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Business coaching in Bristol

98% positive rating from our members*

Business coaching that means you're not alone

One-to-one business coaching in Bristol

Keep focused, accountable, and on track to achieve your business and personal goals.

Our members get a monthly one-to-one session with their TAB facilitator and coach.

Jonathan O'Shea is our dedicated business coach based in Bristol.

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Female business owner smiling after Bristol business coaching session
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Your business coach in Bristol

With over 30 years business experience, Jonathan is TAB’s business coach in Bristol.

Jonathan lives in North Wiltshire resident so he is very familiar with the region. He brings his passion for business to support owners in: Bristol city centre, Almondsbury, Chipping Sodbury, Kingswood, Stoke Gifford and Yate.

Jonathan’s Experience

Jonathan started his career as an accountant in public practice before moving into the not for profit sector. Firstly, he was a Finance Director and then a Chief Executive. In this role, he oversaw multi-million pound organisations employing up to 200 people.

These demanding roles provided vital community services to financially-strained environments. By getting to the heart of business issues, Jonathan was able to deliver real step changes that increased the effectiveness and enhanced the reputation of his organisations – locally and nationally.

Jonathan has a proven track record in identifying solutions that ensure businesses can operate more efficiently and effectively. He also has particular expertise in retail, property management, property development, investments and fund management. This makes him capable of being a business mentor to business owners in different sectors.

Jonathan’s Goals

Nobody knows your business better than you but Jonathan’s experience and insights can support you to take it to the next level. He has been working as a business coach and mentor in Bristol  for over four years. Through this process, alongside the board, he wants to support your business plan as he has before with a range of businesses. Working with you, he wants to help your business thrive today and face the test of time.

Discover the benefits of our Bristol-based coaching

Start with you

Focus on what you want in life and how your business can help get you there.

Increase profitability

Be held accountable to meet your business targets.

Improve decisions

Take control of your decisions through peer support and proven planning tools

Make better time choices

Spend your time well by utilising the experience of others.

Become a better leader

Motivate your people with the guidance of peers and an expert coach.

Plan a successful exit

Get the best result for you with tailored, hands-on support.

Hear from our Bristol members

I have been a part of The Alternative Board for four years now. During that time I have found Jonathan's help and guidance invaluable and the feedback from by TAB board incredibly useful. I am making ongoing changes in my business as a result which is already yielding positive results so highly recommend both Jonathan and the TAB set up.

Debbie Staveley, bClear Communications

Jonathan is a man who brings a depth of experience and wisdom to any business challenge. He is a very good listener, once combined with his experience, he is able to ask the right questions and get you to a better solution than you had an hour before you met him. Jonathan is very efficient, personable and someone who can be trusted to deliver on his promises. I have no hesitation in recommending Jonathan and the work that he does with The Alternative Board.

Ed Rowberry, Bristol & Bath Regional Capital

Jonathan has been my business coach for nearly 4 years. Throughout that time, and through Jonathan's fantastic knowledge, and his amazing approach to mentoring - I have vastly improved in the areas I wanted to.

Aside from Jonathan having all the skills and experience required to be a super business coach, he is very personable, making it easy to open up and have conversations that support real results and actions.

Thanks for everything so far Jonathan.

Jamie Ellis, Desklodge

Jonathan has been coaching me for three years now and I wanted to endorse his work as I know it can be hard to demonstrate making a difference as a coach. Working with Jonathan and TAB has been most helpful for me and my business. I find the combination of working with Jonathan on a 121 basis and meeting the board every month particularly useful and it has changed the way I approach many things in my business.

A few specific things I found helpful is the development of financial tools such as cashflow forecast and the facilitation of planning which promoted additional growth in the business. I now find myself working on the business a lot more which is has helped me firm up key processes and systems. I would recommend Jonathan and TAB to businesses of all sizes who want to develop and grow the organisation.

 

Yafit Davis, Your Business Development Ltd

Work with Jonathan and my fellow board members has really helped me get my business back on track. The regular 121s and board meetings are a great way to get both targeted advice and also to learn from your peers about their experiences in the wider business world. I joined TAB 6 months ago. Since then we've taken on 2 new members of staff, 5 new freelancers, won 3 awards and become B Corp certified. Thanks Jonathan!

Jo Haywood, Skylark Media

What is business coaching?

A business coach, like Jonathan, is an expert who supports business leaders to align their business decisions with their personal goals or vision. Rather than simply giving you the answers, a business coach will provide you with the necessary tools and knowledge to become a better leader and facilitate your business growth.

At TAB Bristol, Jonathan offers coaching, mentoring, consulting and facilitates our peer advisory boards. Plus, he will guide you through our exclusive strategic planning platform – The Business Builder’s Blueprint - which has proved effective in helping owners perfect their business plans.

Why should Bristol-based owners consider coaching?

18% of registered businesses in Bristol in 2020 were private sector employers with 10-250 people. The healthy SME business community in Bristol should consider coaching for these reasons: 

  1. Planning and strategy

Business coaches are often more beneficial in areas of strategic planning. A key difference between a business coach and consultant is that a consultant will often focus on one specific area such as succession planning, whereas a coach will guide owners to strategically plan their business in its entirety. 

2.       Developing your skills as a business owner

Most business owners can identify specific skills they could improve upon. Could you be a better communicator? A better negotiator? A business coach can help you work in specific areas, developing skills that will help you succeed not only in this current business but in whatever venture you take on in the future.

3.       Accountability

It is often easy as a business owner not to be held accountable to anyone. This means that you never face the consequences of failing to complete actions. In contrast, a business coach like Jonathan will hold you accountable to ensure that you and your business are always moving forward.

4.       New ideas and approaches

Because a business coach doesn’t work in your company, they will be distanced from most of your opportunities and challenges. This means they can provide an outside perspective with new ideas, strategies and approaches.

5.       Learning from others’ experience

Jonathan, our business coach in Bristol has worked in business for a long time. He will have experienced many common and unique business issues. This means that when you approach him with an issue, Jonathan will more than likely have an experience they can draw on to guide you through it. 

6.       Your personal development

Business coaches also often take on a business mentoring role. This is where they focus on you, the business owner, on a person. In coaching sessions, they can be available to listen to any emotional needs or concerns you have. Or they can enable you to ensure your business is working for your personal life. In fact, there are a few ways that business coaching and mentoring is good for your personal development.

7.       Support – You’re not alone

Another great benefit of business coaching is the support they it gives. A business coach can help you combat the loneliness of entrepreneurship. They can be your sounding board, your go-to listener and your trusted advisor.

8.       Business growth

And ultimately, a benefit of a business coach is that they can help you achieve business growth. By providing business owners with all the benefits mentioned above, business coaches can sometimes be the ticket to streamlining processes and improving your business decisions.

What business coaching is not

A business coach is not the following:

  • The solution

Getting a business coach does not mean that all your business challenges will be solved through those coaching sessions. The coach is there to guide you through and empower you with the right tools and knowledge to help you find those solutions. Inevitably, challenges will also come your way, but a coach is there to hold your hand through them.

  • Life coaching

A business coach is not there to get involved in your personal life and aspirations but will consider how your personal goals might line up to your business ambitions.

  • Counselling

Counsellors are specifically trained in dealing with specific personal problems such as mental health or family relationships. A business coach is not trained to deal with these issues and therefore should not be expected to address them.

  • Consultancy

A consultant focuses on a particular area of expertise and projects in those areas such as a marketing consultant or finance consultant. They seek to fix specific problems within a business, a business coach however, provides more generalised advice and insights. 

Why TAB business coaching in Bristol?

Here are three reasons why you should consider TAB’s business coaching in Bristol and why 98.9% of our members said it adds real value to their business:

  • Our Bristol business coach has experience

Jonathan is a seasoned business professional with many years of experience. He can ultilise his business accumen to do what he loves - helping local, Bristol-based business owners lead better lives and run stronger businesses.

  • Coaching tailored to you and your business

Jonathan's coaching sessions are tailored to your needs and what you need at any given time. So, although there is a difference between business coaching and consultancy, Jonathan can sometimes fall into both these roles if required.

  • Works with our advisory boards

Our business coaching is so powerful because of its combination with our business advisory boards. These bring together business owners and leaders from non-competing sectors in a group setting. As part of a monthly TAB Board meeting, each member helps other Bristol leaders identify opportunities and solve the challenges they each face in their businesses.

Start your journey with TAB

Get in touch with Jonathan.

He will contact you to arrange an introductory meeting.

During which, you’ll chat about whether TAB business coaching is right for you and your business.

Attend your first TAB board meeting and coaching session to discover the power of peer support.

There’s no obligation, only an opportunity to find out more.

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*Stats based on a recent survey of 93 active TAB members