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Business coaching in Milton Keynes

98% positive rating from our members*

Business coaching that means you're not alone

One-to-one business coaching in Milton Keynes

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.

Phil Smith is our dedicated business coach in Milton Keynes.

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Female business owner smiling after business coaching session in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes Shopping Centre

Your business coaches in Milton Keynes

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Phil Smith

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Make an enquiry here Read more about Phil

Phil Smith is the facilitator and business coach for The Alternative Board Milton Keynes region.  For the last twenty years he has been an SME Owner/Director where, with business partners, he launched and grew two companies within the Professional Audio Industry, the second culminated in a successful trade buyout exit.

With the benefit of working within in a close-knit team of owner/directors – where mutual support and encouragement were critical factors in the growth of the business – Phil offers a wealth of experience and that same support to other business owners in the SME community, enabling them to develop and achieve their vision for themselves and their business.

Phil’s varied career covers single-location businesses through to large multi-site international companies across the Manufacturing, Distribution, Banking and Retail sectors. His skill-set is Operations and Systems Thinking and roles have included Marketing, IT, Project Management, Production Management, Product Development and Operations.  Phil has an Honours Degree in Engineering Science and Industrial Management from The University of Liverpool and is a member of the Institute of Directors. He has also been an HSBC Business Thinking national finalist and is a TEC award winner!

Discover the benefits of our coaching in Milton Keynes

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.

Our members are stronger together

"I always feel uplifted and more confident following a board meeting.  The challenges we face as business owners are invariably those shared by the other board members. Bringing them to the table puts them in perspective and usually provides several options on how to tackle them.  Support, being non-judgemental and really trying to understand each other's businesses help make the meetings fun, enjoyable and, most of all, invaluable to the growth and well-being of my own business.  The regular one-to-ones help build on this with tough constructive advice.  I would be lost without the support of TAB."

Jan Buckett , JMB Accounting

"TAB is an independent thought process, away from the influences and pressures of work. In the day-to-day job, you can get drawn into distractions, you often don’t have time to think, and you’re just firefighting problems. However, with TAB, getting out of the office and speaking with the board for the 3-4 hours we have together allows me to think more independently."

David Scalley, AJT Engineering

"Having a Peer Board is an amazing asset to me. It’s a safe and supportive environment where you get the support of other business owners who are committed to your success. It’s allowing me to be candid and get different views on sorting out knotty problems."

Professor Deborah Eyre, High Performance Learning

"Before TAB, I didn’t really have anyone I could talk to about business issues. Getting reassurance from my board on things I’m thinking of doing gives me more confidence to get on with it. I really value the openness of my board and facilitator, which allows me to say what I’m feeling and thinking.  I’m now making longer-term plans and decisions about the business.  As a result, I enjoy running the business more because I know we’re heading in the direction, rather than focusing on short-term fixes."

Geoff Hunt, Hey Group

"I have a debt of gratitude to TAB after a 400% turnover boost. I can’t speak highly enough of The Alternative Board. It has made a huge difference to our agency. It’s something I would encourage business owners to think about. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve the growth we have without TAB."

Adam Bell, Moment

"TAB has given me coaching sessions, focusing on the positive elements of my business and helping to grow and develop during what is probably the most difficult trading period we have encountered. TAB has also invited me to a monthly board meeting where I joined six existing members, all of whom have extensive business experience and have provided me with some invaluable advice, guidance and accountability."

Kelly Smith, Juice Personnel

Over 5x

TAB members’ sales growth is 5.5 times national SME average

95%+

95.7% of TAB members said their advisory boards added real value to their business

90%+

90.3% of members said their ability to address personnel and organisational issues has improved since joining TAB

Start your journey with TAB

Get in touch with Phil.

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.

Book an introductory call

What is business coaching?

A business coach supports business leaders to align their business decisions with their personal goals or vision. Rather than giving you the answers, our business coaching services in Milton Keynes equip you with the necessary tools and knowledge to make better decisions and increase business growth.

Phil, our business coach in Milton Keynes offers coaching, mentoring, consulting and of course, facilitates our peer advisory boards. Not only that, but he can provide you access to our Business Builder’s Blueprint - an exclusive platform for effective strategic planning.

Why should business owners in Milton Keynes consider coaching?

Milton Keynes is home to over 14,000 business enterprises covering an array of sectors and business leaders there will be considering business coaching.

Here's why:

  1. 1.      Planning and strategy


     A key difference between a business coach and consultant is that a consultant will often focus on one specific area such as business operations whereas a coach guides business owners to make strategic decisions in every area of their business.

    2.      Developing your business skills

    A business coach will help you develop your business skills so you can be a better leader and run a stronger business.

    3.       Accountability

    Entrepreneurs are extremely busy and often this means they don't focus on the right things. A business coach will give you accountable to taking the actions you said you would make to meet your business goals.

    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 come with different ideas and approaches which you can utilise.

    5.       Learn from others

    Business owners, like Ted, have years of experience in running their own business or working in senior leadership. You can learn from them as they share their advice and experience when addressing your business challenges.  We are big believers in the notion that business owners can learn a lot from each other.

    6.       Your personal development

    Business coaches also often focus on you, the business owner, on a person and how you want to develop. In fact, there are a few ways that business coaching and mentoring is good for your personal development.

    7.       Support – You’re not alone

    Business coaches give you a support network, to help you  combat the loneliness of entrepreneurship. They can be your sounding board, your go-to listener and your trusted advisor.

    8.       Growing your business

    Business coaches can sometimes be the ticket to streamlining processes and increasing profitability by providing you with several strategies for business growth.

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. At TAB, we do sometimes provide consultancy services as each of our coaches have their own niche areas of expertise.

Why TAB business coaching in Milton Keynes?

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

  • Phil, our Milton Keynes business coach has fantastic experience

Phil has been working for the last twenty years as an SME business owner who grew and launched two companies. This experience enables Phil to effectively support and advise his clients with any business issue they may face. 

  • Coaching tailored to you and your business

Phil's coaching sessions are tailored to your needs and what you need at any given time. His one aim is to help you achieve your vision for yourself and your business.

  • Works alongside 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 – like a board of directors. As part of a monthly TAB Board meeting, entrepreneurs in Milton Keynes help one another identify opportunities and solve the challenges they each face in their businesses. It's a proven solution to business success. Why not give it a try?

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