You started your business to do work you’re good at. Somewhere along the way, it started running you. Every decision lands on your desk. You’re working harder than ever, but growth has stalled. You know something needs to change, but you can’t quite see what, and there’s no one to think it through with.
If that sounds familiar, that’s where I come in.
I’m John Obidipe, founder of Catalyst Growth Coaching. I’m a business coach and leadership coach working with business owners, founders, managing directors and their teams, in firms from five staff to five thousand. I act as a thought partner and advisor: someone who understands how businesses work, cares about the people running them, and helps you make clear decisions about what to do next.
WHERE MY EXPERTISE LIES
Business analysis and strategy. Before coaching, I spent years as a Senior Business Analyst and transformation specialist. My job was to understand what was really going on inside an organisation, map how work actually flowed, find where it was getting stuck, and design changes that would last. I bring that same thinking to small businesses. I can help you with business planning, growth strategy, process improvement and operations, so the business can grow without everything depending on you.
Owner dependency and stepping back. Many owners I work with have become the bottleneck in their own business. They want to delegate, build a reliable second in command, or plan for succession, but they don’t know where to start or who to trust. I help you work out which decisions only you should make, what can be handed over, and how to build the team and systems to carry it.
Leadership and decision-making. Growing a business means making big calls with incomplete information, often alone. I give you a structured space to think, test your options and land on a decision you can act on. Every session ends with a clear next step.
Team building and team performance. As businesses grow, teams can drift out of alignment. People pull in different directions, communication breaks down and productivity drops. I work with leaders and their teams on goal alignment, roles, working processes and understanding each other, so the team can take on more and manage itself.
Strengths-based development. I’m a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths coach and a FITT16 practitioner. These tools show how you and your people naturally think, decide and work. That insight helps you lead in a way that suits you, put the right people in the right roles, and stop wasting energy fighting your own wiring.
HOW I WORK
I use a whiteboard as my main tool. We put your challenge on the board, map it out together and work through it until it’s clear. Owners tell me this is often the first time they’ve seen their whole business laid out in one place. It turns the noise in your head into a plan you can follow.
I’m a thought partner first and an advisor second. I ask good questions and listen properly, because the answer is often already in the room. When you need a straight view, I’ll give you mine, plainly and practically. I’m naturally curious about how businesses work and genuinely supportive of the people behind them.
I also run peer groups for business owners in Milton Keynes, where a small circle of owners meet regularly to challenge each other, share decisions and hold each other to what they commit to. Running a business can be lonely. It doesn’t have to be.
CHALLENGES I CAN HELP WITH
Growth that has stalled or plateaued. Feeling stuck, overwhelmed or close to burnout. Being the bottleneck in your own business. Delegation and letting go of control. Hiring, developing or trusting a second in command. Succession planning and preparing the business for the next stage. Scaling without losing what makes the business work. Team conflict, misalignment or low productivity. Unclear strategy, priorities or direction. Big decisions you’ve been putting off. Leading change in your business, including adopting AI.
WHO I WORK WITH
Owner-managers, founders, entrepreneurs, managing directors and senior leaders, from start-ups and small businesses through to established SMEs and larger organisations. Clients include professional services firms, consultancies and growing local businesses.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A calm, honest conversation. No sales pressure and no jargon. My background combines commercial thinking with a genuine interest in people, so we look at the numbers, the operations and the strategy, and at you as the person leading it all.
If you’re carrying something you haven’t been able to think through properly, get in touch. We’ll put it on the board and work out your next step together.
