Feedback - what it's like to work together

I’m Catherine McCoy the Founder of iNaturally where I’ve been practising as a naturopath for over 18 years. I started out as a general practitioner, but over time my practice has evolved. I began to notice women saying how exhausted and fatigued they were feeling and I knew I wanted to focus on this aspect of health.

Elevating authority – differentiation in a crowded market

I was so busy running the business that I couldn’t find the time to focus on taming and directing the great swirling mass of ideas I had. It was so frustrating to see that when a client was in front of me I could easily pull all the things together and create a plan for them to go forward, yet in contrast, I could never pin my thoughts down to create the same level of clarity and strategy for the next stage of my business! Then I found you.

Our first steps

When we had an initial ZOOM consultation it was so good. I thought, “Oh, my God, she actually gets me!”

I liked the way that you drew out and were able to articulate my thoughts by asking questions that connected me to the big picture. You were immediately able to sort, process and elevate my ideas into a coherent whole. And I really loved the way that you could see things that I couldn’t see, possibilities and angles that I didn’t even know were there.

What we mapped out made sense and I was never forced out of out of my depth because you quickly understood the way I work. That’s not in great big huge pictures, or big grandiose ideas – I like order and logic and very achievable goals. I like seeing things mapped out in a way that clearly shows how to get from A to B, a way forward, that makes sense to me.

What we focused on

We consolidated my ideas into a framework we named “The Fatigue Solution”, and created a Visual wheel and a 3-phased approach. We pulled this concept across to Linked In and positioned me as the “Creator of The Fatigue Solution”, effectively taking ownership of this space.

The result – an authority initiative

It was at your Business Project Retreat that it all came together. We created structure, clarity and credibility not just for me, but for my clients as well. We clarified my messaging, rejigged the website, and developed an action plan that was the right fit for me.

I’ve found my clients are now more able to self-identify – when they contact me they’ve often already read the page and found themselves in the description and in the visual model. They have a clearer understanding of what they are experiencing and why. The Fatigue Solution concept offers deeper credibility and they seem readier to invest.

The unique value you added

I needed someone to sift through the white noise that was in my head, extract the gold and put it on a page. I knew it was all in there. I just didn’t know how to get out.

I’ve come across a lot of different business support options, but in comparison to your approach, so many seem very much cookie cutter. “It’s like, if you do this you’ll make $10,000 a week or whatever”. I knew that that was not what I needed.

You add immense value because you’ve been in business for a long time, you’re someone who loves to learn and grow, you’re happy to work deeply with me one on one, not in a group. And you’re a lovely person!

But the standout for me is that you have the ability to conceptualise and respond to what the public is looking for. You have such broad knowledge and sharp instincts – take branding and copy, as just one example. You can take a paragraph and quickly make changes to make it better, because you seem to have that ability to just… know. Your marketing background comes out strongly.

And you keep things simple. You’re never full of fluff and you never offer up any bull***t.

What’s next?

I feel that any growth or evolution in a business needs time for to settle. Then you can see whether you need to elevate it to the next level, or whether you need to tweak it.

That’s not something that happens overnight – it could be a month, it could take six months, it could take 12 months, until things are clear. That’s when I come back and say “this is what’s happening. This is where things are now and this is where I want it to go next”.

You have longevity when it comes to working with people in this way. You help us to evolve and build sustainable businesses. That’s what I value and that’s why I’ll be developing my next business chapter with you.

I’m Louise Gardner, the Managing Director and Founder of Pledge Consulting. We’re specialists in project delivery support, helping organisations deliver projects effectively, through frameworks, planning, and assurance health checks.

A new revenue stream for my consultancy

I needed help from someone who understands the challenges of being a solo Founder. I wanted to grow the business and needed new skills and insights to get me there. I knew I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

I wanted a thinking partner to talk through my ideas with, so we began working together in 2020.

Our first steps

We’d been sponsoring many events but they dried up during COVID. Angela helped me pull together the concept for an online event we’ve called the PMO Leadership Symposium. It’s since become a successful in-person event. She gave me the confidence and support to move from sponsoring events to staging them, which created extra depth to our brand credibility.

Three years later, what began as a lead generation pipeline for the business has morphed into a business unit, a profit-centre of its own. We’ve added Masterclasses and additional events in two states. And now there’s more on the horizon, thanks to our most recent strategic planning workshop.

Continued Support

I return to the table with Angela twice a year as my ideas build up as I need her external lens on the business. That’s the primary driver. Sometimes I’ll think “I’d really like Angela’s opinion on that” so I’ll gather these thoughts for us to talk through before I make a decision.

The value she provides is very simple. It’s measurable. It’s tangible. It’s dollars on the bottom line. The strategies turn into actions that create significant revenue. I wouldn’t do it otherwise. It’s an expense a small business doesn’t need unless it returns value on the investment. And Angela does, every single time. Her insights and experience around marketing, consulting, social media, her contacts and networks, have significantly contributed to my business growth.

As an example, in the case of the new events revenue stream, there’s been a 200% increase because of our initiatives.  That’s the business case proven!

I’m financially cautious, but as the business has grown I’ve realised I need more help not less. Working with Angela, I don’t feel like $1 has been wasted. It’s been an investment that’s consistently delivered a return in the four years we’ve worked together.

What’s unique?

I think Angela is unique within her niche. What she brings to a business owner like me is something quite different. She has a broad range of practical experience and business acumen and gives me the confidence to take action.

We have a long-term relationship because she knows our business and she knows me. There’s such value in that. I’m not going to wake up one day and say, “Oh, I’m a bit bored with Angela now, she knows our business too well, and I feel like explaining it to somebody else today!”

Business owners need this

Business owners need an external lens with someone who has experience and knowledge. That’s why Angela is a great option.

I tell other business owners she’s not a magical unicorn, that she can’t do it for people. They have to be ready and willing to take action and that can be quite scary. But I’ve always found Angela to be really supportive. I leave our sessions with a clear to-do-list with concrete steps to take to make them happen.

And isn’t that what we all need? Clarity on what we’re doing and the strategy to get us there.

I decided to work with Angela because I felt like I was stuck professionally, not really knowing where to take my career and how to balance that with moving into my next phase of life wanting flexibility to pursue travel and perhaps explore other projects. Usually very decisive, I found that I was stuck in a loop of uncertainty and felt like I needed an objective viewpoint and framework for making these important life decisions.

I hesitated to engage a coach for quite a few months because I had never worked with one before and didn’t know what to expect. Finding the right coach for me was important. I came to Angela through a personal recommendation, we had a discovery call, and I immediately knew she was the right fit. The combination of Angela’s directness, supportiveness and proven expertise in self-leadership clinched the deal!

Unexpectedly, within the first coaching session with Angela I gained enough insight into my own values, strengths and skill sets, coupled with some very clear actionable steps, to start exploring options and start gaining some momentum – I was becoming unstuck! It was surprising to me that I could start getting clarity so early on in the coaching process.

Angela is an exceptional listener and can draw out all your random thoughts and reflect them back to help you make sense of what’s important and to help guide you with a framework for making change. She is a wonderful combination of warm and engaging, with a no-bullshit, direct approach. She instils confidence and promotes action.

The blend of strategy and principles of self-leadership that she shares apply to all of us, and the gift Angela gives is to help you see how you can apply them to your own circumstances to confidently make the changes you want.

I fully recommend Angela to anyone who wants to get un-stuck!

I signed up for the Self-leadership Sessions because I have a strong desire to continue to grow as a person and as a leader, to harness more of my inner strength, to become more empowered and grounded in my abilities, and to support my vitality, so that I can show up in the world as my best self, and support others to do the same.

Having had the opportunity to experience Angela’s fabulous coaching in the past, I was confident that the content would be full of quality information and strategies, and her sparks of wisdom during the group conversations would be invaluable.

I was right.

I have already learned simple, effective strategies that I have been able to put into practice with immediate effect. I can already feel a positive shift in how I am “showing up” and I believe any professional woman looking to thrive will benefit from these sessions.