About
Are you a coach, consultant or community-builder?
A creative powerhouse with too many ideas and not enough time?
Fed up of spending all your time being reactive and never getting to what would make the biggest impact?
Great news! You’re in the right place!
Hello!
I’m Louise and I help busy, driven business-owners like you to get more done than they ever thought possible so they can make a bigger impact and enjoy a life of fulfilment and fun.
Business owners like Teresa Heath-Wareing, who, with me in her corner, organised an international summit for 1000+ people, released a new podcast AND launched a beta group programme… all in just three months.
Like Janine Coombes, who finally created and launched her group programme after years of wanting to make that happen.
Like Heather Parker, a very capable and organised coach who used to spend all her time responding to the day-to-day stuff when she wanted to be developing her business but is now getting the important things done.
And like Lara Waldman who ran her first in-person event after years putting it off because it felt too difficult.
And like Lois Cliff who, after joining Make It Happen Club, achieved more in three months than she did in the whole of the previous year.
How I can help you
(and what makes my approach different)
My clients often feel they need to work work work if they’re going to reach their goals. It might seem counterintuitive, but I know from experience that being intentional and slowing down will help you get further, faster.
The approach I use with all my clients is based around the following five principles…
It’s always YOU-shaped
We each have our own idiosyncrasies when it comes to getting things done, so drawing on my years of experience, I encourage you to find what works for YOU. This is a formula-free, judgement-free zone!
Calm, focused space-holding
Clients use words like ‘miraculous’ and ‘witchcraft’ to describe what I do. But it’s not magic. What they’re experiencing is my grounding energy, gentle questioning, and ability to stay focused on what’s important, even when things feel chaotic.
Freedom in structure
Key to your success is finding just-enough structure to keep you taking action and building momentum, without you feeling hemmed in. Everyone is different, so together we’ll find the amount of structure that feels good and works for you.
Action-centric
This is not wishy-washy chit-chat about what you might fancy working on this month. It’s detailed and specific, helping you figure out exactly what you’re going to do to move your most important projects and goals forward.
Setting you up for success
Too many people spend all their time looking ahead, without pausing to acknowledge where they’ve been. Let’s celebrate your fabulousness and build your self-awareness so you can get stuff done and feel great in the process!
Here’s the thing. I am NOT a coach.
I’m not here to help you find your own answers and then leave you hanging, with no idea how and when you’re going to act on all the great ideas you’ve cultivated.
Figuring out the detail is my happy place, so if we’re working together one-to-one, I want to be in the nitty gritty with you.
Together we’ll get clear on exactly what you’re doing, and what you can delegate to your team, making sure everything works from a timing point of view (no more last-minute panic!).
Why you might need my brain
There’s a reason I love working with business owners like you who have a massive vision and a million ideas a minute… and it’s because I’m NOT that person!
Unlike many of my clients who LOVE the energy of starting new things, I’m a natural completer-finisher. Your creativity will never be stifled, but I WILL help you stay focused, so you can reach the finish line and see your work out in the world.
You can spill your guts about all the things you want to be doing, and I’m usually able to see the next step. I’m not phased by other peoples’ chaos! (In fact, helping people create order from chaos is one of my favourite things to do!)
If you’re trying to do too much, I’ll notice. I have a stellar sense of timing, and will help you be realistic about what you can and can’t get done in the time you have available.
In short, if you are a right-brain-dominant creative genius with passion, ambition and purpose, I’m the left-brain-dominant genie who can help you turn all that into reality.
How I got here
In the summer of 2016, after 15 years working in various admin and management roles in financial services, the charitable sector and Higher Education, I took a huge leap of faith and left my job as a professional services team leader to start my own business.
Why? Because work-related stress and anxiety sank their teeth in. At the time it was utterly debilitating, but in hindsight those weeks signed off work were a gift. I struggled to think straight whilst in the thick of it, but the one thing I knew for certain was that I needed to make a change. I was done with the 9-5. I wanted something different.
With no idea where to start, I invested in a few courses to help me figure out my next move. And lordy what a ride of self-discovery that was!
The biggest penny drop moment happened when I discovered I’m an Accumulator profile in Wealth Dynamics…. and promptly had a tantrum.
The profile said things like “Accumulators are reliable, get things done on time, and don’t make rash decisions. Accumulators make the best project managers, when a project needs to be delivered reliably on time and budget. They are the reliable organisers on the team.”
I mean. How very dare it??
To me, that sounded SO boring. But chatting with other people on the course over a G&T, I realised those skills are anything BUT boring for creative types who can’t keep up with all the ideas rattling around in their heads. Their eyes lit up when I talked about what comes naturally to me, and I knew I was onto something!
If I could spend my business life with those sparky, fun humans, helping them achieve what they want to achieve? I’d be in heaven!
Armed with new-found clarity and confidence, in the autumn of 2016 my business was born.
I started out as a VA. Then, noticing how much my clients were struggling with things that came naturally to me, I shifted into creating courses and mentoring programmes to teach people how to be better at getting stuff done.
I soon realised, though, that I was in my element and able to add the most value to my clients when I was in the trenches with them, helping them juggle what was going on for them in real time.
And so I created In It Together and Make It Happen Club, and I haven’t looked back!
And now?
It’s a privilege to be allowed behind the curtain of so many people’s businesses. I love using my superpowers to support fabulous business owners doing important work in the world, so they get to make a bigger impact and see even better results.
Three common misconceptions people have about what I do…
I know all this already. Investing in this kind of support is an indulgence when I can do it on my own!
Yep. You probably DO know it all already. But knowing something and being able to act on it are two very different things. As one of my clients said, “it’s not that I can’t do it on my own, it’s that I don’t!”
And is it really an indulgence to ask for help with the thing that’s holding you back and stopping you from fulfilling your fabulous potential?
I’ve worked with many smart, capable people who are actually pretty organised, with PhDs coming out of their ears and successful careers behind them. But the thing is, extraordinary as they are, they didn’t achieve any of those things in isolation. They had a manager, a team, a supervisor, peers on the same journey keeping them moving forward, giving them deadlines and holding them accountable. So why do we think we should be able to achieve greatness on our own once we start running our own business?
So if you know you have all the inspiration and information in the world but what you’re lacking is implementation, it’s ok to ask for help. Because choosing not to struggle is not indulgent. It’s smart.
‘So… are you a coach? I don’t get it.’
It’s ok - I get why you might not get it! I’m blazing a trail over here; there are very few people doing what I do, so it can be hard to wrap your head around. I’m not a coach, guiding you to find your own solutions and then not thinking about you again until our next session. I’m in the trenches with you.
If we’re working together 1:1, I get to know you, your business and your diary inside out so I can help you in a highly practical way. For example… you know that idea that keeps growing legs and getting bigger and bigger until it feels exciting but completely overwhelming? I’ll help you figure out where to start, and keep you moving forward until you reach the finish line.
And in Make It Happen Club you’ll leave every single session with a you-shaped plan for the month that feels motivating and achievable.
As well as helping you get your own priorities straight, I’ll also help you figure out what to delegate to your team to make sure you’re making the best possible use of the support you have around you.
You might like to think of me as a member of your executive board. I want you to succeed and will do all I can to help you do just that!
Is that it? It’s too simple. Surely there must be more to it?
Well, yes and no.
In my 1:1 work I’m listening, processing, questioning, clarifying, identifying action points, spotting potential obstacles, applying my sense of timing… all whilst holding your vision, goals and what we know about how you work best. The outcome of that appears simple to my clients as I synthesise it into a beautifully clear and concise action plan.
And in Make It Happen Club? The process I’ve designed to give you everything you need to have a focused month might seem simple, but that’s actually the point. You don’t need anything complicated to help you get things done.
I pride myself on making things simple for my clients, but it’s taken years of experience and focus to reach this point.
Fun fact time!
#1 I live with my husband in a village in South Leicestershire, within walking distance of three of my favourite things: chocolate, an independent bookshop and beautiful rolling countryside to walk in.
#2 In 2007 I won the ‘Contribution to the Leicester Comedy Festival’ award.
No, I am not a comedian. I won the award for helping to get some important new projects off the ground during my time volunteering for them (even back then I was flexing my ‘let’s get sh*t done’ muscles!)
#3 Taking care of our planet is very important to me, and I’m all about supporting smaller businesses who are committed to ethical, sustainable practices. That’s why I volunteer for The Village in Market Harborough, coordinating efforts to secure grant funding so they can continue their brilliant work in the community.
#4 I ruddy LOVE pottering with pottery. It’s such a mindful activity, and I’m a little bit addicted. Send help.
(Here’s one I made earlier…!)
