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Business coaching in the East Midlands

98% positive rating from our members*

Business coaching that means you're not alone

One-to-one business coaching in the East Midlands

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.

Max Crosby-Browne and his team are dedicated business coaches in the East Midlands.

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Your business coaches in the East Midlands

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Max Crosby-Browne

07771 547703
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Make an enquiry here Read more about Max

Max is the owner of The Alternative Board in Derby and East Midlands Central. He is an experienced executive having spent 25 years running a variety of different companies ranging in size from £8m to £50m and from 40 people to 400. With a background in Marketing and Sales with Brands such as Pretty Polly and Hush Puppies, he then moved into General Management with Mattel Toys in Amsterdam, with responsibility for Eastern Europe, The Middle East and Africa.

Deciding it was time to move back to the UK in time for the important schooling years for his boys, and to leave the big Corporate world behind, Max took over as CEO of Maclaren pushchairs in Northamptonshire before spending time as MD/CEO of manufacturing companies in Housewares, Decorating Products and latterly Furniture, for a number of Private Equity owners.

In 15 years of running SMEs Max has experienced nearly everything that the business world can throw at you including acquisitions and disposals; people challenges; factory relocations and closures; more people challenges; cash flow dramas; opening new channels of distribution; yet more people challenges; managing rapid growth, and finally, more people challenges! He learned the hard way that running SMEs can be a very lonely experience and being able to “swap notes” with fellow business owners was a massive benefit. He formed his own unofficial Peer Board with a number of contemporaries in non-competing businesses within the DIY products sector and that experience is ultimately what attracted him to The Alternative Board.

Now firmly established as a business coach and advisor, Max has a passion for helping business owners get to the heart of the challenges that they face and to calmly put in place solutions to help them achieve their objectives. If all of this can be achieved whilst walking his dogs or hitting a golf ball, then even better!

Max provides business coaching in Derby and the East Midlands.

Discover the benefits of our 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 some East Midlands members

I was first introduced to the TAB at an event at Derby arena, after a discussion with Max I decided to join. TAB takes coaching to the next level as not only do you have a great one to one session you are involved in a monthly board coaching session where other business owners share their day to day challenges. It brings to the table other people’s thought process and really does challenge your own mindset and thought process helping towards your own daily focus and running your business.

Neil Cockings, PNE Controls Ltd

At TAB like-minded people resolve everyday business issues. It’s good to go outside of your bubble and get outside guidance…There’s more than one way to skin a cat and these guys will show you how to do it.

Rob Sear, Whitehouse Construction

The Alternative Board has helped me to focus on the company’s key goals and objectives. You really don’t feel you are alone, there is a whole team of other business professionals to support you through any challenging issue you or your company is facing. It really is a great and positive motivating experience. Most importantly, the Board has made a fundamental difference to the performance and profitability of the business.

Bradley Walters, Hi Fi Racks Ltd

Julian is highly adept at seeing straight to the heart of an issue. He has the ability to create a level of trust and understanding very quickly when interacting with my team and they value his advice and suggestions as much as I do. He offers unflinching support and his ideas and solutions are incredibly valuable.

Kirsty Davies-Chinnock

I’ve been a member of TAB for a few months now and it’s gone really well. I’m enjoying the process; I’m already taking a better approach to the company finances and gradually building a really clear strategy for the business. I guess to sum it up, it's got me to hold a mirror up and really look at what I’m doing and how I spend my time. I can’t wait to see how my business grows as a result.  

Ian Morris, Three Rooms

My experience of being a TAB member is absolutely positive! The support I have been shown is of tremendous importance through very difficult and stressful times. TAB has been instrumental in helping me to overcome my business demons and develop my business knowledge and understanding.

Paul Hastings, Manor Electrical

TAB allows you to focus on what is the highest value and most challenging problem to solve… it gives you the ability to surface and focus on your business challenges… and it’s great that other people round the table have been on similar journeys.

David Hall, Orderly

Since joining TAB I have made some good friends who laugh and cry together, which is testament to how strong the bond of the Board is. The different skills and diverse range of businesses on our Board means you get such a variety of views to help you see things from a new perspective. I couldn’t be without it to help me through some of the challenges I face and the bit of time I need to invest each month in the Board meetings and 1-to-1 sessions has made me more efficient and focused.

Rob Watson, PH9
I want to wholeheartedly recommend my now good friend Jimi Ball and the TAB Derby team! I joined TAB in May 2020. I was feeling quite lost - the business was doing okay, but I wanted more. I wanted more of a direction. I wanted a different approach to the business. I wanted to be a real leader… Having the 1 to 1 support from Jimi has really given me a focused approach to the business - and I didn't want to let him down either!! 
Adam Holland, Progressive Sports

It can be a bit lonely at the top. You’re sometimes getting it from all angles... So having people there that you can sound ideas off can be a real benefit. You get to voice your ideas to a party of people who you grow to trust, and they scrutinise your ideas and also offer beneficial insight from their past experience. 

Ben Naylor, Gold Crest Surveyor
The investment in myself by being on the TAB board has given the business more confidence. We're taking decisions quicker and smarter, which is enabling us to grow our business in the current market. 
Neil Foster, Force Engineering

I’ve been supported through some big transitions at work by the board and by Julian and they are things I probably would not have done without the board and they are some of the best things I have done of late within my own business. 

Helen Wathall, Wathall and Sons

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 Max.

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?

The role of a business coach is to support business leaders in aligning their business decisions with their personal goals or vision. A business coach won't simply give you the answers but will empower you with the right knowledge and skills to make better decision, improve profitability and become a stronger leader.

At TAB, our business coaches in the East Midlands offer coaching, mentoring, consulting and of course, our peer advisory boards. Not only that, but they give you to access our exclusive strategic planning platform – The Business Builder’s Blueprint.

Why should East Midlands business owners consider coaching?

The East Midlands claims ownership to 5.8% of all companies in the UK, and many of their leaders will have considered coaching. 

Here's why:

  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 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

Often, business coaches are previous business owners or have worked for big corporates and in business for a long time. Over the years, they will have experienced many common and unique business issues. This means that when you approach them with an issue, they’ll more than likely have an experience they can draw on to guide you through it. This isn’t just the case with business coaches. There is lots that business owners can learn from each other too. 

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 increasing profitability.

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. Our East Midlands team can sometimes provide consultancy services in their niche areas of expertise.

Why TAB business coaching in the East Midlands?

98.9% of our members said it adds real value to their business. Here are three reasons why:

  • Our East Midlands team has experience

All our facilitators in the East Midlands, including Max Crosby-Browne, are seasoned business professionals with at least ten years’ experience as a business owner or in senior leadership. They come from a range of different backgrounds and sectors, but they love to empower business owners to run better businesses and live more fulfilling lives.

  • Coaching sessions tailored to you

TAB East Midlands will ensure that you get the most value of your coaching sessions. To achieve this, they cater the structure and content of the sessions for your needs and current business challenges. 

  • 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 from across the region. In the meetings, they support one another by giving impartial advice on each other's business challenges and opportunities. It's like having several business coaches rather than one!

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