28/01/2025
Real World Experience, No-Nonsense Advice, No Certificates, No Fluff.
With over 50 years on the odometer and 30 years of real-world experience in positions ranging from grunt to CEO, spanning The Royal Navy, The Police, The Ambulance Service, and, more importantly, Business (from scrappy startups to international PLCs), James has made more mistakes than most people make in ten lifetimes. He's also enjoyed a great deal of success having learned from those mistakes.
Alongside navigating business minefields across industries like Technology, Retail, Events, Professional Services, Healthcare, and Charities,
If your life or business is spiraling or stagnant , thereâs a good chance James has already crashed, burned, and emergedâbruised but wiserâon the other side of a similar experience. Some of the Personal & Business screw-ups and hard-earned lessons, include:
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Financial disasters & debt (heâs played âdo we go on red or black?â more times than he cares to admit)
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Financial Planning (James hates spreadsheets, that's what accountants are for, but there's the back of a fag packet over there we can use)
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How to Pivot your life or business to make a silk purse out of a Sow's ear (the Navy teaches all sorts of useful life skills like sewing)
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People challenges (this is kinda James' shlick , and what he is best known for)
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Mental health battles ( James has a lot of lessons learnt, and knows how to optimise unique abilities that different people have)
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Marital and relationship challenges (including, but not limited to, saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time)
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Weight, fitness, and health setbacks (he's the proud owner of multiple gym memberships... rarely used)
One thing that James has found in all the work he has done, business performance is intrinsically linked to a leader's / Boss's performance. If the Boss has an off day then that will ripple throughout the organisation however large or small. So the solution to a problem is never solely about the numbers and the stats or the products, which is why a more holistic ( eeek! "coaching speak") approach is usually required. Like it or not, however good your team is , your business's future depends on you!
His Mission?
To help others avoid the same potholes he hit at full speed â without the airbags deploying.
No Coaching Jargon. No Guru Talk. Just Results.
James has never taken a coaching course. Heâs allergic to self-help books. Now, that doesnât mean he doesnât like coaches. He just has an allergic reaction to anyone calling themselves a âcoachâ whoâs never actually run a business (but has spent a fortune getting a piece of paper saying they can give advice to others), or met their own goals in life.
Thatâs why James doesnât call himself a "Coach".... Facilitator? Sure..... Reality-check distributor? Absolutely..... Human BS Detector? Now weâre talking.
So, Why Talk to Him? (And more importantly, why hand over some of your kidsâ hard earned inheritance?)
Through a bizarre mix of karma, fate, and sheer survival skills, James has an uncanny knack for:
âïž Reading people (sometimes better than they read themselvesâspooky, huh?)
âïž Getting them to open up (even the ones who "never talk about feelings")
âïž Offering brutally honest, practical solutionsâfor both business and life
Heâs tackled people problems, financial crisis, sales disasters, and operational nightmares across 48 countries and cultures.
So, unless youâre calling from Mars, heâs probably dealt with something similar before.
Who Shouldnât Call James?
If youâre looking for a comfy couch, a box of tissues, and some vague âmanifest your destinyâ chat, James is not your guy.
If, however, you need someone to:
Tell you straight-up why âXYZâ is the dumbest plan youâve ever had
Give you smarter alternatives that actually work
Help you cut through the nonsense and fix your messâfast..then he might just be part of your solution.
Reality Check:
If you think Jamesâor any other coach/mentor/guruâcan magically transform you into a rich, successful, highly attractive genius overnight hereâs your first free piece of advice...
đĄ Buy a lottery ticket.
No Contracts. No Long-Term Commitments. No Boring Tedious Sessions.
You wonât be signing away your life. Heck, you might not even sign away more than a couple of hours.
Thereâs no 10-session plan, no "unlock your true potential" program, and no hour-long PowerPoint presentation.
Why?
đ Jamesâs attention span doesnât allow for that.
đ You probably canât afford that much time with him anyway.
(Disclaimer: Unless you have just won the lottery, in which case, letâs discuss where to send the recurring monthly invoice.)
Confidentiality:
James isnât collecting material for his next Edinburgh Fringe one-man show, and he follows the golden rule:
â What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. â
Cost:
đ° It's probably cheaper buying every self-help book on Amazon, but then will you actually get any real results or value from that?
Like everything in life, itâs negotiable. The first conversation to ascertain if James likes you, and thinks he can help, is FREE ( well it would be nice if you at least bought the coffees)
Disclaimer: James sets his rates based on two things: (1) how interesting your problem is and (2) how much he actually wants to help you after hearing your sob story.
So⊠Feeling Brave Enough?
Letâs have a conversation and see where it leads. Worst case? You get some blunt, honest advice and a reality check. Best case? You get an actual solution. We will meet, speak and only after that initial meeting will you be offered the chance to engage James' services , because if he thinks he can't add value, then he won't want to take your money.
Either way, youâll walk away wiser. If you want some juicy examples of James's work then take a look at the "Learn More" section of the website