Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs I receive about my coaching. Hopefully they will answer any questions you may have. 

Business Coaching

What are my business coaching prices? 
Prices start at £340 + VAT for a one-off, ad-hoc session, such as a Vision Planning Session which lasts two hours. If you buy a 6-month programme, the hourly rate goes down. For more information, please get in touch [link to contact form]. 

How will you help me? 
I start by finding out about your business through a business health check. This draws out the strengths and weaknesses of the business, and what you’d like to achieve in the medium and long term. I then work with you on a one-to-one basis to put things in place that will set you up for success, making sure we cover all bases: sales & marketing, the team, operations, finances and how you will manage and lead the business. 

Where will the sessions take place? 
Ideally, your sessions will take place away from your usual place of work. This reduces distractions, helps you physically and mentally get away from the day-to-day running of your business, and enables you to think strategically. Most of my local clients choose to come to my house in Bromley, Southeast London, for their sessions, as it offers a quiet, peaceful space. But I’m also happy to travel to a venue of your choice, within a reasonable distance from Bromley, as long as it’s a private space (not a coffee shop, for example). I offer online coaching sessions too, which proved to be just as effective as face-to-face during the pandemic. Perfect for those who are more than 10 miles from Bromley. 

How long is a business coaching session? 
Coaching sessions are usually two hours. A free business health check takes 1 hour. 

What’s the frequency of the coaching sessions? 
Depending on the package you have chosen, coaching sessions are fortnightly or monthly. With the ‘Boost’ programme, sessions are monthly. With the ‘Elevate’ and ‘Thrive’ programmes, sessions are fortnightly. There may be a pause for holidays etc.  

How long will it take for the coaching to work? 
It usually takes six months to make a real shift in a business, which is why the coaching programmes are six months (plus a bit extra, to take holidays etc into account). I can also help you create quite a significant shift in three months, or even two hours if you choose the one-off vision planning session. The rule of thumb is: the more you invest (and that’s in terms of energy and commitment, not just capital), the greater the return. 

Do I have to commit to a minimum number of coaching sessions? 
No – you can choose ad-hoc sessions, but they are less cost-effective for you. 

Can you guarantee I will make more money after working with you? 
If your goal is to make more profit, we will firstly evaluate whether this is actually possible, given what you are selling and the market you are selling it to. If it is possible, we will then create a workable plan that you and your team can execute. Success is down to your commitment to action the plan between sessions. 

Can you help me grow my business?
Yes! This is one of the main reasons business owners come to me. When you’re really busy, it might feel like the last thing you want is to take on even more. But then you remember you had a dream…of having a bigger business one day. I have helped many clients make the changes they need to grow their business and take it to the next level. 

Can you help me with time management?
Yes! I have yet to meet a business manager who doesn’t feel they could manage their time better. There are lots of techniques I can use to help with time management as a leader, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. People need help in different ways depending on their personality type, business type and previous experiences.  

I haven’t got any money. Can you still help me? 
Yes. Take the free business health check – this will shine a light on a few things you can do that will make the biggest difference in the short and medium-term. Everyone always leaves my health checks with a smile, and their brains buzzing, excited about putting some simple changes in place. 

What can I do if I’m not sure which programme to choose because I don’t know what I can afford? 
If you’re not sure what you can afford, I can help. If you don’t mind showing me your finances, I will work out, with you, what you can afford, or what you need to do to afford the coaching. E.g., you might need to sell four more ‘widgets’ a month to cover the cost of coaching. 

What should I do if I feel embarrassed telling you about my business? 
I’m very approachable and non-judgemental. I’m a business owner too, and I’m far from perfect! So, I understand the ups and downs, both financial and emotional, of running a business. I will metaphorically hold your hand, and we’ll put a plan in place to help you achieve your goals. 

Why should I choose you? 
I take a highly tailored approach to coaching, and will never recommend a programme or service without first talking to you (free of charge), and understanding your needs, priorities and desired outcomes. My model is holistic, taking into account the whole person – not just the business: I can help you address emotional blocks, as well as technical, operational and financial challenges.  

Life Coaching

How much does life coaching cost? 
£150 + VAT per session for a 60-90 minute session.  

What is life coaching? 
Life coaching is a way to help you get clarity on what you want, and find ways to achieve it. I will never tell you what to do. Instead, I will help you through a journey of self-discovery, where you find the answers and the resources from deep within. Coaching consists of one-to-one sessions with the coach and everything is completely confidential.  

How long is one session? 
Each session is 60-90 minutes long. Sometimes a client can experience a significant shift within a 60-minute session, and sometimes we need more time, hence the flexibility. 

What’s the first step I need to take if I’m considering having life coaching? 
First, ask yourself if there’s anything you’d like to be different in your life. If the answer is yes, get in touch and book a free 15-minute consultation. We’ll have a chat and see if coaching would be right for you. 

How do you coach? 
I use neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, a set of very effective tools and techniques that help you understand what you really want, and make steps towards achieving that.  

Can anyone be coached? 
No. For coaching to work, you need to a) want the coaching, b) want something in your life to be different, and c) be open-minded and willing to answer, or try answering, some questions you may think are pretty weird! 

What’s the difference between coaching and counselling? 
During counselling, you look back at your life and unpick what happened, so gain a greater understanding of yourself today. In coaching, you may touch upon what happened to you in the past, but most of the time, we are looking to the future. In a nutshell, counselling is like looking in the rear-view mirror of a car, to see where you’ve been, and to understand how you got to where you are today. Coaching is all about looking out of the front windscreen at the road ahead, and focusing where you want to go, and how. 

What’s the difference between business coaching and life coaching? 
The focus of business coaching is your business, the structure of it, setting goals for the business, working on how to reach those business goals. I only work with business owners or main decision-makers to do this. Life coaching is for any adult who would like something in their life to be different, if you’re feeling lost, or finding it difficult to make a life decision. 

What’s the difference between executive coaching and life coaching? 
In an organisation, such as a business, executive coaching can be offered to employees to help them achieve the goals that have been set as part of their objectives, or as part of their self-development. The employer usually pays for the sessions. This is different from life coaching, where the client sets the goals according to what they want, and in most cases, they are paying for their own sessions. 

What’s the difference between career coaching and life coaching? 
Career coaching is focused on helping an individual progress in their career, or find the next step in their career if they are between roles. It is sometimes paid for by an employer who has had to make the employee redundant. The coaching is often part of a package called ‘Outplacement’. The coach will have a great deal of specialised knowledge when it comes to writing CVs and preparing for interviews. 

Where will the sessions take place? 
If you are local, they can take place at my home in Bromley, BR1. If you are not local, sessions can take place online. Make sure you have a space where you can speak freely, and physically move around a little bit.  

How many sessions do I need? 
It’s a good idea to take up at least four sessions as a starter. It’s difficult to know how many you will need as there are many factors which come into play, such as how deep the problem or challenge is at the start, and how you react to the coaching as we go along. 

What’s the frequency of the sessions? 
Fortnightly (every two weeks) or weekly. We can establish the frequency you need, and can manage, during your initial consultation call.  

Why might I need a life coach? 
People who answer yes to any of these questions would benefit from life coaching: Do you feel like you’re not living your best life? Do you feel stuck, in your business, career, or life? Do you keep repeating the same destructive patterns in your life or relationships? Do you think a lack of confidence is stopping you from getting what you want out of life? Are you facing some really hard decisions in your life, and you’re not sure which way to turn? 

Do you give advice? 
No. Life coaching is very different from business coaching in that respect. A good life coach has the skill to ask the right questions that will gently draw the answers from you, without giving any advice.  

Workshops

For Leaders and Teams 

How much does a workshops cost?  
£500 for a half-day session, for organisations of less than 51 people. 

What’s the format of a workshop? 
It’s usually three hours with a break in the middle. Workshops can be for 4 to 15 employees. They usually take place face-to-face, but can also be conducted online. 

Why would we need a workshop? 
To have a workplace that functions well, your people will need certain skills. It’s usual to have a mixture of skills and competencies in a team, and having some training helps make sure that everyone can do the same things, in (more or less) the same way. 

Are the workshops going to be ‘Death by PowerPoint?’ 
No. I’m a great believer in ‘learning by doing’. I have attended too many workshops where you sit and listen, and thought, ‘that wasn’t a workshop, that was a lecture!’ I will never do that! I love nothing more than getting participants to learn through playing games, discussing, and working in pairs or small groups using real scenarios. 

 

NLP at Work Course 

How much does the ‘NLP at Work’ Course cost? 
It’s £797 + VAT per person. 

What is NLP? 
NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which is a set of tools and techniques that are extremely effective for self-improvement, and coaching.  

Who is ‘NLP at Work’ for?  
Business owners, employees (particularly managers), and professionals transitioning between roles. 

What’s the format of the course?  
The courses take place online. Each session is 1.5 hours. The duration of the course is 12 weeks, usually over a 13-week period (one week off for a school holiday in the middle). 

What happens if I can’t make every session? 
Don’t worry, all the sessions are recorded, and you can catch up by watching it. Each course includes one one-to-one session with a coach, and if you wish, you can use that session to catch up too. 

Why is it 12 weeks? 
Over the 12 weeks, participants go on a personal journey of transformation. You learn a lot about yourself, and you learn some amazing techniques that can change the way you approach certain things, for the better. The time between each session allows you to think about things differently and try the techniques at work or at home. The personal growth is incredible, and would be less effective if the whole course was squeezed into a couple of days.  

What do you learn? 
There are five modules which cover challenges we know affect working adults, and adults between roles, on a regular basis. These are: self-belief, making yourself understood, time management, stress management and decision-making. You learn some techniques from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that we think are easy, effective, and potentially life-changing for the participants. 

How do you learn? 
Sessions generally consist of a little teaching and discussion, a demonstration of a technique, an explanation of how it works, and then participants have a go in pairs in breakout rooms. There are recaps every week, and we love to throw in a fun quiz to keep you on your toes! 

Can you deliver the course in-house to an organisation? 
Yes, we would change the format to deliver it in person wherever possible, and work with you to understand the needs of the staff, so that we could tailor the course accordingly. 

How do you know the course works? 
We have delivered the course several times and all the participants have found it valuable, and in many cases, ‘life-changing’. We send all participants a questionnaire before starting the course to see how they feel about the five topics covered, and then we send it again at the end. Results are confidential, but we can share that in every case, there is an improvement in all five areas for every single participant to date. But don’t take our word for it. Please take a look at our client testimonials on our YouTube channel.

Why are you qualified to deliver this course? 
Jenni Hallam, the other facilitator of ‘NLP at Work’, and I are ‘NLP Master Practitioners’. This means we have invested thousands of pounds, and hundreds of hours, learning how to use NLP techniques. Jenni has 20 years of experience using NLP on herself and hear coaching clients. I started studying it in 2017, and finally qualified in 2022. Both Jenni and I are former teachers, so we have put our skills to work to deliver a fun, interactive course that has been transformational for the participants.

Please take a look at the About Me section to see how I work, and the Testimonials to see what people say about working with me. 

Still got a burning question that needs an answer? Why not Contact Me and I will try to help.