Testimonials
“I have been working with Tony for over a year now and although I was admittedly skeptical to start with, I have found our sessions to be very beneficial. Running my own businesses, it is difficult to find the time to discuss the difficulties I have within the business and also to keep a focus on my aspirations for the future. Working with Tony has kept me focused on my key long-term objectives, but has also ensured that actions have been taken in line with these objectives. Its one thing knowing what needs to be done, but quite another putting it all into practice while still trying to deal with the day to day of running the business. In a short period of time working with Tony, I have already made some significant changes, which have brought about marked improvements in the performance of my team and the way I am managing my business. We recorded sales figures for the last quarter that are almost double the same period in the previous year and I believe that our work will have a significant impact on the success of the business over the long term.”
Jason Houlston, Web Design Business Owner (3K Design), Sunderland
“I have avoided Business Coaching in the past. However, over the past few months I’ve been working with Building Bridges and I’m happy to report that their approach is fundamentally different – they steer you through practical (and comfortable) steps to establish your business goals and help you to take the necessary steps to turn your vision into reality. Within three months of working on the Business Growth Program, I have already noticed a significant difference in the way I approach each business situation enabling me to prioritise my activities whilst ensuring that I don’t lose sight of longer-term goals.
We are now relocating our offices; recruiting new members of staff and achieving improved results in attracting new customers for the services we offer.
The process has been thoroughly rewarding (and affordable!) and I have no hesitation in recommending the Business Services of Building Bridges to other businesses who would benefit from their unique program!”
Dave Ashley, Director, Online Marketing Consultancy in Cheltenham.
“After working with Tony Brooks as my coach for 3 months, we restructured our business and saw an increase in sales in areas of the business of 30%. Tony has not only helped bring structure and direction to my business, by providing a clear organised approach to achieving business goals, but he has also worked with me on aspects of my internal thinking that were holding me and the business back. My confidence in my own ability is now significantly higher having worked through some totally fascinating and rewarding sessions. I was not totally convinced about using a coach initially, but would have not hesitation in recommending Tony as a Personal or Business Coach.”
James Cornwell, Small Business Owner, Nottingham
“I can highly recommend Tony. He is motivating, absolutely knows how to get the best from his clients and does it in a professional but very enjoyable way. When I started with Tony I had just left a very long and enjoyable career with the Foreign Office. I wanted to do something different and wasn’t sure what. It had to be something I felt passionate about and the direction this took was to pursue a career in property. With no experience or qualifications in this area it felt impossible to break into the real estate business. However, working with Tony, he helped me find both the confidence and a path to working with Re/max Estate agents.
I started in April 09, working for myself, but not by myself, on a commission only basis. I have now developed a database of 115 applicants and recently, the Director gave me the silver cup for the most activity that week!! I am hugely motivated, seeing some fantastic properties, meeting great people and loving it!!“
Mandy Woodward, Associate Re/Max Estate Agents, London
“I have been working with Tony for the last four months and have found his help and support as my business coach invaluable. Tony is very knowledgeable, practical and skilled at getting to the heart of any issues I have. This has lead to me feeling far more motivated and on target with my business which has in turn lead to greater growth and success. Tony and I initially worked through the Business Growth Programme. This helped me to get a far better picture of where I am performing, where I want to go and what I’m not doing which would be of great benefit to my business. This formed the basis of our continued coaching sessions after the five sessions were complete and together we continually review the work that came from this. The programme has been invaluable in getting me focused and on track with my targets and goals.”
Susan Campbell, Owner of a Training Consultancy in Glasgow.
“I am extremely happy with the work Tony & I have undertaken over the last few months. He helped me achieve quick results which transformed my working week. I was a little jaded with the day to day running of the business, to a point where I was feeling stressed both at work and during the weekend. By helping me organise my time efficiently I now feel much more in control of my workload and have discovered a renewed enthusiasm. As a result of this the time I spend working on the strategic elements of the business has increased from around 10% to 19%. One of the key developments resulting from this has been the introduction of two new initiatives into the business which are already accounting for approximately 17% of the revenue for the business. I had tried unsuccessfully to sort out these issues myself but a combination of someone standing back from the business and holding me to account for implementing the changes has succeeded. Thanks Tony.”
Nigel Toplis, Blue Spire
“Tony has been working with us for a number of months on our 2011 business plan. He has been able to re-launch our management meetings and give them a new lease of life. We have already carried through a number of effective changes within the business and we plan to continue to use Tony in pushing forward new ideas and developing projects within the business. I have no hesitation in recommending Tony and the services of Building Bridges”
Heather White, HR Manager, AO Smith engineering, Gainsborough.
“We recently brought in the services of Building Bridges and worked with Tony Brooks on some 1-2-1 coaching and an extended group strategy session. The main reason for doing this at this stage, is due to the growth of the business and in order to grow I believe you have to ensure you have a clear collective view of where the business is going. I felt it was important to get external support to spot obvious issues and areas to focus on and pass on expertise. The group session was extremely well structured and it brought out the best in everyone and got them to see the bigger picture. The follow up plan of action was both professional and effective for our needs. We now all have a clear view of where we want the business to go and a plan on the road to getting there. This was all money well spent in my eyes and this will now form a regular part of our on going strategy, to focus our minds and drive some enthusiasm within the team when it’s needed the most.”
Matt Wheatcroft, Purpose Media, Multi media business in the East Midlands
“I moved over to working with Tony after getting a clear sense that my previous coach was increasingly more interested in imposing their own agenda on me, steering me in a direction I had expressed no desire to go. I’d met Tony only twice before and hadn’t seen him for a long time but he left a lasting impression on me, one which made him the first person I turned to. We started working together and he very quickly homed in on the main reasons why I hired a coach in the first place and has kept revisiting MY top priorities regularly to make sure we’re still working in exactly the direction I want to go. I’m now well on my way, and with more clarity and certainty than ever before.When I made the decision to leave my previous coach I was a self employed, overstretch businessman. 4 months of working with Tony and he’s coached me through the process of getting control, creating leverage and forming a limited company. I’m now making more money, working less hours and have a crystal clear vision of what my top priorities are and exactly what I need to do each day. I’m back on top and much happier, you can’t buy that. Thank you Tony.”
Chris Coney, Upright Solutions
“Growing your own business takes super human effort. Not only are you trying to grow a business very quickly, you also have to take on tasks that you’ve never done before. It can be a daunting prospect and it is easy to lose sight of your important targets and goals.
I was fortunate enough to have met Tony at a networking event, and liked him immediately. I was reassured by his confidence and positive manner and was glad when the opportunity arose for us to work together. Tony has helped me to define clear, measurable goals in several areas of my business which helped me to refocus on areas such as the sales pipeline, as well as my marketing strategy.
Having an unbiased, objective set of eyes on the business has been invaluable. It is because of this that I decided to sign up to the Solopreneur Club. The adage “business is a lonely place” can seem very true at times, so surrounding yourself with a support network is vital. Working with 11 other business owners with similar challenges to my own, gives me great confidence that they will provide the support I need to guarantee further success for the future.”
Russ Parsloe, 4th Level IT
“When I first started working with Tony I thought I knew where I was with my 6 month old business. Although I’d put a lot of hard work in creating the framework I still needed direction to focus on what I needed to do more of, and also to stop doing the things I needed to do less of.
The structure Tony gave me enabled me get known for my entry level CRM system, whilst retaining my core strategy of system development to remove time consuming business processes. So finding a niche whilst remaining generalist.
My main improvements really came from being more focused and more productive. I would say at least 50% more productive with my time by looking to plan more, and prioritise effectively.
From a revenue perspective, it has allowed me to go from picking up small jobs to having a pipeline where I have a value proposition.
This gives an anticipated revenue figure of £38000 a year in a short space of time.
I have said to Tony – “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have a business now. Probably would have cut my losses and gone to work in Tesco’s on the tills!
Although am sure Tesco is a lovely place to work, it is nothing compared to the joy of owning your own business, and one that you can see is growing healthily.”
Francis Logan, FML Information Solutions
“I have been working with Tony for a couple of months now and have much greater clarity about the direction I want to go in and how to get there! Tony manages to be both supportive and challenging; creating the perfect environment to pursue new ideas and opportunities. I was not unhappy with the way my businesses were developing but it has still made such a difference working with Tony and I would not hesitate to recommend him.”
Katherine Wilson, number8glass and number8marketing
“Tony has been invaluable as a business coach to me over the last 6 months. His support and insightful comments have really helped me to regain focus and get the balance right in my business. I’m certainly in a better position as a result of Tony’s input and am impressed by his ability to understand my requirements and motivations quickly. I would not hesitate to recommend Tony at Building Bridges and am looking forward to taking part in The Presentation Club this month.”
Alison Rouse, Event Management, House of Rouse
“Being coached by Tony has been a journey of discovery, especially since losing my job through redundancy and setting up my business. I’ve found him very knowledgeable regarding the ins and outs of establishing a new business and very supportive, encouraging, yet challenging, especially when the road gets rocky, a sense of overwhelm takes over and you want to give up. He is trustworthy, consistent and reliable and great to work with. Highly recommended if you’re seeking value for money, friendliness and warmth, encouragement and consequently great results.”
Claudia Crawley, Winning Pathways
“My experience of coaching with Tony Brooks has really impacted my life, in that it has helped me to keep my goals as constant priorities. He makes sure I am always on track with actions, support and the opportunity to explore new ideas within a totally trusting relationship.
I have realised my full potential and taken action with confidence, knowing that I have support, accountability and a clear success plan in place, as I work towards the goals that are important to me.
Since August 2008 I have lost 1 stone, made serious changes in relation to my career path and I have become far more creative, I am no longer afraid of change, and constantly look forward to the future, as I get closer to my inspiring goals.
I would recommend coaching with Tony to anybody that would like to move forward but feels that they don’t know how. I know that I would not have achieved anything like as much in a short space of time if I did not have Tony as my coach.”
Jamiylah Muhammed, Social Care Work, London
