"You guys don't believe in yourselves enough."

"You guys don't believe in yourselves enough. Dream bigger. You have no idea how good you are."

Have you got a business coach?

Tim and I took one on in April 2021 when the business was only eight months old. This article is my shout-out and recommendation for him.

We were recommended Danayal Zia by our client, Doug Johnson. Hearing Doug say that he didn't think he could have grown Mesh as quickly or as smoothly as he had without the support of his business coach was more than enough social proof for us to agree to an introductory phone call with Danayal. After all, there is a seemingly endless supply of business coaches out there, so looking for one yourself must be a nightmare. We were delighted to receive a direct recommendation from someone we knew so well, who we like and trust, and whose business we had seen going from strength to strength.

So, Doug made an introduction and we spoke to Danayal over Zoom. He asked us a few questions, we liked him, and he closed us right there and then on the call! To this day, Tim and I are still in awe at the Jedi mind sales trick he played on us. Hats off to you, Danayal!

But here we are 7 months later, and we are still working with Danayal and have no plans to stop any time soon. So, what has Danayal actually done for us / what does he continue to do for us? The answer is a lot, but here are my highlights:

???? Focus

Honestly, Tim and I can be like a couple of magpies, always going after the next shiny thing. We can get distracted ridiculously easily - SQUIRREL! - and fleet between tasks, starting a new one before finishing the last. (Hopefully this sounds really familiar to many of you?!) Danayal has really helped to focus us.

???? Financial literacy

Can you run a successful business without having a cash flow forecast? Yes. I know first hand you can. But is it MUCH easier to run a successful business which you want to scale if you have a cash flow forecast. Yes, definitely. Danayal has made us pay much more attention to our numbers which, as he always reminds us, are the language of business.

???? Sales process

One of Danayal's early suggestions was that we should make a brochure of our capabilities and credentials to send to new prospects, particularly as our website was still just a landing page. A few weeks later, our Creds Deck was born and believe me when I say that prospects freaking LOVE it. It has undoubtedly helped us to get new clients over the line, and we have even been asked to make our clients their own version. And the Creds Deck is just one part. Danayal has also helped us with the entire process for reaching out to new prospects, which is something we had not had to do until recently, as the vast majority of our leads are inbound or from direct recommendations.

???? Accountability partner

It's one thing for Tim and I to be each other's accountability partners, but it's much more effective when you have one who isn't your business partner and who doesn't work in the business. (And who you pay to be one!) If we haven't done our agreed tasks by next week's meeting, Danayal is not a happy bunny. And rightly so - he wants us to succeed and knows that we won't unless we do what needs to be done.

???? Self belief

After a few months when he'd got to know us and was more familiar with the work we've done for our clients and then asked us about our targets, I will never forget when Danayal said to us: "Is that it? You guys don't believe in yourselves enough. Seriously, you have no idea how good you are. You need to dream bigger." There was a long pause after that, and I think Tim and I knew deep down that he was right. But any of you reading this who have ever had imposter syndrome and/or who don't think they're the best thing since sliced bread will know exactly where we're coming from! Sometimes we need someone else to tell us these things.

I'm so happy to report that business is going really well. And while it can be very tempting to say things like "We've been so lucky...", that's actually bullshit. Tim and I work our asses off every day and we made a very grown up decision to invest in a business coach after just eight months in business, which is incredibly rare. As a result, Avery & Brown is now in its Adolescence instead of its Infancy (read a book called The E Myth Revisited - this was a book Danayal recommended us) and we are growing steadily and sustainably, just like we want to.

If anyone has been looking for a recommendation for a business coach, please let me know and I will be delighted to introduce you to Danayal. Or, if you'd like to look him up yourself, here is his LinkedIn profile . If you reach out to him, don't forget to tell him it's this article that sent you there!

Danny Boy - thanks for everything you've helped us with on our journey so far. I hope I've done you justice in this article. Here's to the next 6 months and beyond!