes positioned them to grow 30% over the next two years. The firm later merged with a competitor in a different part of the country which positioned them to become a national supplier.