Actioncoach Dorset

22/10/2026

Can you build a global business from Dorset?

Andy Strong is proving you can.

On the latest Dorset Business Matters, Andy tells me how he went from aspiring DJ and mobile phone salesman to founding Strong Search. It's an international recruitment business finding talent for software, SaaS and AI companies around the world, and its team is based mainly here in Dorset. Next on the list is expansion into the US.

What stuck with me most was how Andy thinks about leadership. He doesn't believe in controlling people. He creates an environment where they make decisions, take responsibility, learn from mistakes and succeed.

We talk about:
🔹 Why Dorset is a great base for an international business
🔹 Unlimited holidays, hybrid working and giving people real autonomy
🔹 Why recruitment is about relationships, not filling vacancies
🔹 Why longer hours don't mean better results
🔹 Building a team that can run the business while you're on holiday

That last one is the real test of leadership.

Thanks for being so open, Andy. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or at https://zurl.co/FikF3

28/09/2026

A new way to buy and sell businesses. Are you a match? https://FairExchange.co Join the waiting list today to get 40% off your listing…

31/08/2026

Bank holiday Monday, and instead of a lie-in, our team was at Bournemouth Airport pulling a Boeing 737 fifty metres down the runway. That's 35 tonnes of plane, moved by rope, teamwork and sheer stubbornness.

We took part in the Dorset Plane Pull to support our new partnership with Dorset Mind, a brilliant Dorset charity doing vital work in mental health support right across the county.

Massive thanks to our clients who joined in, the whole ActionCOACH Dorset team, and the family members who turned out to help pull (and to laugh at us). Team effort, in every sense of the word.

More to come on this partnership. For now, well done to everyone who pulled, and thank you Dorset Mind for having us.

CWRC Taxis

17/08/2026

Great to visit the lovely folks at Halo Design in Bournemouth recently. It was time to present their trophy from the Bournemouth Business Awards one which we have been proud to sponsor for the last 4 years.
Well done to the whole team and especially to Jessica and Nick.

You can now listen to them on the Dorset Business Matters podcast as well here from midday today: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3RViWKjsRJE9XdjtWEH5X6?si=qEw-YXVaSeKIlmYzYD1uWg

09/08/2026

This month we are taking on a crazy challenge to raise money for Dorset Mind….we’re pulling a plane!!

Putting our strength both mentally and physically to the test, and raising funds for such a fantastic charity.

If you know anyone who would like to join our team, please get in touch.

Or if you wish to sponsor us, scan the QR code below.

29/07/2026

https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/west-dorset-business-team-to-pull-a-35-tonne-plane-for-mental-health-charity/ Looking for help to pull, and help to raise funds, please support a great charity and a fun day out.

ActionCOACH West Dorset is putting its money where its mouth is on the subject of mental health. On Monday 31 August, a team of 20 — drawn from the coaching team, clients, and family and friends — will attempt to pull a Boeing 737, weighing 35,000kg, a distance of 50 metres across the runway at ...

02/07/2026

Come and join us and our clients and family and friends for this great day. If you want to be in the team, reply with I’m in!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/actioncoachwestdorset?utm_source=CL&utm_medium=DT

08/06/2026

Whoever it is, reach out, speak up, you don’t have to do it all alone!

11/05/2026

In this episode of Dorset Business Matters, Simon Ellson sits down with Ian Girling, CEO of Dorset Chamber for a candid conversation about business, leadership, resilience and why community matters more than ever.

Ian shares his journey from delivering coal up Gold Hill in Shaftesbury to leading one of Dorset’s most influential business organisations. Along the way, they explore how Dorset Chamber has evolved from a traditional networking body into a modern, commercially driven organisation supporting business growth, international trade, skills development, wellbeing and lobbying government on behalf of Dorset businesses.

The conversation covers:
• Why business networking still matters in a digital world
• The realities of running a membership organisation without government funding
• Mental health, burnout and leadership during COVID
• The changing role of women in business leadership
• Why chambers must stay modern, engaging and commercially relevant
• Supporting startups, scale-ups and established businesses alike
• The importance of education, skills and future workforce planning
• Ian’s terrifying parachute jump story for charity
• What business owners can learn about resilience, instinct and leadership

This is an honest, insightful and surprisingly personal conversation about business with purpose, leadership under pressure and creating meaningful impact in your community.

If you run a business in Dorset, or anywhere for that matter, there’s plenty in here worth listening to. Link in the comments

03/05/2026

Our head coach a great late birthday present at the Conker Spirit Distillery tour. Hosted by Rupert Holloway the founder. A great excuse to taste multiple flavours of their Dorset gin. All excellent, especially the Navy at 57% wowza! Thanks to Seb Ellson and Claire Ellson, for the company and for driving :)
If you want to know more about Conker, tune in to our podcast and hear Rupert tell his story!
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dorset-business-matters/id1876360725?i=1000756793021