Bruce Doyle recently added these prestigious awards to a growing collection, including Worldwide Business Coach of the Year in 2003 and Worldwide Firm in 2006, as well as being the only coach inducted into the Action Hall of Fame. Despite the accolades, Bruce feels that his success is measured by the degree of financial freedom he and his team can deliver to business owners.
Before he joined ActionCOACH, Bruce collected businesses with the same regularity that he now picks up awards. Over 15 years, he owned and operated an amazing 23 businesses – mainly in hospitality. At one of his coffee shops, a regular customer explained how he could work smarter and more profitably. That customer was Brad Sugars – founder of ActionCOACH.
“I attended some workshops and I was impressed,” said Bruce. “Like the Remington ad, I decided to buy into the company.” Today, Bruce leads the world’s largest, most successful ActionCOACH team. He holds master licences in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, and leads a team of 30 coaches.
Bruce draws on skills shaped by his experience before he joined ActionCOACH. “There are no new frustrations out there,” he maintains. “The same frustrations people faced in the past are still there, and they revolve around time, team and money. You have to create time for yourself, have the ability to recruit and train staff, and know how to manage money. People need to get balance back in their lives. They often have time or money – but not both.”
Bruce thinks that many people starting up a business are simply buying themselves a job. “Most business owners don’t have financial literacy,” he explains. “As a result, money seeps out of the business.”
Most of Bruce’s clients are city-based, and range from people setting up a business to a corporate giant like Westpac. His new clients are either referred by existing clients or recruited from free seminars.
As if running the largest ActionCOACH team was not enough, Bruce is also in demand as a keynote speaker and makes regular TV appearances as a business advisor. In five years from now, he sees himself with a force of 200 coaches, servicing the needs of 2,500 clients.
In a more personal dimension, Bruce has set his sights on competing in an Iron Man event in Western Australia. He is training two hours a day, seven days a week, in preparation for a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and a 42km run – ALL IN THE SAME DAY. Bruce is currently seeking sponsorship for this rugged test of endurance. Although just finishing will make him a champion, Bruce sees the real winner as being his nominated charity.
From coffee shop proprietor to heading the world’s largest ActionCOACH team – it’s a feat any Iron Man would be proud to accomplish.
