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How Mindset Drives Agency Growth: Insights from Matt Saunders, Digital Consultant for Charities

Updated on December 19, 2024

5 Min Read
matt saunders interview

Matt Saunders has founded two creative agencies and worked as a creative consultant with charities to help simplify and improve their digital comms. He has supported over 40 organizations and helped them raise over half a million GBP online.

Using everything he has learned from over 20 years of experience, Matt Saunders supports freelancers and agency owners with a business mindset, service structure, and marketing strategy. He empowers others to overcome challenges and reach their full potential.

If you’re a creative entrepreneur looking to improve your business mindset or coaching practice, this interview offers valuable insights. Read on to learn how Matt’s coaching can transform both your mindset and your business.

Mansoor: What inspired you to transition from web design to agency coaching, and how did you develop your coaching skills?

Matt: I trained as a coach back in 2020, primarily to learn how to communicate more effectively with my web design agency clients. I soon developed a taste for coaching and decided to offer it as a service to my fellow creative professionals. I did this exclusively for two years before moving back into creative practice, and now I run two businesses: a digital consultancy for charities and a business coaching practice for creative professionals.

Mansoor: Could you elaborate on the specific mindset shifts and strategies you focus on to help agency owners overcome their challenges and achieve their goals?

Matt: Personal growth evangelist, Tony Robbins, says that success is 80% mindset and 20% strategy. I have found this to be true, and so my coaching generally centers around helping people identify and overcome their limiting beliefs. These are thought processes and past experiences that have formed their self-image. Often, we need to redesign this in order to effectively change the actions they take in their business.

Mansoor: What is your approach to coaching? Do you prefer a directive or non-directive style, and how do you adapt your approach to each client’s individual needs?

Matt: There is a wonderful phrase in counseling – “person-centered”. I would say that my coaching follows this philosophy in that I try not to offer advice or show up with too much of an agenda. Whilst some hand-holding is necessary, I believe that my clients have what it takes within them to achieve their goals. I simply give them a leg up.

Mansoor: Could you outline the typical steps involved in your coaching process? What specific techniques or tools do you use to help clients achieve their goals?

Matt: First, we held a discovery call where I looked to answer two questions: Can I help this person, and do I want to? There needs to be a match. There must be chemistry. If not, I know the client won’t get results. Once this match has been established, they will receive an intake form with a series of questions that attempt to capture their goals but also throw light on how they have gotten to where they are. We then use this form in a 60-90 kickoff session to establish exactly what we want to achieve, what the blocks in the road might look like, and how we can overcome them. Generally, clients will begin to see breakthroughs within a few weeks of working together. My average client engagement is 5 months.

Mansoor: What key factors do you consider when assessing a potential client’s needs? How do you help clients identify their core challenges and set realistic goals?

Matt: It’s really important to understand the primary drivers for the coaching. Often, people are looking for a way out of a hole. But first, we need to determine what got them there and where they would truly rather be.

Sometimes, after a discovery call, it is apparent that the client doesn’t even want to be in business. On at least two occasions, short-run clients have decided to go back to full-time employment. I don’t see this as failure – failure would have been continuing to push on the wrong thing.

However, coaching is great for developing awareness of what one really wants, and this formed a large part of my initial assessment.

Mansoor: How do you build rapport and trust with your clients? What communication strategies do you use to ensure effective collaboration and accountability?

Matt: I always make myself available via email and WhatsApp to clients so they can contact me between sessions. It all takes place in real life, not just in our weekly sessions. We capture notes and track actions in a shared Google Document, but most of the work is rapport-building on calls. When we trust each other, amazing things can happen.

Mansoor: Could you share an example of a client who benefited significantly from your coaching? What were their challenges, and how did you help them overcome them?

Matt: I once had a client come to me who was unsure whether freelancing was a viable business model and struggling to make ends meet after 4 months of doing it. Within 6 months of working together, he was hitting $25,000 and recruiting a team. It was a whirlwind but a beautiful one! Another client told me their confidence was “through the roof.” Most often, clients tell me they just feel calmer and more in control of their business. You can find a set of video testimonials here.

Mansoor: How do you measure the success of your coaching engagements? What metrics or qualitative feedback do you use to assess the impact of your work?

Matt: Outcomes such as staff hires and financial success are nice to hear, but for me, the impact is displayed in peace of mind and personal growth. If a client tells me they’re sleeping better, or their relationship with their spouse has improved, this makes me very happy. It does sometimes make coaching a “harder sell”, but the real results are in the impact on the “inner self,” which goes on to create better external results.

Mansoor: What are the biggest challenges you encounter when coaching agency owners, and how do you address them?

Matt: Because coaching is so relational, finding clients who are a great match can be tricky. I filter for people who are passionate, motivated, enthusiastic and have shared interests with me because I know these will create the best relationships. As you can imagine, identifying and consistently attracting these people can be a challenge!

Mansoor: How do you stay current with the latest trends and best practices in the agency industry? How do you integrate this knowledge into your coaching sessions?

Matt: I read a lot of personal development books. My favorites are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway, and The Map of Consciousness Explained… and about two dozen others! What’s most important is that I apply what I learn. I also tend to work with coaches and enroll in training multiple times a year to keep me sharp and engaged.

Mansoor: What do you see as the future of agency coaching? Are there any emerging trends that you believe will significantly impact the industry in the coming years?

Matt: There seems to be a move toward groups and communities and away from 1:1 coaching. I personally prefer 1:1, as you can go a lot deeper with individuals. I also see more coaching in the spiritual business space, which is cool, because business is a spiritual journey, in my opinion. There are also a lot more coaches appearing – but in my honest view, the more, the better! Society needs more mentors!

Mansoor: What advice would you give to agency owners who are considering hiring a coach? What factors should they consider when selecting a coach?

Matt: Don’t wait around if you sense challenges in your business. Whether it’s cash flow, team-related, or a growth challenge, speak to a coach early on. Also, don’t expect it to be a once-and-done thing. Commit to working with coaches regularly, as they will guide you through each new challenge as it arises (and there will always be problems to overcome!).

Mansoor: What will you recommend to your clients to support their personal and professional growth? How do you help them implement these tools effectively?

Matt: Perhaps the best starting point is the classic Wheel of Life coaching exercise. You can find this on Google Images. It will help you see your life from a bird’ s-eye view, which enables you to decide which areas need the most work. If you’re looking for purely business coaching, the wheel can be easily customized to suit your needs.

Mansoor: We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your insights with us, Matt. Your expertise in agency coaching offers invaluable guidance for creative professionals. Thank you for such an engaging conversation!

Want to learn more from Matt Saunders? Follow him on LinkedIn or visit his website and stay updated on his latest coaching tips and projects.

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Mansoor Ahmed Khan

Been in content marketing since 2014, and I still get a kick out of creating stories that resonate with the target audience and drive results. At Cloudways by DigitalOcean (a leading cloud hosting company, btw!), I lead a dream team of content creators. Together, we brainstorm, write, and churn out awesome content across all the channels: blogs, social media, emails, you name it! You can reach out to me at [email protected].

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