NRG turns 20 in 2025
How did NRG start?
In March 2005, I decided it was time to start a small training and consulting business. I'd been thinking about it for a while. I knew I was ready for a change, having lost my NRG at the boutique corporate training company I was working at.
I had always wondered if I had what it would take to run my own business.
Our second daughter had just turned 1. Our eldest daughter was 3. Hardly the ideal time to start a business. However, as I quickly learnt, the best time to start any major project in life is normally sooner rather than later. It's often a case of now or too late. There's a big difference between thinking about something and doing something about it. The time had come. I needed to roll up my sleeves and give this a real crack. Fortunately, I had, in my wife Michaela, an excellent business partner. How she found time to support me and NRG, whilst raising our 2 (soon to become 3) children is still far beyond me to comprehend.
We would never had made it this far without the continued support of Michaela, our National Operations Manager, who has been right by my side since day 1, back in March 2005. Thank you Michaela.
My background
I had a Business degree, had played state cricket (WA and Tasmania) and County cricket in the UK. I had experience working for a number of companies in sales and marketing roles, including Cadbury's and MMM, and had worked for a few years as a trainer for a boutique corporate training company. I had taught at one of Sydney's best schools and been involved in coaching for several years. I'd always enjoyed public speaking. Above all else, I was curious as to why some people had an appetite for hard work, whilst others seemed allergic to it. Could I, as a coach / trainer, help more people to fulfil their potential? Did I have the secret sauce?
Can we last 5 years?
When we started NRG, in the back of my mind I thought if we last 5 years we will have done well. I saw 5 years as a realistic target and set about working towards it. As you can imagine, it took time to attract the right types of clients. We ran open, or public programs, giving people the chance to get a feel for my unique style and NRG, before considering committing to larger projects. In those early years of NRG, I spent a lot of time on the phone contacting people, building relationships, and slowly building trust. A lot of the people I spoke to, asked me to send them information and they would come back to me with their thoughts. It's now 20 years later and I'm still waiting patiently to hear from a some of them. I'm sure they'll be in touch soon.
Slowly but surely, step by step, the business grew. We built a web site. Then we built another one. I spoke at events. We started to win some small projects. Only as I look back now on 20 years can I see why we have survived. We stayed focused on our plan, kept trying to improve (Kaizen) and listened closely to our clients, ensuring any training we conducted was tailored and aligned with their needs. Nobody wants a cookie cutter solution.
Somehow we got through those first 5 years. After 5 years our thoughts turned to making it to 10 years. Now, in March 2025 we will turn 20. The past 20 years have flown by. I'll be 58 this year. I'll have to dust myself down after our birthday celebrations, and start setting about how NRG can make it to 25.
Thank you for choosing to partner with NRG
I want to thank you for your support, and for sticking with us over the past 20 years. Running a boutique corporate training, coaching and leadership development company has been both exciting and challenging. I understand that for you, there are so many available choices when it comes to professional development, including online programs, public programs, and a wealth of excellent coaches and trainers to choose from.
At NRG we have been very fortunate, to work with a broad range of clients, and some very successful people over the past 20 years.
Three valuable lessons I learnt from high performers over the past 20 years
Tip 1: Play to your strengths. In your career the sooner you can find things that you like doing, are commercially valuable and you are good at, the more doors will open for you. Everyone has different strengths. The trick is to as early as possible in your career identify yours. It's very rare in life to be good at something you don't enjoy. It might take you longer than you think to identify your strengths. You may need to work in a number of different roles, in different industries to find what you are best at. Hang in there. Success takes time and normally comes in a series of small steps over several years, rather than in one big leap. Keep paying attention to the type of work, the industries and the people you are drawn towards. Notice what you don't like. If you focus on your strengths and get better in those areas you'll be surprised what might come your way. Do your best to minimise distractions and if possible avoid working in areas that are not aligned to your strengths.
As an example for the first 10 years of NRG I was more of an all-rounder than a specialist. I felt comfortable facilitating and delivering programs in a broad range of areas. I realised after 10 years that what I enjoyed most and where I was strongest was in 3 areas. Presenting With Confidence, The NRG Leadership Express program and customised sales training. To provide the most value, and remain relevant, I shifted my focus and my NRG to improving my skills and knowledge in those areas.
Tip 2: Kaizen - Aim to get slightly better every day. Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that promotes continuous improvement in business. If you can adopt the attitude of looking for small improvements every day, you'll be pleasantly surprised what can be achieved in your career. Every day you get the chance to make small improvements in the way you work. Consider the way you communicate, craft emails, design slides, contribute in meetings, your body language and your choice of words. You simply cannot not communicate. By making small improvements each day you gradually become better. Be patient. Notice what the successful people at your company do. Notice what the ones who are less successful are doing, or avoiding. You might consider working with a coach, or finding a mentor. Coupling the concept of Kaizen with patience, you never know what might come your way.
Tip 3: Spend your time with the right people. Time is precious. Nothing will hold you back more in your career than spending too much time working with the wrong people, doing work you simply don't enjoy. The years will fly by faster than you can ever imagine. Successful people limit their time with poor collaborators and maximise their time with the right people. These are the people who value you and the work you do. They "get you" and understand what makes you special. Successful people are always working on building mutually beneficial partnerships. Partnerships take time to develop. It's well worth putting in the effort, with the right people, to make them work. Be careful. There will be people you meet on your journey who, like vampires, drain you of your NRG. Limit your time with them.
As you return to work for 2025, I'd encourage you to take a few moments to think about how you can be more successful this year. Spend some time considering how you define career success. I know I'll be doubling down on my strengths, looking to keep getting slightly better and ensuring I'm allocating my time to being in and around the right people.
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