Hannah's profits rise by 65pc - despite the effects of pandemic

Rural chartered surveyor Hannah Moule, who runs Moule & Co at Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, has attributed her increased success to the benefits of hiring a business coach.

Hannah, who has been in business for 10 years, started working with ActionCOACH Black Country boss Andy Hemming just over 12 months ago, and says the effects have been plain to see.

"To be able to say we’ve increased turnover by 18 per cent and profit by 65 per cent, despite having five desperately slow months because of Covid, is simply incredible,” she said.

Hannah said she started looking for outside advice after wanting to unlock the potential of her business.

“Having been in operation for 10 years, we’d seen growth and we were profitable but I was convinced that there was more that we could be doing. We just didn’t have the right systems in place to be able to move things up to the next level, which was frustrating, but when you’re in it every day, you don’t always see what needs changing.

“After meeting one of Andy’s existing clients through work, who recommended him, I decided to see what he could do for us – and it turned out to be a great decision.

“Andy has been able to bring an outside perspective into the business which has allowed us to strip back our processes and procedures to ensure what we’ve got is scalable and effective. He’s really helped us to take things to another level.”

Hannah has even launched a new arm of the business – The Rural Planning Co – after deciding to separate some of the services that she was already offering. The business specialises in offering clean, simple planning advice to people looking at rural developments across the UK.

“We already offered rural planning at Moule & Co, but realised that we could really push the service if we repackaged it – and Andy’s coaching gave us the confidence to do so.

“So now, we’ve not only launched The Rural Planning Co, but we’ve also put ambitious plans into place to quadruple its size over the coming years. We couldn’t have done that without the processes and systems Andy has helped us to put into place. The next 12 months should be a really exciting time for us as we actively look at growing the firm.”

Andy Hemming, who has consistently been named as one of the top five ActionCOACH coaches in the UK since 2014, said it had been satisfying to see Hannah’s business evolve over the past 12 months.

“As a business coach, it’s incredibly fulfilling to see things start to click into place for my clients.  Hannah already had a good business with plenty of potential.  We’ve been able to streamline her offering to make it more effective for her clients and more efficient for the business.

“It’s testament to Hannah’s hard work and determination that the changes she and her team have implemented and embraced over the last year are now reaping dividends, despite the unprecedented disruption caused by the pandemic.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring for her.”