About Phil - Business Mentor and Strategist

As a business mentor, strategist, facilitator, trainer, and management consultant, I am known for my forthright views.  I am not scared to say it as I see it.  I state my truth, and am happy to be wrong.

I speak from experience

Many advisors are only one page ahead in the manual. My background with Freightways, Xerox, Canon and then a shareholder with Blue Star coupled with management consulting and mentoring since 1996 has positioned me well to advise from experience.  I haven't had one year of experience twenty times over.  I have done the hard yards, experienced many situations and advise based on the experiences I either have been personally involved with or viewed.  It's not about the books that I have read!

From my extensive experience in the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds, I have identified that a lack of objectivity is what gets in the way of good decisions.  Good executives or owners therefore suffer from being too close to the business, irrespective of how astute they are.  It is the nature of their role which requires them to be close, thus requiring someone from 'outside' to take a 'look in'.  It is a sign of strength to ask for advice or assistance.  

My Philosophy

Nature can tell us a lot.  Businesses cycle with the seasons yet this is often forgotten in today’s Western world where every year is meant to be better than the last.  Annual planning cycles do not allow for a fallow year, with a requirement for the leadership to be brave.  It’s great to be brave, just not stupid.  Mistakes are great to make and learn from but the issue lies with mistakes being made over and over again but the lesson not learned.

Fear seems to surround many a business decision.  In my world, business is easy.  Get clear, make a decision, accept the consequences and move forward.

I am known as a visionary and strategist with broad industry knowledge and lots of life experience. Being both analytical and intuitive, I have the unique ability to get to the heart of the real ailments in business and personal life.

I believe that work and home life are on the same continuum, one impacting the other. I aim to restore balance by getting individuals to help themselves.

I have travelled up the corporate ladder and therefore assist from a ‘been there’ perspective. I have also been self-employed and a shareholder in a privately held company.  I draw from this experience and am confident across a large array of industries.

Uncompromising, rigorous and candid, I challenge peoples’ beliefs. I will only work with people who are willing to assist themselves. I will not be seduced or coerced by the people I work with.

My services are offered within a holistic framework and therefore encompass physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, family, home, social, cultural, financial and career aspects.  One aspect impacts another.

I maintain balance in my own life by spending a lot of time with my family, and sporting activities including martial arts, motorbikes and surf lifesaving.

Journey to success

After some heady years working alongside Eric Watson as Group Marketing Director of the Blue Star Group, and being part of the team that saw the business grow from $4 million to $500 million in five years, I sold out just before my 30th birthday believing that there was more to life. I was right. I’ve prostituted many of my working years to corporates, not realising until a lot later why these relationships served me so well commercially yet left me drained in other ways. I was a regional manager for Rank Xerox at the age of 23, a company rep for a national courier company complete with company car at age 18, all milestones yet all unsatisfying in their own right.  If only I knew then what I do now, my journey could have been more enjoyable in the moment.  However, a good bi-product of this journey has been the learnings which I now get to share with my clients.

I sack clients who won't help themselves

If you make a commitment to take action and then, without good reason, don't follow through, I will never work with you again.  I am keen to assist you to help yourself and company, but I won't hang around to collect a fee if my expertise isn't being valued.  Should you engage my services, I am known to be very responsive and commit to respond by the conclusion of the next business day at latest.  I guarantee my work.  If I can't deliver the results agreed upon, I don't expect to get paid however, when I do deliver, I expect that my terms of trade are met.

It's about working together to meet your needs

Working together is true partnership.  You need to be comfortable with me as a person and my ability, although 'comfort' may not be a word to describe the journey!  I need to be comfortable that I can work with you and that I can deliver results.  I don't need formal agreements, a handshake will do.  If it is time to re-frame or finish the engagement, so be it.  In this way, we can partner together to get the project done.

TESTIMONIALS