Life Coaching for Ambitious Young Adults Ready to Level Up & Build the Life They Want.

Find out more about Brian

• How long have you been interested in this subject?

  I am 64 years old. I have own multiple businesses for most of my adult life. I have also been coaching & mentoring people in business for the last 35 years. Some of these students subsequently worked for me or partnered in a business with me.

• Tell us what your discipline can bring to people's lives.

  I am a Life Coach, have a Bachelor or Business, and a Masters in Project Management. However I also have extensive practical experience from owning different businesses in different industry segments; these include a food service business (refrigerated trucks delivering food products to restaurants & cafes), an industrial products distributor (mainly generators & air compressors), a manufacturing business (manufacturing lambswool paint rollers and painting equipment), a cosmetics & beauty retailer, and an e-commerce business.

• How would you describe your method as a practitioner?

  I prefer to point my students in the direction of discovering information via reading relevant books, associating with like-minded people from different industries (either in person, via reading biographies, or attending conferences).
  
  I am also a big believer in the power of forming Master Mind groups to tap into the experiences of other business leaders.

• With experience, are there things you have learned or unlearned about yourself or others?

  I am always learning. At 64, I am just getting started. My biggest business regret is that it took me far too long to understand the power of compounding in the context of business. That is the compounding effect of small, almost insignificant activities, done daily until they form a habit, which when done every day for 30 or 40 years produce spectacular results.

• Do you have a role model, a person who really inspired you?

  I have been blessed in life with some great mentors & role models. It started with my father, then Grahame Cooke (L J Hooker), Phil Smart, and more recently Craig Deane. All were self-made millionaires, and all generously invested their time and wisdom into me. I feel as though I have a responsibility to re-pay their generosity with me by helping younger, up-coming leaders.

• How do you personally relax; what methods work for you?

  I struggle to relax. I’ll share an example. In terms of breeders of German Shepherd dogs, there are only two exceptional breeders in Australia. One in Queensland & one about 80km from me in South Australia. Most of the German Shepherd dogs used by the military or police in Australia have come from these two breeders.
  
  My idea of relaxation, or switching off my brain, is to assist & associate with the South Australian breeder. He is German. He is about 70 years old and won European Gold medals for training and/or breeding German Shepherd dogs over decades before moving to Australia. I’ve known him for about 25 years. He is the closest thing to a genius that I have seen. Yet his expertise is in a field I will never be involved in.
  
  This is my idea of relaxation!

• Tell us about a memorable lesson.

  I’ll share the story of my most promising student.
  This occurred earlier this year.
  
  A young man aged 20, who was a gamer, approached me regarding coaching & mentoring in business & in life. I sent him out a simple questionnaire to get a feel for his needs.
  
  He responded with half-hearted responses. I did not think that he was taking the process seriously and I said that I did not think it appropriate for me to take his money under these circumstances.
  
  He responded to my email with “HaHaHa”.
  
  A few negative thoughts ran through my mind, however we had already agreed on a no charge first session. I expected a short session.
  
  It turns out that this young man is a professional gamer. He has represented Australia in several European competitions, and played at PAX in Melbourne last year in front of 1,000 people who paid to watch the games. He tutors people around the world in one of the games.
  
  He works full time in a warehouse. He is doing a degree at university, he tutors gamers, and he is still one of Australia’s champion gamers. And now on top of all of that he wants to learn about business.
  
  He is one of my most conscientious students. He has a very sharp mind and is hungry to learn.