Welcome to the very first in our brand-new series of interviews called,’ Ten Minutes With.’ Now more than ever it’s important to talk so we wanted to give businesses the opportunity to do just that.
In our new feature we’ll be asking businesses all about them, asking them to share what they’re doing during lockdown and what their plans are for when this is all over.
This week we’re talking to Staffordshire Moorlands based Business Coach Jason Moody, owner and founder of JPM Business Consulting, a company he set up nearly two and a half years ago.
How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
I’m straight talking, honest, love to have a laugh, keep things simple and would like to think I have common sense.
Tell us about your business?
I work with SME’s to help them plan, grow their businesses and achieve their aspirations. I like to work with the business owner to help them become more successful and achieve their dreams.
I prefer that, than working with big businesses where often decisions are made by committee and politics can get in the way of getting things done.
I’m in a lucky position in that money isn’t the main driver for me which enables me to be a bit more selective with the businesses I work with. I have to like and respect the business owner which brings the best out of me.
In a previous role I worked with a business coach and found it incredibly useful to have someone external to the company who I respected and could bounce ideas off.
Sometimes when you’re in the company, or you own it, you can get bogged down in the detail and the day to day stresses and strains. As a coach I can help give an independent external perspective.
What did you do before launching your business?
Before starting my own company, I worked in businesses for 25 years. Half of that time I worked for a large retail company and the other half I was the MD of a smaller food manufacturer. I managed the sale of that business to a large food group. That’s when I decided I wanted to work for myself.
Why do you do what you do?
I want to help my clients achieve something special and I believe the business owners I work with have the talent to do that. A measure of success for me is at least one of my clients achieving something truly extraordinary within the next five years.
Many small business owners are creative and entrepreneurial but can struggle with the planning side. I can help them with the challenges that growing a business brings, like taking on staff. Creating an environment where you can bring the best out of people will deliver success. Seeing clients achieve their goals is one of my key drivers.
What advice do you have for companies during this time?
The lockdown will have affected businesses differently. Many will have seen a downturn, yet others will have seen an upturn. For those that have seen business dry up I would say there has never been a better time to plan ahead, to use this time to reflect and look at what you can do differently.
Planning is something people struggle with, but that is what the most proactive forward thinking business owners will be doing right now. For those business owners who already had a longer term plan, maybe now is the opportunity to look at some of the more visionary idea’s they previously had down for years two, three and four – is there an opportunity to start making progress now rather than waiting? And if you haven’t got a plan then now’s a good time to start one.
How are you coping in lockdown?
Pretty well – although I struggled the first week to get my head around it. Once I made the decision not to invoice my clients for April and May I felt better. I wanted my clients to continue to engage with me without money being a consideration – support from me now could be more valuable than ever. I want them to survive, then thrive and I want to be a part of that journey.
I’m very clear in my head that this downtime for me is an opportunity to plan ahead. I don’t want to look back at this time and feel like I missed an opportunity. I’ve introduced my Mum and Dad to Zoom so I’ve been seeing lots of them too. I’ve been watching boxsets and thanks to the weather spending lots of time in the garden, with the odd pint too!
Have you learnt anything about yourself?
I’m reasonably good in my own company and I think lockdown’s confirmed that really. I’ve managed to stay relatively structured over the last few weeks which has definitely helped.
Are you going to do anything differently after lockdown has been lifted?
Like many of us I’ll carry on having more Zoom meetings. I’ve turned them down before this happened as I didn’t think they’d be any good, but lockdown’s proved me wrong. I’ve been able to use the time to strengthen relationships with clients and my key associates – many people have more time to talk! I’m looking forward to seeing those relationships flourish in the future.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to grow the business and perfect my work life balance. I want to engage with businesses where it’s a pleasure to work with. I have a fixed capacity of days in mind per month to work with clients – I want to get to that and maintain it. Over the next twelve months I’ll be looking at my personal branding for the business as I think this will help me attract the right clients. I will also be putting a real emphasis on focused networking.
And finally, if you were down to your last fifty quid what would you spend it on?
Keeping myself hydrated in a country beer garden in the sunshine, saving a sneaky tenner for a top golfing tip!
If you’d like to be one of our, ‘Ten Minutes With,’ interviewees please drop us a line at hello@legspr.agency
and we’ll grab a cuppa and a chat over Zoom.
