Issue 1 2022 31 Sara Phelan is an exceptional strategist in the business sector, but the real difference-maker is her passion. Sara founded Evalu8-Evolve because she wanted to help small business grow. She had a simple premise – ask new questions to gain a new perspective. In Sara’s own words, “it’s honest, raw and not always comfortable, but these conversations are necessary if you want to level up your business skills.” Sara’s life prior to 2005 was remarkable on paper; she was an accomplished manager and corporate trainer in leadership, customer service and sales. Having built a solid foundation of skills, she struck out on her own with her first business and soon succumbed to a familiar pattern – she was working IN her business but never had the time to work ON it! Knowing full well that we can overcome immense challenges by successfully identifying what the issues are, it seemed so hard to put her finger on “it” with ease. Fabulous mentors helped, but it wasn’t until Sara was a Business Broker that she developed a combination of tools to hone in on what’s working and what’s not. Combined with her no-nonsense approach to coaching (she’s not scared to ask the hard questions and she won’t sugar-coat them) she has helped countless others to thrive where they were previously treading water. The Evalu8-Evolve methodology is a combination of best practices and questions that consultants, investors or business brokers would be looking at when considering a business for transition or growth. Covering 8 core business units in the Evalu8 Strategic Framework these tools help entrepreneurs unlock where they really are today and what needs to happen to get them on track with their goals. “You may not like the questions I ask or the answers you find. It’s not easy and you have to be prepared to do the work. But it works if you do!” Sara firmly believes that it’s never too late for a lightbulb moment and a pivot in direction. She also feels strongly that entrepreneurship is a team sport with highs and lows that no one else really gets. The community of entrepreneurs that support each other creates an inclusive environment to learn grow, scale and exit. There is no perfect solution that is one size fits all for every business or entrepreneur. “It breaks my heart to see other entrepreneurs reach out for the wrong help, too late, just because they didn’t know.” Being a business owner is never easy, and we have so much to share and learn from each other. Figuring things out and taking steps to correct the course of your business is entrepreneurship but it is never stumble-free. Unprecedented challenges have hit all business owners in the last two years and with the combination of uncertainty in the marketplace and a swing to a digital economy, adapting and evolving your business has never been so important. While Evalu8-Evolve have helped entrepreneurs adapt to the new environment, they have also done so themselves. Evalu8-Evolve’s initial business model was one of 1:1 coaching and consulting but through the pandemic, Sara applied her own methods, evaluating and evolving to a more diverse and digital offering. Not only did it strengthen her services, but it has also enabled Evalu8-Evolve to help entrepreneurs across the globe, not just in Atlantic Canada. Her new self-paced training program and community allows entrepreneurs Oct21878 Entrepreneurs Strategically Evolving Evalu8-Evolve Business Coaching has a reputation for instilling confidence and delivering strategic excellence to business owners. They are on a mission to help entrepreneurs cut through the noise and rediscover their business from a whole new perspective. Led by founder Sara Phelan, the firm is recognized as one of Corporate Vision’s Coaching 100. Let’s dig a little deeper into their remarkable journey and their growing success. to complete a range of activities before participating in a coaching call to review, discuss findings, ask questions and share. As she says, it is an ideal environment to “work on what you don’t know” by committing to look at one aspect each month. Additionally, she has developed a group coaching program, designed to facilitate feedback and differing perspectives as participants learn to evaluate opportunities and evolve their business with more focused 1:1 coaching to help achieve clarity and set a course of action. The future for Evalu8-Evolve looks bright. There are plans in place to develop a book to accompany the self-paced training, helping entrepreneurs delve deeper on their own schedule. Of course, we don’t know how the business landscape will evolve next, but we do know that Sara and her team will be there finding new directions for their clients and their own services. With such a powerful combo of strategic skills and business acumen, we cannot wait to see how Sara and the team continue to expand and grow in the months and years to come. Company: Evalu8-Evolve Business Coaching Contact: Sara Phelan Web Address: www.evalu8-evolve.com Email: [email protected] Coaching 100
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