Doug D’Aubrey is joined by ETC business consultant Rob to explore how experience, coaching and networking can help business owners achieve sustainable growth. Rob shares his career journey, from working with Microsoft technology and managing large teams at Pepsi to travelling the world helping businesses improve their sales processes and performance.

Rob explains how his experience in corporate leadership eventually led him towards business coaching, where he discovered a passion for helping people develop their skills, overcome challenges and achieve their goals. He also discusses the important role BNI has played in his own business journey, the lessons he’s learnt from failure and why joining ETC allows him to combine his coaching experience with practical business support for small and medium-sized businesses.

Key Takeaways

People, Processes and Technology: Rob explains how his early corporate career taught him that successful businesses need more than just the right technology. Understanding how people, processes and systems work together is essential for improving performance and achieving long-term goals.

Small Changes Can Deliver Significant Growth: While working with Cisco partners around the world, Rob helped businesses move towards a more consultative sales approach. By understanding customer needs rather than simply selling products, businesses were able to identify new opportunities and achieve growth without necessarily making major changes.

The Power of Business Coaching: Rob shares the story of a headteacher who initially wanted to retire early but rediscovered his passion for education through coaching. By improving delegation, understanding his team and focusing on what mattered most, the headteacher was able to achieve remarkable results and enjoy his role again.

Networking Is About More Than Referrals: Rob discusses how joining BNI during lockdown transformed his approach to business. Beyond generating opportunities, networking provided structure, accountability and a valuable support network that helped him navigate the challenges of running his own company.

Learning From Failure: After experiencing the closure of his own BNI chapter, Rob used the experience to identify what wasn’t working and improve the performance of other chapters. He explains why setbacks can provide some of the most valuable lessons for business owners, provided they’re willing to reflect and make changes.

Combining Coaching With Practical Business Advice: Rob explains why he joined ETC to help smaller businesses access the kind of structured support often available to larger organisations. While coaching helps owners develop confidence and discover solutions, consultancy can provide practical guidance when they simply don’t know what they need to do next.

Key Moments

“Spend more time requirements gathering rather than just selling.”

“What I found was that I actually quite liked that environment and it was the support network primarily that was the thing that really, really made a difference to me.”

“If we don’t learn from those failures, we just don’t survive as a business.”

“At the end of the day, they don’t know what they don’t know.”

About the host

Doug D’Aubrey, founder and Managing Director of Executive Training and Consultancy (ETC), leverages extensive senior management experience to help businesses across the UK and Europe. With tailored consultancy packages ranging from short-term projects to 3-year growth programs, Doug aids companies in improving operations and achieving results. Doug’s success lies in his honest communication with leaders, identifying strategies to enhance management skills and optimise service delivery for measurable outcomes.

Take advantage of a FREE 2-hour Business Review with ETC’s expert consultants to identify goals, tackle challenges, and create a clear plan for growth. Visit https://exec-tc.com/ to book your review.