Moving from one business to another
I’m Amanda Lecaude, the Founder of Organising Students. We’re specialists in organisational skills and time management with a focus on academic and executive function coaching for students. Along with their parents, caregivers and schools, we equip our students with the tools, skills and strategies for study, school and life.
The challenge
When I first met Angela, I already had a successful business, but I had an idea in mind for a new opportunity.
After running a pilot workshop for students and receiving great feedback, I knew there was potential to expand. I needed someone to bounce ideas off, to help me develop a strategy and anchor me in accountability as I juggled the business I already had and the business I wanted to evolve into.
I’d seen Angela present at a conference and her approach to marketing and depth of experience resonated with me, so I got in touch. I’m so glad I did.
What happened
I flew from Melbourne to Sydney for our first strategy intensive in 2015. In that first, of now many experiences, we captured all the initial ideas and then narrowed them down to formulate a plan.
It was fantastic working with someone not immersed in my business. Angela could see things from a different, fresh and independent perspective. We were able to formulate a realistic, tangible, staged plan to turn the vision we’d created into a reality.
The result
I formed a new segment of my business that very day.
With support from Angela since then, Organising Students has evolved from simply hosting School Transition Workshops to a multi-faceted business with mentoring, keynotes, products, webinars and staff.
Working with Angela has made this journey easier. I might have got there in the end. But who really knows? While I had the ideas in my head, it was her ability to ask the right questions that drew out the solutions. Her suggestions and insights have been invaluable. The plans we’ve made together and the processes she’s advised me on have all been so helpful.
I’ve become well-known in my industry and the Organising Students brand now has great credibility. I’ve been invited to speak on podcasts, give keynotes at conferences and I had my first book published in May 2024. Our turnover has quadrupled and our services are booked-out with extensive waitlists.
So, the question now is, where to from here?
My next steps
The beauty of working with Angela is that she plants seeds for the future as well helping me focus on the here and now. Our long history means she understands that I’m an incubator and that I need time to consider the options we develop together. The space allows me to make better decisions, but she doesn’t let me stagnate either!
In our last strategy workshop, in addition to working through immediate and short-term strategies, we explored options for franchising and licensing. We’ll revisit them when I’ve had my incubator time.
What I especially value
I love that I can tap in and out when I need Angela. She understands me and my business thoroughly and continues to bring fresh ideas to me. In the years we’ve worked together, I’ve never felt the need to see what or who else might be available to help.
I’ve still got all the notes from when we first started working together. So many of our original ideas have been developed and become the backbone of Organising Students and they are still in place – like the Student Success Plan. They’ve morphed and evolved and remain as the original thinking was sound.
Anyone in the small business space who doesn’t have someone to support them in this way will benefit from working with Angela.
I’m grateful for all of the value she has added.