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Business coaching in Edinburgh

98% positive rating from our members

Business coaching that means you're not alone

One-to-one business coaching in Edinburgh

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.

Andy Todd and Steve Cook are our dedicated business coaches in and around Edinburgh.

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Your business coaches in and around Edinburgh

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Andy Todd

0780 194 0243
Email Andy
Make an enquiry here Read more about Andy

Andy owns and operates The Alternative Board in Edinburgh.

Having worked in varied roles, Andy brings a range of perspectives and approaches that can challenge and support any business owner to achieve their goals. His real passion is helping businesses get more focused and aligned on what’s important to them and their customers. Andy’s role with The Alternative Board allows him to do exactly that.

Andy is a graduate of Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Materials Science which was later supplemented by an MBA.

He has over 25 years of commercial and sales leadership experience, including several overseas assignments, much of it gained within the energy sector. Andy’s expertise has been developed working for both large corporations and having spent over 10 years as a sales leader of a fast growth, high performing SME.

His specialist areas are sales leadership, strategy and business build, new market entry and growth of recurring revenue, as well as delivering in many diverse cultures. He has a particular interest in sales development and enabling top performance.

If you are based in Edinburgh and would like to explore how Andy and TAB can help you grow and develop your business, then please get in touch.

Steve Cook

Steve Cook

07983 981170
Email Steve
Make an enquiry here Read more about Steve

Following an early career in the agricultural industry, Steve has spent over 20 years in the technology sector, with a focus on retail, training, go to market, operations, marketing, events, and team development.

Including building his own Field marketing business to support clients in the technology sector, he created award winning field teams and unique solutions across many sectors to drive products in retail and beyond, across the UK and Europe.

He has a passion for getting the best from people. He loves helping them provide the best service to their customers via operational planning, training and development, and customer focus. He understands the many benefits of selecting the right staff from the start, building their skills and knowledge, and retaining them to help improve your business stability and costs.

With experience engaging with all levels of both local and global business, a strong operations background, a people centric work ethic, and the experience of what is involved in building your own company, Steve appreciates the opportunities and challenges business owners face.

If you are interested in how Steve and TAB can help you and your business, please get in touch.

Discover the benefits of our Edinburgh-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.

Our members are stronger together

"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
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

"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

"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

"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

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 Andy or Steve.

They 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 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, our business coaching services equip you with the necessary tools and knowledge to make better decisions and increase business growth.

In Edinburgh both Andy and Steve offer coaching, mentoring, consulting and of course, they facilitate our peer advisory boards. Not only that, but they provide you access to our exclusive strategic planning platform – The Business Builder’s Blueprint.

Why should Edinburgh-based business owners consider coaching?

As of June 2021, there were 235 enterprises employing more than 100 employees, and even those larger businesses will have leaders who have at least considered coaching.

Here are eight reasons 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, so they can likely guide you throough many of the challenges you face.

6.       Your personal development

 In coaching sessions, business coaches 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

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 encouraging you to make more effective decisions and utiltise a strategic plan better.

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 Edinburgh?

Business owners in Edinburgh are already experiencing the power of TAB. 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:

  • Our Edinburgh-based coaches have experience

Between them, Andy and Steve have over 60 years expeience in the business world.  They both have the desire to help business owners in Edinburgh lead better lives and run stronger businesses.

  • Coaching tailored to you and your business

Whilst we have a structure at TAB, the coaching sessions are tailored to your needs and what you need at any given time. So, Steve and Andy are ready to tackle whatever business issue you need to focus on.

  • 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, Edinburgh business owners identify opportunities and solve the challenges that exist in each other's businesses. That's several business coaches in one!

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