Synergy Dental Care are a private dental practice in Stoke-On-Trent. It was bought from the previous owners in 2009 by Lesley Morgan-Barlow and Dr Richard Armishaw. Lesley is the partner responsible for managing and growing the practice while Richard is the dentist. Initially they had to turn the business around but then they grew the business. After two years Lesley wanted to take the business to the next level. As she said “I had lots of ideas and was doing bits of them all, but knew I needed to gain some focus”

So she looked for some support and it was October 2011 when she attended GrowthCLUB run by a business coach from ActionCOACH. It was at this event that Lesley realised ActionCOACH could help her to achieve her goals. As she said “I have a business background so knew what I should be doing. But I was trying to do it all. My coach showed me how I could channel my energy effectively.”

Lesley then began having weekly coaching sessions where they set objectives and prioritised work. The first thing they worked on was defining the vision Lesley had for the business. They clarified how the partners wanted the business to look in the future and then worked backwards from there. This enabled them to define the steps required to reach their goals.

There have been a number of changes in the business and the stronger, more informed, team has meant that these changes have been embraced more easily. For example they have expanded the service offering into new areas that had previously been resisted by some team members.

The results have been clear. In the first quarter of 2012 they increased turnover by

60% against a target of 30%. Lesley is obviously pleased “My coach pushed me to set higher targets, but we also beat those. Even now in what is traditionally our worst performing quarter. And it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down. ActionCOACH has helped the business move on massively.”