CASE STUDY
Hadland Care Group
Who can you turn to when you are at the top?
Key Improvements working with James
5-year business plans
Brand new premises
New acquisition plans
Better work-life balance
About the business
Cheryl Hadland owns 100 per cent of the Hadland Care Group, with over five separate businesses on more than 20 sites, employing nearly 700 people. Her group of businesses includes Tops Day Nurseries, residential care homes and a training company.
As the sole shareholder and a single professional woman, Cheryl likes to take advice from experts when she has new ideas for growth and development. After her last mentor retired, she agreed to work with business coach James Akin-Smith, having met him through another local businesswoman in Dorset. In early 2017, her business was the biggest it had ever been, and she really needed someone with wider experience in larger companies — James fitted the bill.
Initial improvements
The first steps were working through a questionnaire for James which determined Cheryl’s personality type, her strengths and the areas ripe for development. With a great deal on her plate at that point, this work proved invaluable.
Cheryl needed to step back and gain perspective before moving forward. The output of James’s tools gave her a fresh perspective — looking at what she was good at and the opportunities she had to change.
She restructured her team, which gave her the momentum to consider recruiting new talent to fill key gaps, including a financial director.
In the early meetings, James introduced Cheryl to his 5 Ways model, which helps business owners look at their business from five separate but intrinsically linked areas — from gaining new customers through to repeat purchases and profit margins. This is something they have used repeatedly since to drive improvements and efficiencies.
Ongoing coaching
Many people choose to work with a business coach to regain their work-life balance, but that wasn’t Cheryl’s primary focus with James. She has no intention of slowing down — but if efficiencies allow her more time, she has other passions to pursue, including scuba diving, skiing and spending more time with family.
After the initial work with James, their relationship shifted to one of mentoring, where he acted more like a non-executive director. James joined Hadland Care Group’s five-year planning meeting and met with all of Cheryl’s directors. Where gaps were identified, he recommended books and resources, and has been a valuable sounding board throughout. He has also held one-to-one sessions with individual directors — whether they have been with the business for 27 years or are brand new — and joined a recent group away day.
The results
Nearly 12 months into working with James, Hadland Care Group had new five-year business plans in place for Tops Day Nurseries and Aspire Training Team, with plans for the care homes underway. They had looked at converting enquiries into bookings, increasing occupancy, and had begun testing and measuring marketing activities.
New office premises were secured, and the business was aiming to acquire two small chains as part of their acquisition plans. James has been instrumental in helping Cheryl look at ways to maximise the value of one of the care homes ahead of a planned sale — a process that requires exactly the kind of experienced, commercially minded support he provides.
Cheryl loves scuba diving and underwater photography. James is very keen on encouraging his business owner clients to take some time for the fun things in life and his enthusiasm almost gives her permission to do things like take time off or draw some funding for personal reasons.
In Cheryl’s own words
“It’s so important to work with a business coach and mentor who has been there, done it and got the t-shirt. James has a successful history in business including working through many of the hardships business owners face. He has the ability and authority to protect you from yourself if you are overreaching or give you the confidence to leap if you’re not going far enough. He’s an incredibly intelligent and creative person who has been instrumental in our success during this time of change for Hadland Care Group.”
Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director, Hadland Care Group
Looking ahead
Hadland Care Group continues to redefine its goals. As Cheryl puts it: “James has the ability and authority to protect you from yourself if you’re overreaching — or give you the confidence to leap if you’re not going far enough.
He’s an incredibly intelligent and creative person who has been instrumental in the Group’s success during this period of change. I respect his opinion deeply — so when he tells me to watch out for burnout, because he’s been there himself, I pay attention.”
Find support to steer your business forward
Are you looking for a way to move your business forward? James has worked with a wide range of businesses to help leaders gain the perspective they need to make better decisions. If you’re ready to gain experienced support and guidance, get in touch to start the conversation.
