What My Clients Say

Omokoroa Golf Club, Manager

About Be Bold in Business Leadership programme:

” It’s been awesome. It’s been phenomenal. I Feel like I’m a different person. I feel that I’m in the right place now, and that I can make a significant difference and that I will really enjoy this job. “

Markus Niles

Housing Company, Admin and Sales, Cambridge

About the Be Bold in Business Leadership programme:

“My experience with the Be Bold in Business programme (powered by the effervescent Douwe Hoogstra) was extremely emboldening and powerful in ways I didn’t anticipate.

I have found Douwe to be like a persistent friend, simultaneously holding me accountable for my shit but also lending his unending support and checking in to ensure my progress wasn’t stifled by self-doubt and other intrusions.

I also learned a lot, from how to manage change in both my personal and work lives as well as understanding what drives my emotions and how to achieve a balance between the logical and emotional parts of my brain.

I can’t recommend Be Bold in Business enough.”

 

Powertool Retail and Repair Company, Tauranga

Business coaching and advisory. Preparing a business for sale, and facilitating the sale process:

“ We got to the point where we had made some inroads into the absence of systems and technology use.  Hitting brick walls became a familiar theme and the likelihood of losing a valuable staff member was the day I Googled ‘ business coaches’ near you. 

Douwe returned my call promptly and made himself available for a free consultation within a week of first speaking.  Before meeting in person I had a good feel from just the phone call.  Douwe asked good questions and gave me confidence in his ability and broad knowledge of life experience and personal business knowledge and experience.

The stand out point for me though was that he asked how my husband felt about me calling in a coach.   This was the tricky part of course because it’s not easy to admit that we might need external help.  

Without Douwe’s ability to empathize and tap into my husband’s world and way of doing things the outcome would be very different and likely this letter wouldn’t exist.

Douwe not only knew where we were and needed to be but he mapped out how to get there. 

We were taken through a series of steps to  examine ourselves as people. This process was known as “Be Bold”.   To be Bold, when I think of it now that we are further down our Business Journey, is to have the courage to be real with ourselves about who and where we are and where we feel we could be.  No one else tells us what we ought to be.  It’s built in but it’s not until we have a special person walking with us that we are inclined to be brave and look at ourselves.   Douwe did this for us.    Unrelentingly. Patiently. Professionally. 

We went from having an unsaleable business to selling our business for a reasonable price with minimal fuss within a year. 

If you know you need a push to get the tough going then Douwe is the tough who will get you going.  You’ll know where you stand and there won’t be mystery about what needs to happen if you have Douwe on your team.” 

Jade Meiklejohn

 

Podium – Athlete Recruitment Company – Start-up, Cambridge

About the Be Bold in Business Kickstarter and Accelerator programme:

“ “Working with Douwe gave me the confidence to leave a comfortable job, going out on my own to pursue something I could be passionate about.

During my time with Douwe and the Accelerator Programme, I was able to shift my perspective on a lot of the trickier aspects of business start-ups, embracing these challenges and using the group as a support network, and somewhere I could share ideas or hear about similar experiences.

I would highly recommend Douwe to anyone who is looking to step outside of their comfort zone, and pursue a new challenge in their lives”.“

Jake Riggir – operations

Event Management Company, Palmerston North

About the Be Bold in Business Kickstarter programme:

“ I have to say that this is an awesome program that is really insightful into how you as an individual tick the sorts of things that trigger you and how you can best manage to keep yourself on the positive side so that you can achieve more.

For me I came out of it with a better understanding of what I was doing to derail myself and how to reset myself back into a better balance so that I could focus on building my business and be passionate about it.

There is also a realisation that I just need to get on with it and now find myself not worrying about what other people think. I found that I am a lot more insightful as to why I am resistant to things and what I need to do when I find myself in that position.

The group situation was fantastic, you start off not knowing each other and end up feeling more like family knowing vulnerable things about each other. It really brings you together as a group and very quickly you see that the thoughts you have going through your head are thoughts that not only you has.

I highly recommend this programme to anyone thinking about getting or is in business.

Happy to recommend you to anyone or chat with anyone you find that might be having first or second thoughts about signing up.“

Digital Marketing Contractor, New Plymouth

About Be Bold in Business Kickstarter programme:

“I absolutely enjoyed the Be Bold programme. It’s been two weeks after the last session and I’m still using the tools from the programme on a day-to-day basis. It has helped me to keep my energy up and my mind positive.  

Having a clear understanding of my motivators and negative drivers, makes me more in control of my own thoughts and feelings. It’s a choice which side of the scale we give our attention to. 

Having a group of people that were opening up to all of us about their own challenges and opportunities, means that I can now say that I have a bunch of new friends around the country who will know me much better than some people living around the corner from me. 

Highly recommended!” 

 

Marketing Company, New Plymouth

“Love Your Business helped me learn to have faith and trust in my professional abilities all over again. 

Professionally I had hit a rut, struggling to make ends meet running my own business I’m not ashamed to say I was seriously doubting my skills and expertise. Not only did this have an impact on my business, but it also affected me personally.

Working one on one with Douwe every week, he slowly helped me transform my thought process and begin to eliminate the pattern of the negative spiral that I had become all too familiar with. Douwe gave me the tools through the Be Bold programme that I began to implement across all aspects of my life, not just professionally.

Within a matter of weeks, I was more motivated, began valuing my skills and myself higher and reignited the passion for striving to achieve the success that I now comfortably acknowledge I deserve. 

The result for me was securing an opportunity to work with a company that I respected and admired. I would highly recommend Douwe and Love Your Business to anyone ready to make changes to transform their business and professional aspirations.”

 

Plumbing Company, Hamilton

“We had a great time working with Douwe and have learnt and grown a lot since we started out….after 12 months in the programme we had climbed out of nearly $30k debt, increased our bottom line and most importantly were enjoying going to work on a Monday morning… I would happily recommend Douwe to anyone or any business at any level, as the value he provides is priceless and inspiring”

 

Cleaning Company, Hamilton

“Douwe is enthusiastic and totally passionate about your business and its outcome. He is hands-on, which means you can call him at any time with any concern you may have… If you want to earn more money, enjoy more success and make your business a lifestyle, then employ Douwe.”

Outdoor Living Solutions Company, Auckland

“Fresco Shades is a family owned business that is well established in the Auckland region.   Douwe started working with us a few short months ago, and in that time he has managed to guide us through a restructure, and ensured we have started on our long held plans to expand out of Auckland.  He has worked with quite a few members of staff, not just management, and has coached certain people through change and improvement.  Thanks to Douwe we have been through a leadership course that changed our perspective on life, and that has had a positive spin off on how we interact in the business.   We have had many conversations where Douwe has challenged existing thinking, it has been really valuable to have a fresh eye on issues, combined with a lot of experience, so that we come to conclusions that help us to move forward instead of being stuck in the ‘yes, but…” mode.

There is still so much to accomplish in our business, but in Douwe we have found a partner who has the right balance of experience and the ability to tell it like it is, so that we feel at last there is real momentum in the business.