Tell me a bit about your role at Sussex Innovation.

I work as an Executive Coach and Sales and Marketing Advisor, supporting our clients across a number of areas including their vision and goals, leadership challenges, as well as any sales or marketing-related issues that they have.

What are some common business problems that you can help solve?

Starting a business is really, really hard work; the sheer effort in keeping the various plates spinning leads to a couple of issues: losing track of the difference between “urgent” and “important” when it comes to prioritising, and secondly a sense that the “cog in a wheel” corporate world they might have left behind has simply been replicated within their own business! I work with my clients to build solid foundations (vision, strategy, goals) so that when things get tough, they know why they do what they do, and where they’re heading.

What kind of work were you doing before you joined Sussex Innovation?

I was a marketer in the video games and telecommunications sectors, building distributed teams and working in and across a variety of countries and cultures. A few years ago I realised that what I loved doing the most was supporting others to fulfil their potential, so I quit my job to retrain as an executive coach.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Sussex Innovation?

The variety of clients; no week is ever the same. I recognised after 20 years in the corporate world that I had tired of the repetition; with coaching, every client is different and I love that. Every time I finish a coaching session with our clients I think to myself: “this is what I want to do for the rest of my career.”

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Travelling the world, cooking, and playing or watching almost any sport (the dream would be to combine watching cricket/tennis/golf on every continent with some coaching here and there!)

Richard offers executive coaching and strategic sales and marketing advice to help raise ambitions and grow your business. Get in touch today and see how Richard can help you.