#TCMxTTH - From A Finance Leader to Business Growth Coach: A Journey Within

"Zindagi achhi chal rahi thi (Life was good)"- a stable career and a strong leadership role where I was using my financial expertise to its fullest.

"Lekin Mazaa nahi aa raha tha (But I was not enjoying)."

I had years of experience that made me excellent at numbers, analysis, and compliance. I was successful. However, I was not as impactful as I could be.

I was helping businesses grow, but I was not helping people transform.

I observed that businesses were not struggling because of faulty models. They were struggling because of the business owners' beliefs. The personal problems of business owners were no longer personal. They were reflecting on the business.

As one of my mentors rightly says:

"Businesses don't have problems. The problems of the owners become the problems of the businesses."

I also realised that businesses rarely grow beyond their owners' growth.

The Turning Point: Starting With Myself

With these realisations, I made a fresh start.

I wanted to transform business owners, and I knew I had to begin with myself.

I started investing my time, energy, and money into my own growth. I began learning, developing awareness, and taking small but consistent steps. I challenged my limiting beliefs, built new habits, and developed new perspectives.

I started listening and observing more than I spoke.

And this inner journey surprised me. It transformed me more than I had imagined.

A Powerful Realisation

I underwent structured coaching and deep learning experiences. During this phase, one insight became very clear:

People don't lack information. They lack transformation.

Today, strategies, frameworks, and tools are easily accessible. But what is missing is the mindset that enables better decisions and consistent action.

Many business owners aspire to grow and generate higher profits. However, they are not always willing to take proportionate risks.

Often, they see the time, money, and effort invested in themselves and their business as an expense rather than an investment.

This mindset becomes a bottleneck, firstly in their personal growth and eventually in business growth.

Stepping Into a New Role

At this stage, I was transitioning from being a finance leader to building my own business.

This brought a new set of challenges. I had to set up systems, build capabilities, and step into unfamiliar areas. I upskilled myself where required. I continued working on my beliefs and behaviours. I worked closely with coaches and mentors. A few of the communities that supported me immensely are GTM, SBY, AOA, LPCC, and TTH.

One principle became very clear to me:

Before I can bring change in others, I must begin with myself.

A Real Experience That Reinforced My Belief

I remember working with a business owner who was constantly facing cash flow challenges.

On the surface, it appeared to be a financial issue: delayed collections, increasing expenses, and tight working capital.

But as went deeper, the real issue was not financial.

The owner was avoiding key decisions. He was hesitant to follow up with clients firmly. He was uncomfortable setting clear boundaries. There was a fear of losing relationships.

Once we worked on his clarity and decision-making approach, the same business started improving without any major change in the business model.

That experience reinforced my belief:

Numbers reflect decisions. And decisions are driven by mindset.

Another Perspective: Professional Practice Transformation

I worked with a practicing Chartered Accountant who had built a stable and reputable firm over the years.

On the surface, everything seemed in place—a loyal client base, a capable team, and consistent work. Yet, he constantly felt stretched, with long hours and frequent firefighting. Despite all the effort, his income was not growing in proportion to his work.

Initially, it appeared to be a workload issue.

But as we went deeper, the real challenges were not operational. He was hesitant to increase fees, continued with outdated pricing, and stayed involved in almost every client matter, limiting team ownership—driven by a fear of losing relationships.

As we brought more structure and challenged these patterns, things began to shift. He reworked his pricing, structured his services, and started delegating with accountability.

More importantly, his mindset changed—from avoiding difficult conversations to valuing his expertise, and from holding on to all clients to focusing on the right ones.

Within a few months, his earnings improved, his team became more accountable, and he started operating as a firm owner rather than just a practitioner.

That experience reinforced a key belief for me:

More clients do not drive growth in a professional practice—it is driven by better decisions, stronger positioning, and the ability to value your expertise.

What I Do Today:

Today, I don't just work on business growth. I work with business owners on bringing clarity in thinking, building confidence in decision-making, and aligning numbers with business strategy.

Because sustainable business growth does not come from better reports alone. It comes from the right mindset, which facilitates better thinking and decision-making.

Closing Thought:

Growing a business is not difficult.

But the real question is:

Is the business owner growing at the same or greater pace than the business they want to build?

Because in my journey, one truth has become noticeably clear:

Business Growth is a direct reflection of the owner's growth.

Curator’s Note

This article reframes business growth as a deeply personal journey, where mindset—not strategy—is the true driver of outcomes. It highlights a critical consulting insight: sustainable growth begins when leaders evolve their thinking, not just their numbers.

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