We are bringing a new regular feature to you called Spotlight on My Gungahlin Business. This is an opportunity to put the spotlight on a local Gungahlin business and find out a little bit more about them. In this very first post we put the spotlight on Tony Ozanne from Business Coaching Canberra.
How do you describe your business and what sets it apart from your competitors?
I help business owners get more sales and potential out of their business via coaching and other training based services. Most business owners are at a loss as to how to actually run their business efficiently and generate leads, mainly as they don’t even understand who their target market is, or have a process around sales and marketing.
Unlike other coaches, I don’t use a ‘one size fits all’ approach, as I customise the approach for each business and their needs and challenges….I help fix the pain points in business. In addition to this I work collaboratively with the client to ‘hold their hand’ and make sure they get things done, whether via pure coaching methods, or via the Small Business MBA (making business awesome) program.
What was the reason for starting Business Coaching Canberra?
I was a career corporate person, working for the same organisation (Yum Restaurants Intl) for over 23 years, then one day woke and said “I don’t want to go to work”. I had lost the passion and drive of a job that had seen me travel the country and the world and work with some amazing people and work in an awesome business with franchisees and employees. My ethics told me, if you don’t enjoy something, stop it, so I quit that day!
After looking for various options of going into a business (I had decided I wanted to be my own boss in phase 2 of my career), I looked at food opportunities as a natural link to what I had done, but then had the epiphany that this would take me back 20 years in my career and would mean I would need to be in a 7 day a week, many hours in a day business with staffing challenges, and that wasn’t what I wanted, so I kept looking.
After finding coaching, and realising this was a natural fit, as it was what I had spent the last 10-12 year of my career doing at a senior level, I explored this and found a few franchise options. I chose one, and this worked for a while to get me established, but this business didn’t work as well as expected from the franchisee side, and I then decided to set up under my own name and location, hence where I am today.
What do you enjoy most being in business?
Seeing business owner have that ‘ah ha’ moment and actually get it. Seeing them get the results whether it be improving sales and profits, or their time with families, or generally organising their business to run more effectively…Plus I love the fun side of working with clients, and the fun side of being able to manage my own time and workload to have the lifestyle I want for me and my family. What has been your biggest challenge in business?
Ilke most business, getting leads and finding new work. Initially it was understanding the sales process of my own business. There is a lag factor in all new clients, and I misread this initially and when I had clients, I stopped marketing as all was good, but then as a few ended their time with me, I had no pipeline as it takes several months from meeting to working in my line of work. This is a common challenge for most businesses.
Do you have a funny story you can share from your time being in business?
Not a lot of funny stories, I see a lot of sad and depressing situations during initial meetings, as people are doing it tough, but one interesting one on perspective comes to mind.
One of my earliest clients who I worked with for nearly 2 years and met each fortnight with the husband and wife gave me this. After a session where I felt we didn’t really achieve anything, as just talked over a few matters, it bugged me as I drove home, so I emailed and said I was sorry for not getting much done. They replied and said it was probably the best and most productive session they had actually had, and I was bamboozled (if that’s a word), as to me I didn’t get it, but they got the benefit…
What do you think has been the most exciting development you have seen in Gungahlin?
There are many, the YMCA, new suburbs for growth and more potential, enclosed oval, new government building to bring in more people etc. Gungahlin is a great place, with its infrastructure challenges, but will become more vibrant with all the growth it is experiencing…We just need the roads sorted out!
Where is your favourite place in Gungahlin for a drink, coffee or bit to eat?
I’m a bit of a creature of habit, and if I get good service I’m extremely loyal…Coffee Guru in Bonner sees me hanging out with my laptop or having meeting most weeks and Simply Pho in Gungahlin for a quick lunch on most weekends with the family, or mid week if I need to get out of the house.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
If you have employees, you need to clearly have them and yourself understand that you can be friends with them outside of work, but in work the relationship changes and the friendship goes on hold, it is about the performance. I was taught this as a 17 year Shift Supervisor who had to delegate and direct my friends who I worked with, and sometimes discipline or manage them.
When not working what is your favourite hobby?
Im a bit of a M.A.M.N.I.L (not a MAMIL), it is Middle Aged Male Not In Lycra…I refuse to impose the visual of my full body to the public in lycra on my bike, and only wear the top, but keep mountain bike shorts below! I push myself, without enough training to do a lot of charity based rides around the 120-170km mark…and have successfully completed them all..
Favourite Canberra sports team?
Gungahlin Jets AFL, don’t follow League, Union, Baseball etc so can’t pick one from the national comps.
Favourite Gungahlin sports team?
As above the Jests for AFL and North Canberra Gungahlin Cricket Club where my son plays.
Business Coaching Canberra is a Platinum Sponsor of My Gungahlin. If you would like to know more about Business Coaching Canberra please see their Platinum Listing here Business Coaching Canberra
If you have a Gungahlin business and would like to know more about becoming a Platinum Sponsor of My Gungahlin please see My Gungahlin Platinum Sponsorship.
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