4WD Partshop is a family owned and operated business of Brian & Sonia Grosvenor that has been operating for 30 years, with 8 staff, 4 who are direct family members. They supply 4WD spare parts both over the counter and online, along with a workshop that caters for all mechanical work.

The challenges they faced / what they wanted and hoped to gain from the coaching.  

Finding Staff, Finance issues, Business Goals, Direction, Personal relationships, Business processes, Work Culture

The results achieved with Coaching from Mary Argese

We have been working with Mary for 7 years, helping in many ways.

• Staffing problems – finding the right people to work within the business culture
• The best methods for working with different staff personalities.
• Working as a personal coach to develop family ties and have personal goals.
• Developing Brian’s leadership to be a strong Business Owner with staff (creating self-awareness to not be their parent. Brian can care buts it’s not up to him to fix their personal problems).
• Making sure we plug up all the small leaking holes in their cashflow, as it is impossible to grow wealth with small leaks draining business.
• Implemented regular fortnightly staff meetings, so everyone knows what is going on within the business, giving staff the opportunity to make suggestions and give feedback.
• Sourcing correct people/businesses outside their business to get the job done.
• Setting up our Vison, Mission, Values statements for Clients and Staff to see.
• Using a Solution Focus Approach (instead of focusing on problems) to get solutions/actions.
• Understanding “Change” and manage how it affects them and their Staff. Using this also in personal.

Coaching strategies I used

• Setting personal goals
• Setting Business goals – initially on 5 Business Pillars of Systems, Product, People, Finances and Marketing. Started fortnightly then monthly, then sessions spread further apart – now every 6 weeks.
• Providing Employee Enhancement Program (EEP) to Staff to move through personal issues.
• Referred to specialty businesses for support (e.g. Bookkeeping, Insurance, Cashflow Business Coach)
• Giving knowledge and awareness, then developing skills e.g. Change Management
• Providing range of psychological models, coaching models, reference materials.
• Healthy work-life balance using Wheel of Life, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and personal life coaching as and when required.
• Looked at Performance Reviews and Interview Questions to pick best staff.
• Organisation Chart updates with changes.
• Created Vision, Mission and Values Statements to attract best Staff, and Clients and effect Culture.

See Testimonials from Brian & Sonia via Business Testimonial – Coaching Business Success

Steven is 59, working as an Electrical Tradesman/Supervisor/ Shut Down Planner FIFO, with Rio Tinto. Married 35 years, with 2 Children, and 4 grandchildren. He is an x-Premier League Cricketer, Amateur AFL footballer and has been fundraising for Cancer Research for Perkins Medical Foundation for 7 years (as a MACA CANCER 200 Ride participant).

The challenges Steve faced, and he wanted hoped to gain from the personal coaching

• Felt a loss of direction in both personal life and work
• Had poor balance with work and family life
• Had work stress and anxiety
• Felt stuck in a job which didn’t make him happy
• Had relationship stress and disconnection with his wife
• Had low esteem and self-belief
• Felt stuck and not able to take action

The results he achieved

Here is a list of what Steve says he has achieved with coaching from me: –

• Reconnected with my wife, emotionally and holistically.
• I am happier with my relationships with family and friends.
• My self-belief and self-esteem have dramatically improved.
• I am more organised in my personal life, and this has also flowed into my work.
• I am now aware of my values, which I really wasn’t clear with before coaching
• I have clear and attainable goals set to keep me focused on what is important in my life
• I have a better work life balance
• I take action, don’t procrastinate like I did before, and am achieving now.
• I now trust myself
• I am now kind to myself and have the tools to look after my physical and mental health.

My coaching approach to get the results included

• setting personal goals, before the coaching started
• Giving knowledge, ontological and psychological models to create awareness for change, and understanding change-resistance.
• Providing tools to use, whenever gets stuck, to refer to and create action.
• Setting reading resources and asking for bullet points on takeaways
• Ensuring a resource folder of tools and models was created to put all that was provided over the coaching weeks, to be put into this, for future reference, and sustainability of changes.
• Asked for commitment to 3-6 months of coaching, as takes this time to change sustainably
• Asked Steve to celebrate successes for achievements between sessions.

Five years ago, I started coaching Adam, the business owner of Metro Steel Services. MSS is a business Adam bought from his father in 2009. At the time it was only a one-man band that looked after maintenance and installations of one main Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chain in WA. They operated out of a back shed on acreage in Banjup. After 1-2 years of working solo Adam started to get busier and decided he would make the step on purchasing a factory and employing his first employee. Everything started changing to where MSS is now a business with over 20 staff and operates out of a factory in Bibra Lake suppling custom stainless steel for QSR restaurants, commercial kitchens and high-end residential houses.

The challenges Adam faced and what he wanted hoped to gain from the coaching.

Many challenges, from bad clients to bad employees, Covid and the tragic loss in close succession of some very close and key staff members unexpectedly. Navigating and dealing with/working through all these completely different and complex issues is what Adam wanted. He says, “Mary has always been able to steer us in the right direction, holds us accountable, even getting us uncomfortable to get the root cause, to find a solution to a problem”.

The results achieved

Quoting Adam, he says “Since myself and several other staff have been coached by Mary over the last few years our business has increase over 80% in turnover and increased profitability substantially, our Culture is solid, and staff turnover is almost nil.”

Coaching strategies I used

• All Leaders setting *personal goals, because personal strong foundations are the grounding for solid business success.
• Realising personal values, in order and decision making with these in mind.
• Adam setting *business goals under 5 pillars of People, Product, Systems, Finance and Marketing.
• Assessing Return on Investment, on *EACH of the goals set, at the end of every contracted period. THEN setting a new list of goals, for the next step/s.
• Three years ago, started working with each Leader, one at a time, to develop strong leadership competencies (to lead, not manage the Staff/Teams).
• Updating the Organisational Chart, as changes/growth occurred AND sharing with all Staff
• Developed self-awareness, courageous communication, authenticity, emotional intelligence in each leader
• Provided tools, models to empower growth and sustainability of the changes.
• Giving knowledge and self-awareness, then developing skills e.g. Change Management, Adult-Parent-Child Model, Wheel of Life balance, Moods of Life, Choice Paths.
• Reviewed and updated Performance Reviews, using a solution focus approach
• As and when required, provided Employee Enhancement Program (EEP) to Staff to move through personal issues.
• Developing all Leaders to acknowledge, praise and celebrate success’s = recognition.

See Testimonial from Adam via Business Testimonial – Coaching Business Success

EEP = Employee Enhancement Program = personal coaching for all levels of staff in business.

My name is Emma. I am in my twenties. I work within a family-run automotive business alongside my parents, which means my professional and personal worlds are closely connected day to day. My role is varied and includes administrative responsibilities, social media management, digital marketing and supporting the broader operations of the business wherever needed. As part of a small business environment, I naturally take on a wide range of responsibilities and enjoy continually learning new skills that allow me to contribute more effectively. I value being adaptable and proactive, and I take pride in supporting the growth and ongoing development of the business in both practical and creative ways. 

The challenges Emma faced, and what she wanted/hoped to gain from the EEP personal coaching

Before starting coaching, I often felt caught between family dynamics and workplace expectations, which made communication and decision-making emotionally complex at times. I often felt overwhelmed by the demands of my diverse part-time role and struggled to prioritise tasks effectively, often feeling like I was constantly busy/ running out of time. I also recognised that I tended to make assumptions, instead of seeking clarity and avoided difficult conversations. I entered coaching hoping to better understand myself, strengthen boundaries, gain clarity around my role and values, and develop practical tools to communicate more confidently and manage my time and responsibilities with greater intention.

The results she achieved

Coaching has genuinely changed my life. I’ve developed a much deeper sense of self-awareness and learned to be kinder to myself, while still taking ownership of my actions and choices. I’ve become far better at separating family dynamics from my professional responsibilities, which has brought more ease and clarity into my work. I now feel more confident speaking up, asking for clarity, and approaching challenges with a calm, solution-focused mindset rather than reacting emotionally. I’ve created healthier boundaries, both personally and professionally, and I’m far more intentional with my time, energy, and relationships. Overall, I feel more grounded, more aligned with my values, and more in control of how I show up each day. Coaching has enabled me to accomplish goals that previously felt out of reach, and my passion throughout the journey allowed me to fully embrace and enjoy each step while realising capabilities I had not recognised in myself.

My coaching approach to support and develop Emman to get the results she was after

• Setting personal goals, before the coaching started.
• Set up boundaries between personal family relationships and business working relationships.
• Providing knowledge via certain books and ontological and psychological models
• Understanding and working through change and change-resistance.
• Providing tools to use, whenever gets stuck, to refer to and create action.
• Setting reading resources and asking for bullet points on takeaways
• Creating a resource folder of all the models Emma was given for future reference, and sustainability of changes.
• Asked Emma to celebrate successes for achievements between sessions and to create opportunities to spend time with others and self. All result in selfcare.
• Creating a personal vision and mission.
• Discovering her top personal values, having them in order of importance, then using these to ensure ALL her decisions/choices aligned.
• Using her top 5 personal strengths
• Developing time management skills
• Awareness of how to create win-win choices
• Tool to remove assumptions from thinking process
• Shifting to an internal locus of control
• Mindful of thoughts, feelings and actions = how they interrelate and how we can create change
• Model to remove anxiety and shift to being open to possibility
• Creating a balanced lifestyle
• Being solution focused

Steph is 44. She works alongside Financial Advisers, helping keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. She’s one of the go-to people in her team for managing client relationships, liaising with clients to assist with their requests, handling admin tasks and implementing advice.  She makes sure all the little (yet essential and vital important) details are taken care of. Her support role allows her advisers and team to focus on what they do best.

The challenges Steph faced, and what she wanted hoped to gain (via *EEP)

At the time Steph started coaching, she was really struggling in her role. She felt overwhelmed, unsure of where things were going wrong, and was mentally preparing for the possibility that she might not be able to continue in the job. She knew something needed to change but didn’t know how to fix it on her own. Taking on the coaching was a way for Steph to aim to understand what was happening, rebuild her confidence, and find a way forward. Steph wanted to feel capable again; to feel proud of the work she does and the difference she makes.

*EEP = Employee Enhancement Programs offer Life Coaching to employees in a **business. All sessions are strictly confidential. At the end of the contract, the **Staff member gives feedback to the business; to reflect the benefits they gained from the coaching. Sessions are paid **50:50  Employee Enhancement Program (EEP) – Coaching Business Success

The results she achieved

Steph said, ‘Life before and after my coaching with Mary, was as different as chalk and cheese”. Before coaching, Steph was in a really difficult place.  Steph summed up her pre-coaching headspace in a single word – “despair”. Her self-confidence was at an all-time low. She was unsure how to turn things around, and despite her best efforts, still didn’t have any clarity on what was going wrong or how to fix it. After working with me, everything shifted. Steph gained a clearer understanding of herself, her strengths, and how to approach challenges constructively.

Steph’s confidence has grown immensely – and continues to grow.  She’s now thriving in her career to the point where she’s expanded her role to include some leadership tasks within her direct team. Since coaching began, Steph started receiving a library of positive feedback from both colleagues and management, which is a testament to how far she’s come.  With the coaching support and guidance Steph’s grown both professionally and personally.  Steph says, ‘The tools provided have over the past few months have been invaluable” She continues using them to keep growing and evolving. The coaching has empowered Steph to grow beyond the coaching and sustainably develop.

My coaching approach to get these results

• Setting personal goals, before the coaching started
• Undertaking a Personal Values exercise to realise/see her values, then use them to make decisions
• Given knowledge, ontological and psychological models for self-awareness and growth
• Worked through assumptions, and challenging these with facts
• Providing tools to use, whenever gets stuck, to refer to and create action
• Writing a letter to future self
• Shifting to an ‘internal locus of control’
• Decreasing / removing anxiety, via models provided
• Using a solution focus approach, vs a problem approach
• Creating work-life balance, mentally, emotionally and physically
• Committed to 8x1hr fortnightly sessions, then continued 1x1hr monthly to maintain new habits of thoughts, emotions and actions.
• Asked to celebrate fortnightly actions between sessions, with reward/s and self-recognition.