This weeks Kiwi Business Story is a special edition that continues on from last week's Part 1.
Amanda Barker is the owner of Pillar Consulting and an Icehouse coaching client of Jamie Brock.
This Kiwi Business Story is based on a podcast from 18 August 2022, and all figures quoted are from that time. You can enjoy the complete podcast here.
What is one thing you wish you had known when you began your business?
The importance of wellbeing would be a big one. I was trying to build the business, I was networking, I was just doing so much because my focus was on building this thing that I could be proud of. I just wanted to help everybody else around me, not just the businesses that I was working with, but also my family, building something for my kid’s future and something that my husband Mike could be proud of.
I think just in general, I did not stop for two and a half years, and I never went hmm, what about my wellbeing and what about me? I felt really burnt out. I am glad that no one told me how hard it would be. It is the hardest thing. You cannot underestimate that, the number of hours you put in, but I did meet some incredible people during that time.
What is one of your proudest moments in business so far? And how do you celebrate success?
So many things that I am proud of. My proudest moment, was when my team recently said to me, ‘we know that you would go to war for us, we know that you value us, we feel so valued.’ I heard that a client had said something, which had upset one of my team and I went into full mamma bear mode. And I was like, who do I need to speak to and then it was sorted anyways, I did not need to get involved, which was, everybody around me was like, we just knew that you would go to war for us, and we would do anything for you as a result. And I was like, that is cool. Because Pillar is so people centric, it is about our clients, but I am so passionate about my team and making sure that they feel valued, it is huge to me.
You have done some coaching with Jamie, who is a local coach here in Tauranga, How did that all happen? And was there anything that held you back from starting that coaching journey?
I wish I had done it sooner; I absolutely wish I had. I think time wise, Mariska, and I are so time poor. Because we have just grown so quickly, we are still very much in the trenches. Our coach Jamie Brock came about after Mariska and I were talking, we had a very honest conversation with each other during COVID, during 2020, when the pandemic really hit. Mariska was saying to me, if this is going to work, if we are going to do this and get through this period of complete uncertainty and unknown, we are going to need a coach.
We need someone to help us, and she said, “I just feel that we are treading water. We are not taking it forward, we’re growing the financial side of the business, that’s represented by the finances, as it shows that we are growing, but we are not doing it in a strategic way. We are just taking on more business and pushing ourselves harder. It was a good time to say, okay, yep, let's do this.
You said you wish you did it sooner, why?
I think just the advice, just having that third person that we can sit down with, and he is just so insightful, and he is just so good at what he does. He has been there as well, and I think, for me, when I first started the business in the bay, I was out networking, three nights a week, I was honestly a networking freak. I was like, I have got to get out there and put myself out there. I just remember at the time, there were a lot of life coaches, and a lot of people were trying to get me to sign up and be coached by them.
I thought at the time, if I am ever to have a coach in whatever way, shape or form, I need it to be my mentor. In terms of somebody who has been there, done that and who has walked the walk and has their own story. So, for me, I just did not really vibe with any of those people. Also at the time, to be honest, I just would not have been able to afford it anyway. I did not want to be someone's guinea pig either. I just did not have time for that. For me, it was very much about finding the right one. And then obviously, as we got busy, it sort of fell off the radar.
The other thing is that early on, I had so many amazing mentors, you know, my cousin who is the CEO, Chairman and sits on many boards. Another cousin's husband is very senior, in the New Zealand business world, so I had him as well, my dad unfortunately passed away in 2007. So, I did not have him, but I had a lot of his friends around who I could reach out to. Amazing female mentors, I joined the businesswoman’s network committee here, and one of the women who I took over her spot, as she was going into retirement, her and I would catch up regularly. I felt like I had these amazing unpaid mentors.
How did you hear of The Icehouse?
I did not feel like I needed an official coach. It was not until that the pandemic and Mariska said to me, hey, wait, if we are going to do this, we need to do it properly. Let's pay someone to give us that advice, and I was like that is such a great idea. The Icehouse was recommended to us, through my husband, who works for a commercial construction company and the three guys who own it were using Icehouse coaching in Auckland for several years, so they recommended it.
Did you have any misconceptions about coaching?
I think just going back to what I was saying. The misconception around what coaching was, I thought I'm too busy to be held accountable. I really felt that the last thing I needed was someone every week, month, fortnight, or whatever saying well why have you not done this yet.
What makes Jamie different from the coaching idea that you had in your head?
So yes, he does hold us accountable, but in a positive manner. It is all about, if you guys do this, it could turn your business from turning over X to turning over Y amount, the possibilities are endless. Because we know why we are doing what he is asked or suggesting that we do. We are like, that is great, so we sit down, we make time, and we do it.
He is also super understanding. If for some reason, like, recently both of us have been very unwell with the flu and COVID and all the winter bugs. I love that the session that we go into, sometimes, it can change quickly, and that is okay with him. He is not like, hang on, we must stick to the script, the business plan, or whatever. He is like, ‘okay, you girls are working far too hard, how can we talk about your wellbeing, or how can you look after yourself, because you are looking after everybody else. And this is what I am hearing’. That leads me to my next point, he hears things that we don't realize. He hears things that we don't even realize that we have said, he is very good at reading between the lines, and just grabbing something and circling back to it later.
He is very present. I have only met Jamie in person twice, even though we live in the same town, because Mariska is in Wellington, we do all our coaching sessions via zoom. She came up here and timed it with a session. So, we decided to go to the base and meet him in person, which was cool. He retains everything, and it is so good, just feeling like you are talking to someone who is listening to you. Then not only just listening, getting it and understanding it, he knows so much about our business now. It is just so great having that insight and the fact that he has been there, done that, he has so many amazing stories from other clients and his own experiences.