“Work in silence and let your success be your noise.”
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Welcome to the 'My Story' page! Its probably the best way to start to learn a bit about me and why my own experiences in the retail world give me an idea to not only know the difficulties you're going through but how I can help you!
My name is Chris Jaggs and I’m the creator of the Learn Develop Live method, a Transformation Coach and Podcaster, but more importantly, the guy that wants to help you! Like any good story, this has been retold many times, not quite folklore but I've lived my time in retail and I get where your frustrations and issues come from. Right then, shall we begin then, are we all sitting comfortably? Grab yourself some popcorn... Here we go! "Once upon a time in a land far far away..." No, no, that's not how this story begins! Let's try again! During my childhood, I had many different 'dream' jobs, you know for when I'm all grown up... (when is that happening again??) I definitely wanted to be a Transformer, He-Man could have been another but there was also a time I was going to be one of the Thunder Cats, oh and don't forget GI Joe! As I began my teenage years, I really got into gaming magazines after a new found love with Sega, the good old Sega Master System, later the Mega Drive and anything else that followed. I wanted to become a journalist, but as the years went by and my general dislike for education, that career went out the window. As I started to become more interested in football, the idea of becoming a football scout appeared. Quite different I know, but hey, from my own experience of being a parent now, fatherhood has taught me that the way a child thinks can often never make any sort of sense! |
"I definitely wanted to be a Transformer.."
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As I began my teenage years, I really got into gaming magazines after a new found love with Sega, the good old Sega Master System, later the Mega Drive and anything else that followed.
I wanted to become a journalist, but as the years went by and my general dislike for education, that career went out the window.
As I started to become more interested in football, the idea of becoming a football scout appeared. Quite different I know, but hey, from my own experience of being a parent now, fatherhood has taught me that the way a child thinks can often never make any sort of sense!
I wanted to become a journalist, but as the years went by and my general dislike for education, that career went out the window.
As I started to become more interested in football, the idea of becoming a football scout appeared. Quite different I know, but hey, from my own experience of being a parent now, fatherhood has taught me that the way a child thinks can often never make any sort of sense!
Fresh out of school...
So fresh out of school, I think I had just a few days at a football coaching apprenticeship scheme but instantly could see I was well out of depth. There were people there that had been in this sort of environment for years!
Now that sort of thing shouldn't matter and you might be thinking that yourself right now, but at the time, I was a quiet 16-year-old kid who had low self esteem and low confidence, I did what most people do in that situation... get out! Looking back, that's 100% the wrong thing to have done but hey, we 'Learn Develop and Live', you see what I did there!?
Another apprenticeship scheme followed shortly after which was based around the Business Studies qualification I left school with at the end. I would eventually find myself working in an office about the size of a small bathroom, yes just two of us in a small space... I appreciate that my co-worker believed in self-hygiene.. I would later discover that people on those busy tube trains didn't, even at 6am!
Now that sort of thing shouldn't matter and you might be thinking that yourself right now, but at the time, I was a quiet 16-year-old kid who had low self esteem and low confidence, I did what most people do in that situation... get out! Looking back, that's 100% the wrong thing to have done but hey, we 'Learn Develop and Live', you see what I did there!?
Another apprenticeship scheme followed shortly after which was based around the Business Studies qualification I left school with at the end. I would eventually find myself working in an office about the size of a small bathroom, yes just two of us in a small space... I appreciate that my co-worker believed in self-hygiene.. I would later discover that people on those busy tube trains didn't, even at 6am!
Woolworths, Lower Edmonton
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Time for Christmas Temping...
he timing of leaving that job back in 1999 fell in line with the start of the retail world looking for Christmas temporary staff and off I went to apply with the now fallen retailer, Woolworths. I think the interview went well, the maths test certainly didn't as myself and numbers, we've just never really got on that well!
I did have a great connection with one of the department managers before I went up for the interview, it may have swayed the decision in my favour as just a week later, she became my new boss and an incredible mentor in my early retail career! I called her the 'Gaffa', I think she liked it, she never complained! It was the British slang term for 'the boss', I'd heard it plenty of times in the football world! |
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I guess she saw something in me, had she not done so, maybe I wouldn't have spent the next 18 years or so in retail!
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"I called her the 'Gaffa', I think she liked it.."
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After successfully being kept on and earning that permanent contract, I would spend most of the week just serving on those front tills in the afternoon, I often wondered what it would be like to work a morning shift and be able to leave in the early afternoon, everyone that did so seemed so happy! It was during the weekends that I continued to establish myself continuing on from my Christmas temp job and manage the 'Entertainment' department, CD's, games, videos and cassettes. Now I realise that some people reading this may not even know what the last two from that list actually are, but I'm sure you can still find plenty of them in the charity shops out there!
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My first work-life lesson...
It was coming up to almost three and a half years working on Entertainment when my department manager finally decided it was time she retired early to the seaside and find herself a nice little quiet stress free job.
The kids had grown up and it was time to enjoy life. I believe I was looked upon as her successor, there was an incredibly team but from what I remember, no one really wanted the boss's job. I had been running the department at the weekends so that could have been the start of it all for me. |
"My first work life lesson begins here..."
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I had an incredibly brief chat with the store manager about what I thought about potentially taking over the reigns full time, now back then, I doubted my own ability, sure I knew how to do my job, but this was going to be a department head of one of the most stressful departments in the entire store. I remember saying at the time, running the weekends was a great start and if I could ease into the role, that would be perfect.
Nothing much really happened after that until the new Department Manager arrived out of nowhere. Nothing was mentioned. Maybe that chat we had didn't mean anything after all.
Now my first work life lesson begins here and at the time, it was quite something for me to take. My 'new boss' was not only the daughter of the Assistant Manager, but also thought she knew everything. She did know her stuff about the product and probably how to run the department itself, but when it comes to people skills, well, there weren't actually any!
She spoke to her team like they brand new weekend staff on their first day in the job, despite the experience we all had. I never really understood how she managed to not work at the weekend, leave me to run that department unofficially with never any handover but then treat us all with such a lack of respect.
The lesson here for me was that despite how much work and dedication I put in, the training and processes I put into place in a very short time to help my little team become better and more efficient for that store, I was just part of the store head count. My own self and career development from my store managers point of view didn't exist.
Nothing much really happened after that until the new Department Manager arrived out of nowhere. Nothing was mentioned. Maybe that chat we had didn't mean anything after all.
Now my first work life lesson begins here and at the time, it was quite something for me to take. My 'new boss' was not only the daughter of the Assistant Manager, but also thought she knew everything. She did know her stuff about the product and probably how to run the department itself, but when it comes to people skills, well, there weren't actually any!
She spoke to her team like they brand new weekend staff on their first day in the job, despite the experience we all had. I never really understood how she managed to not work at the weekend, leave me to run that department unofficially with never any handover but then treat us all with such a lack of respect.
The lesson here for me was that despite how much work and dedication I put in, the training and processes I put into place in a very short time to help my little team become better and more efficient for that store, I was just part of the store head count. My own self and career development from my store managers point of view didn't exist.
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Time for a change anyone?
I think we can all agree that things weren't going particularly well at this stage of my career.. if you could call it that!
Something that had been happening prior to the above was a brand new store in Wood Green was being set up. The management and the new team had been using the store as their training base and I slowly got the managers who would be opening the store. I spoke to the Store Manager of the soon to be opened Wood Green and he invited me to come over and sit down with one of his Deputy's and see if anything was possible - this was some real light in what was becoming a dark time for me. |
I spoke to the Store Manager of the soon to be opened Wood Green and he invited me to come over and sit down with one of his Deputy's and see if anything was possible - this was some real light in what was becoming a dark time for me.
The informal chat went well and I was offered the position to manage their Entertainment department, it was an instant yes! I would need to inform my current Store Manager that I was looking to transfer.
As my old Department Manager hadn't quite set off to the beach just yet, what was our little team all went to visit her and between us, this transfer letter was drawn up with some killer wording included about the current working environment, lack of communication with my own path following the brief discussions and I'll be gone in four weeks!
The next day, I was nervous about when to pass this envelope over to him and to be honest, I'd been on the till most of the afternoon so I remember it being down to when we were about to leave as we were locking up. With my coat on, I passed it on and just left. What a feeling!
I think we only actually had one chat after that, he asked if there was anything that would keep me. I just told him there wasn't. Why is it only when you tell a boss that you are leaving that they can magically make an opportunity for you or even think about it. Sorry, the damage has been done here!
The informal chat went well and I was offered the position to manage their Entertainment department, it was an instant yes! I would need to inform my current Store Manager that I was looking to transfer.
As my old Department Manager hadn't quite set off to the beach just yet, what was our little team all went to visit her and between us, this transfer letter was drawn up with some killer wording included about the current working environment, lack of communication with my own path following the brief discussions and I'll be gone in four weeks!
The next day, I was nervous about when to pass this envelope over to him and to be honest, I'd been on the till most of the afternoon so I remember it being down to when we were about to leave as we were locking up. With my coat on, I passed it on and just left. What a feeling!
I think we only actually had one chat after that, he asked if there was anything that would keep me. I just told him there wasn't. Why is it only when you tell a boss that you are leaving that they can magically make an opportunity for you or even think about it. Sorry, the damage has been done here!
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The Wood Green era...
To say this move made me grow as not only a sales assistant moving into my first official management role but as a person is an understatement.
For anyone not familiar with Wood Green in North London, it is a crazy place. Crazy stuff happens there daily and that really is no exaggeration at all. I learnt about people, cultures, how to manage and handle people themselves and how to start to get results. Over the course of 5 years, I managed every single department in that store during my time therat some point with the exception of Clothing. |
My six hairs named 'Curly, Larry, Moe, Spike, Flick & Bob' (2005)
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I managed at some point, both floors in this two floor store. I saw theft, I saw shoplifters fighting with security, I had DVDs thrown at me by a fraud suspect, I was called all sorts of names, I witnessed some sort of altercation almost daily. I had abusive staff and I even had a knife pulled out on me. Unfortunately, some of those things mentioned happen across retail on a daily occasion. Wood Green toughen me up fast and I will always be grateful for those experiences in a strange way.
I managed at some point, both floors in this two floor store. I saw theft, I saw shoplifters fighting with security, I had DVDs thrown at me by a fraud suspect, I was called all sorts of names, I witnessed some sort of altercation almost daily. I had abusive staff and I even had a knife pulled out on me. Unfortunately, some of those things mentioned happen across retail on a daily occasion. Wood Green toughen me up fast and I will always be grateful for those experiences in a strange way.
I managed at some point, both floors in this two floor store. I saw theft, I saw shoplifters fighting with security, I had DVDs thrown at me by a fraud suspect, I was called all sorts of names, I witnessed some sort of altercation almost daily. I had abusive staff and I even had a knife pulled out on me. Unfortunately, some of those things mentioned happen across retail on a daily occasion. Wood Green toughen me up fast and I will always be grateful for those experiences in a strange way.
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One of the greatest days in that store came as a result of my old Store Manager from Lower Edmonton, coming to visit.
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"Like most things, it all has to come to an end..."
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He was coming to this new store to conduct a disciplinary meeting for one of the staff. I knew he was coming in that day so I thought I might see him at some point... and I did.
When I left Edmonton, I was just the guy that he didn't see fit enough to even run a quiet Entertainment department. Fast forward just several months, he saw me tooled up with a store phone, store radio, town-link radio connected to the shopping centre. I had grown in stature and he was surprised at just how much responsibility I now had. But anyway, it was just a morale victory!
Like most things, it all has to come to an end. In September 2008, with the building lease not being renewed, the store closed down and I was made redundant. It would be several months later that the whole company closed down completely.
Like most things, it all has to come to an end. In September 2008, with the building lease not being renewed, the store closed down and I was made redundant. It would be several months later that the whole company closed down completely.
Starstruck with Bob The Builder! (2009)
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If I were a toy...
I was redundant for a month before someone I knew put me in contact with Smyths Toys. I applied for the role of Duty Manager which turned out to be their version of an Assistant Manager so I was already trying to move up the ladder.
During my time with Woolworths, I successfully managed the Toy department and that is where my career with toys really began. I was offered the job and would be based in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. My time with Smyths Toys would only last a year and nine months but again, this was a huge time in my own development as a person. |
I spent several months in Borehamwood before being transferred to Friern Barnet in a new management team with my new Store Manager someone I had spent four weeks training with in their old store.
It was quite an adventure there, the staff had no urgency, didn't really care but we did turn that around. My Store Manager left and another arrived, this one with a well respected reputation within the company. He was used to working a certain way, I was always happy to adapt to whichever way was needed, however the staff weren't. Discipline was laid down, people left, new ones arrived as the revolving door continued to move.
It was quite an adventure there, the staff had no urgency, didn't really care but we did turn that around. My Store Manager left and another arrived, this one with a well respected reputation within the company. He was used to working a certain way, I was always happy to adapt to whichever way was needed, however the staff weren't. Discipline was laid down, people left, new ones arrived as the revolving door continued to move.
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Work-life lesson #2...
I remember this one Friday morning, the Regional Manager was coming in to visit as he often did. We had our usual walk around the floor and then we spoke in the office.
Now this chat would set off a series of events that would change where I'd work, my day to day travel and eventually, even my employer! Being given a promotion is meant to be a sign of recognition for the work you've put in, the hours of your life dedicated once again to the shop... so why did this not feel like that? Being promoted to be one of the Duty Managers at the Charlton store, South London. |
"I was being given a £2,500 payrise..."
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It was seen as a flagship and took some serious money, but this wasn't the right fit for me and I knew after being able to think about this, that what little work-life balance I already had, well, lets just say, the scales may as well be just be melted down!
My contract stated that I could be placed in any store within London so I couldn't contest it. When I say this was 'work-life lesson #2', it really was the trigger I needed as I hadn't been happy for some time.
To sweeten this move up, I was being given a £2,500 payrise.. wahey you might think.. and at one point, I probably thought the same. But once the visit was over and I was able to start to think over what would be changing in my life in just a few days, I thought I'd check how long it would take to not only get there but how much.
Whenever I have looked at applying for any new job role, the two main questions are always:
1) What is the rate of pay? - I have a family to support after all!
2) How easy is it to get to? - This is somewhere I'll be going to most of the week so needs to be easily accessible.
My travel to Friern Barnet was a weekly bus pass, maybe around £17 a week, half an hour travel in total or so. But checking out the travel from Barnet to good old Charlton (near the o2 arena) was looking at close to two hours and wait for it, almost £50 a week for the privilege!
Very well played Mr Regional Manager... that £2,500 payrise sounded good at the time, but that was only going to cover the new travel costs and I'd be, wait for it... £5 a week better off! What a work-life lesson right there!
My contract stated that I could be placed in any store within London so I couldn't contest it. When I say this was 'work-life lesson #2', it really was the trigger I needed as I hadn't been happy for some time.
To sweeten this move up, I was being given a £2,500 payrise.. wahey you might think.. and at one point, I probably thought the same. But once the visit was over and I was able to start to think over what would be changing in my life in just a few days, I thought I'd check how long it would take to not only get there but how much.
Whenever I have looked at applying for any new job role, the two main questions are always:
1) What is the rate of pay? - I have a family to support after all!
2) How easy is it to get to? - This is somewhere I'll be going to most of the week so needs to be easily accessible.
My travel to Friern Barnet was a weekly bus pass, maybe around £17 a week, half an hour travel in total or so. But checking out the travel from Barnet to good old Charlton (near the o2 arena) was looking at close to two hours and wait for it, almost £50 a week for the privilege!
Very well played Mr Regional Manager... that £2,500 payrise sounded good at the time, but that was only going to cover the new travel costs and I'd be, wait for it... £5 a week better off! What a work-life lesson right there!
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This isn't for me...
I don't think I could fully explain just how much I didn't want to be in this new store. I knew what the store was like at Christmas, you were expected to pretty much live there and I wasn't really up for that so I had set myself a timeline of escape - before the upcoming Christmas period. We were in July so I had time!
I started applying for retail jobs I thought I could do and my search continued daily. "we would be running across the car park..."
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The tube line lost power and we were stuck underground for half an hour, the signs of what was to come. My new Store Manager I had previously worked with briefly and I was quite honest about the time it would be taking for me to get to the store. My shift seemed to always be 11am until 8pm when the store closed. The problem is, while the store does close at 8pm, you still need to cash up the last till and lock the place up. Every evening after locking up with the security guard, we would be running across the car park to try and catch the bus to take us to the tube station!
My life had become waking up at 8am, leaving at 9am to get to work for 11. Trying to get out as soon as possible after close and hopefully get home by 11pm... what sort of life is this really??
Sometimes I saw my little girl awake, she was only a year old at the time and this wasn't the working out for me out all.
I asked my Manager if maybe I could have an early shift every so often but he did those and the reason he did was to avoid the traffic.. apparently there is also traffic on a Saturday and Sunday.. sure there is!
My life had become waking up at 8am, leaving at 9am to get to work for 11. Trying to get out as soon as possible after close and hopefully get home by 11pm... what sort of life is this really??
Sometimes I saw my little girl awake, she was only a year old at the time and this wasn't the working out for me out all.
I asked my Manager if maybe I could have an early shift every so often but he did those and the reason he did was to avoid the traffic.. apparently there is also traffic on a Saturday and Sunday.. sure there is!
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A phone call up a ladder...
Whilst up a ladder filling up the Crayola stock, I had a phone call from a private number. I answered anyway, this was before the time of ignoring the countless Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) phone calls we'd all get several years later! I recognised the voice, one of my old Assistant Managers from Woolworths. I still remember he asking what I was doing with myself and answering that I was up a ladder filling up crayons.. what a scene.
The phone call reignited the chain of events that would change my working life. During this phone call, I learnt about The Entertainer Toy Shop, a place I had previously not heard of but were becoming the fastest growing independent toy retailer in the UK. |
"I was up a ladder filling up crayons..."
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The phone call reignited the chain of events that would change my working life. During this phone call, I learnt about The Entertainer Toy Shop, a place I had previously not heard of but were becoming the fastest growing independent toy retailer in the UK. Based in Westfield London, Shepherds Bush, my old boss was now the Store Manager and was loving it and wanted to bring in 'someone that thinks outside the box', I still remember that statement to this day.
After that call, I found the vacancy online and looked at just what I needed to start completing the application process and for the next few nights that was my main mission after getting home. There are only so many times you can check an application and tweak it so when I submitted it, all I could do was wait.
After that call, I found the vacancy online and looked at just what I needed to start completing the application process and for the next few nights that was my main mission after getting home. There are only so many times you can check an application and tweak it so when I submitted it, all I could do was wait.
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Its showtime!
I was invited to a first interview a week later at their Head Office in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire and confidently left there knowing I'd answered everything as best I could. I just had to wait to see if I would get that second interview.
Later that week, I was invited to a second interview with the Area Manager in store. I spent the build up to that day preparing the best I really could for what would be a huge move. I arrived an hour early, it wasn't planned but sometimes, public transport can surprise you! "Promotion or not, I wanted out!"
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The interview went well, there was a good connection and I remember just how hot that office became. This was during the middle of the week so I would hear by the end of it. The thoughts and possibilities of being able to leave Smyths Toys took over and I impatiently waited, but there was no phone call at the end of the week. Doubt started to set in, I thought it went so well.. was I wrong?
The following Monday, that call did come! I was offered the job and I instantly said YES! There was no doubt or hesitation. Expecting me to say I would need four weeks notice, I said, I'll be with you in a week!
It was completely unprofessional, but I'd spent my whole career 'doing the right thing' and that didn't seem to help me four weeks prior to this. A 'promotion' or not, I wanted out.
The following Monday, that call did come! I was offered the job and I instantly said YES! There was no doubt or hesitation. Expecting me to say I would need four weeks notice, I said, I'll be with you in a week!
It was completely unprofessional, but I'd spent my whole career 'doing the right thing' and that didn't seem to help me four weeks prior to this. A 'promotion' or not, I wanted out.
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I'll get my coat!
Have you ever wanted to get out of somewhere so bad and once you can see this is possible, the relief is clear.
I started to draw up my resignation while at work, no reasons listed, just my last day would be a week starting from tomorrow. The letter was given to my Store Manager and I went about my day.. with a bounce! Travelling half way across London to go to work the following day felt different, I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel (and the tube tunnel too) and I just had to do this for another week. |
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My good old friend, the Regional Manager was actually in the store that day, and he didn't say a word to me. He wasn't happy I know that and even told the Store Manager that I 'had' to do my four weeks notice... nah you're alright mate, I think I'll pass on that one.
The week passed, I don't even remember my last day in that place, though it probably involved running across that car park for the last time to catch that bus again!
In my opinion and the opinion of so many others, you can check out the workplace reviews on websites like 'Glassdoor', to see how many other people agree that Smyths Toys is one of the worst places to work, full stop. If you've worked for Smyths Toys and think differently, well congratulations on being one of the few!
The week passed, I don't even remember my last day in that place, though it probably involved running across that car park for the last time to catch that bus again!
In my opinion and the opinion of so many others, you can check out the workplace reviews on websites like 'Glassdoor', to see how many other people agree that Smyths Toys is one of the worst places to work, full stop. If you've worked for Smyths Toys and think differently, well congratulations on being one of the few!
The Entertainer Toy Shop, Westfield London (2010)
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My final retail adventure...
After a few days break, I set off up north to Hereford followed by Wolverhampton for my training. I met some great people and learnt a lot while adapting all those years of retail experience to my new environment.
Over the course of the next almost six years, I experienced so many highs, so many lows and all the other constant pressure the flagship store would bring my way. "I had finally found my calling..."
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I experienced what the 'real' Christmas period was like in Westfield London, the constant stream of people coming in through those front doors from the minute they were opened to when they were finally shut and locked. The high-profile visits from Head Office with important guests meaning that the store always needed to look slick and it was, well most of the time! I experienced the 'London Olympics 2012' and helped support the Stratford London store where it was taking place, that was like a frenzy! There was a constant evolving team and my interest peaked with the training element of the company.
I became part of the company's 'in-house module training programme' which would lead on for to visit other local stores as a Module Assessor and help further other store teams development.
Through my dedication to people development, I received a 'Training Award' in 2014 and was able to attend the 'London Toy Fair' as part of the reward. I took part in company wide projects and exceeded my own expectations of how much I could do within not only my own learning but of others.
I had finally found my calling - learning and development! There was something special about taking someone's ability and helping them realise their true potential.
I became part of the company's 'in-house module training programme' which would lead on for to visit other local stores as a Module Assessor and help further other store teams development.
Through my dedication to people development, I received a 'Training Award' in 2014 and was able to attend the 'London Toy Fair' as part of the reward. I took part in company wide projects and exceeded my own expectations of how much I could do within not only my own learning but of others.
I had finally found my calling - learning and development! There was something special about taking someone's ability and helping them realise their true potential.
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Time for a career change...
So with my 18th year in retail coming up, it was time for a change. Not just within retail, but completely altogether.
Over the years, I'd watched as so many people left retail behind and it was time for me to do the same. The job hunt began! "I was a bag of nerves going into that interview..."
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I didn't want to be working until 10.30pm anymore, or picking the same toys up that I'd done the same with just ten minutes earlier and those were just two reasons for this need to change.
I learnt about 'transferable skills', something I never knew even existed, but was a real game changer in terms of being able to know that everything you learn working on that shop floor, could be adapted to other careers. Applications were completed and eventually a position for a Government Agency caught my eye. I applied and went through the process before being offered an interview.
I was a bag of nerves going into that interview, it was also the first time I'd faced a 'three person interview panel', one being the Director - no pressure!
The short version of this is, I successfully managed to get the job and would leave my retail career behind just four weeks later. Working in the office environment was a real culture shock for me with sometimes just how slow paced it all was. Not having to pick up toys constantly off the floor was another psychological thing I had to get used to!
Everyone I've ever said this to has completely agreed me, "everyone should spend at least one year working in retail." The same is probably said about working in hospitality, a lot of gritted teeth moments! Let people really get the experience of not only working with others but serving people who just expect everything right there and then.
I learnt about 'transferable skills', something I never knew even existed, but was a real game changer in terms of being able to know that everything you learn working on that shop floor, could be adapted to other careers. Applications were completed and eventually a position for a Government Agency caught my eye. I applied and went through the process before being offered an interview.
I was a bag of nerves going into that interview, it was also the first time I'd faced a 'three person interview panel', one being the Director - no pressure!
The short version of this is, I successfully managed to get the job and would leave my retail career behind just four weeks later. Working in the office environment was a real culture shock for me with sometimes just how slow paced it all was. Not having to pick up toys constantly off the floor was another psychological thing I had to get used to!
Everyone I've ever said this to has completely agreed me, "everyone should spend at least one year working in retail." The same is probably said about working in hospitality, a lot of gritted teeth moments! Let people really get the experience of not only working with others but serving people who just expect everything right there and then.
"Every tree starts as a seed, you my little sapling are no different!"
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Learn Develop Live is born...
I always said, when I get out of retail, I was going to do something that helps people. That something became, 'Learn Develop Live'.
The 'Learn Develop Live method' would later be created to help someone special like you identify an issue or pain you currently have, learn and develop how you'll change that before putting your new change into action and living your life on a higher level! With 'Learn Develop Live' brought to life, I needed to back my own experience up with the right tools for this. |
I was able to complete a coaching qualification with Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), this was just the beginning of the journey I'm currently on right now.
The office environment, just like the shop floor back in retail, opened up a brand new array of people just like you and me that needed some purpose, some meaning to why they were dragging themselves out of bed each day. Its all about finding the right questions for your answers.
The office environment, just like the shop floor back in retail, opened up a brand new array of people just like you and me that needed some purpose, some meaning to why they were dragging themselves out of bed each day. Its all about finding the right questions for your answers.
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Becoming someone who can help...
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Becoming accredited in coaching and mentoring gave me a really good solid foundation of just how best to start to help people with their pains and issues, those sticking points that haunt you day after day.
I am also a registered member of world reknowned academy, 'The Coaching Masters.' |
I recently also became a qualified Mental Health First Aider with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England... you never stop learning!
"Coaching is about helping people unlock their true potential as they experience their own journey of self-development and empowering them to become leaders of their own lives."
After my own experiences back in the retail game, I have seen and felt the pain and anxiety people develop being on that shop floor day after day. I have felt the pressures of being in what can be a hectic environment trying to get everything done from the Head Office instructions to the endless amount of deliveries being sent in.
I have done the early morning shifts, the late night shifts, the overnight shifts. The unsocial hours and missing out on family and friends whilst they enjoy yourself and your picking up boxes of product that someone has just dumped on the floor.. while you continually ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?"
If you are one of those people working in retail that wonders if there is more to life, I can assure you, there really is.
If you are feeling stuck, unsure or maybe trapped in your current situation, whatever that is, I would really like to help you.
My own mission now is to help retail workers who are feeling unmotivated, escape the shop floor, work on their mindset to relaunch themselves and feel energised again.
If you are that someone - its your time to start your own transformation to a better life and 'level up!'
I have done the early morning shifts, the late night shifts, the overnight shifts. The unsocial hours and missing out on family and friends whilst they enjoy yourself and your picking up boxes of product that someone has just dumped on the floor.. while you continually ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?"
If you are one of those people working in retail that wonders if there is more to life, I can assure you, there really is.
If you are feeling stuck, unsure or maybe trapped in your current situation, whatever that is, I would really like to help you.
My own mission now is to help retail workers who are feeling unmotivated, escape the shop floor, work on their mindset to relaunch themselves and feel energised again.
If you are that someone - its your time to start your own transformation to a better life and 'level up!'
Join 'Learn Develop Live' across social media!
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