Kaz Saunders is one of the Managing Directors of the family-run business  ‘Elite Home Support,’ which is based on the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire border.  Elite Home Support has been established in the local community since 2018 and the team has over 25 years of experience working in health and social care. They can assist you in all areas of home help and pride themselves on going above and beyond to provide the best care possible to their clients.

Kaz says…
“I was completely bamboozled by business and what it all meant as I had limited experience of running a business. Krissy my business partner is very business-minded whereas I wasn’t, so I felt I needed to learn more.

I met Angela at my local networking group ‘The Business Room.’ During the meetings, we are each given a slot to say what help we need, or contacts we need to make, etc. It was during one of the meetings I had highlighted that there were certain things I needed help with, and I asked the group of ladies if they could support me. Following this, Angela suggested we have a chat about my business during an informal 121.

The first steps…

During the 121 Angela was very friendly and I found her really easy to talk to. I could instantly tell she knew what she was talking about when it came to running a successful business. Angela mentioned that she ran a Business CoffeeCLUB group and explained that it had a very informal structure, a group where I could bounce my ideas around and gain support from Angela and other business owners. It sounded like it would suit my style of working, so in Jan 2020 I signed up for the monthly sessions.

During the CoffeeCLUB sessions, I feel at ease. Being in small groups, I feel comfortable, and I can ask what I feel are silly questions without judgment. Also, as it’s a small group, I find that I get my money’s worth because I can discuss things in detail and get answers to my questions; I’m not competing with others to get a word in edgeways!  I also like the fact I can do things at my own pace, there is no pressure put on you in CoffeeCLUB which works really well for me.

“I had never thought about coaching before, didn’t know it was a thing until I joined networking and met Angela and other business owners. I now hear of many businesses hiring business coaches, so I know I am not alone.”

Angela is really nurturing, and I love the way she works. I recently had a baby and Angela kindly sent me a new mum kit, and once, after we talked about accounts, she sent me a book that explained accounts in a way I could easily understand because she knew my way of learning. It’s these little touches that make a huge difference to me!

The results so far…

In terms of the benefits I am experiencing, I can say that I now have a better understanding of how to run a business, and how to get the best out of it for me and my company.

Coaching sessions prompted me to change our software. We were doing everything manually and we were losing lots of time.  Now we have completely changed the way we do our admin and client processes. We have learned to use time smartly and this is resulting in us being more productive and profitable.

Has it improved my work-life balance? Yes, definitely! I was often taking work home to finish it off during evenings and weekends.  This was one of the main reasons I signed up Angela to help me. I just didn’t know what to do for the best, and I wanted my family time back.  It’s been really good having a person outside of my business looking in. Now I get the same amount of work done in a much shorter amount of time, no more working evenings or weekends for me!

One of the biggest learnings I have benefitted from is how to say NO. I never used to say no to anyone and ended up feeling I wasn’t giving the best service or doing things that weren’t part of my remit.  What I am experiencing now by saying NO, and sticking to our core values, is that I can give the best service to my team, and spend more time meeting the needs of our clients. Angela has been very supportive, and I can’t recommend her highly enough.

I am really enjoying my coaching and would say to others if you feel like you don’t have enough time in the day or week; starting coaching. It will sort out your time management. CoffeeCLUB is just 2 hours a month but it changes your outlook. Go for it, be open-minded, try it and see how it goes.  My view is that there’s always room to improve yourself!”

A note from Business Coach Angela Turton

I love working with Kaz, she has a business and a work ethic that is completely focused on helping other people.  During the last year it has been a pleasure to see her business going from strength to strength; investing in the team, an office, and new processes.  The bonus is that I get to see her baby once in a while too!

Are you a business owner that feels they could do with this sort of help? Would you like to learn more about our CoffeeCLUB business coaching?
If the answer is yes, you can request an informal chat with us here