Star of TV show and franchise says it’s her clients who are the stars

Following 17 years of immersion in the corporate world, Mitali Chopra launched her own business in 2016 after a move to the UK gave her the chance to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a business coach. Now, just seven years later, Mitali is a star on Amazon Prime’s Business as Unusual and has tripled her income by becoming an Action Coach.

What made you choose the ActionCOACH franchise?

Over 21 years ago, I met an executive coach who really made an impression, and it was always in the back of my mind that business coaching could be a great profession. Our family’s relocation from India to London in 2015 caused us to have a huge lifestyle change – and provided me with the perfect opportunity to begin taking steps to fulfil my dream.

I’d never considered a franchise over my own start-up, but I soon realised a franchise gives you so much support. The ethos of creating abundance and real, significant change in clients’ lives through business coaching resonated with me. When I met Ian Christelow and Julie Wagstaff, ActionCOACH’s UK co-founders, at a discovery day, I was completely sold – I knew that ActionCOACH would transform my personal and professional life.

What are some of your proudest achievements with ActionCOACH?

Although my earnings have tripled since I worked in the corporate world, I’m more focused on sustaining my growth than becoming the next big star. I live by the motto:

“If you’re persistent, you’ll get it, if you’re consistent, you will keep it”.

This resulted in me winning awards such as UK Coach of the Year in 2020, and even being featured alongside two of my clients in Amazon’s Prime TV series Business as Unusual.

It’s all about my clients and their achievements – they are the real stars. Maes London has increased its turnover year-on-year by almost 200% and gone from zero members in their team to 10.
Luke Murfitt, from Integrity Cleaning, has gone from the Jobcentre to seeing a growth of 650% and bringing over 200 mothers back to work – all whilst going through a personal battle with Parkinson’s. It’s incredible to be part of their journeys.

What do you love the most about being an ActionCOACH franchisee?

I’ve worked with hundreds of clients and am always striving to give back – it’s the final part of my dream. With every client I sign, I sponsor a child’s education. I’ve been working with a school in India for some time now to offer scholarships to children who would not have had the opportunity to maximise their potential without this funding – over 70 children have received scholarships so far.

ActionCOACH has transformed my life, giving me the chance to spend quality time with my family. My son is a professional squash player, so it’s great to have the flexibility to travel for his tournaments. It’s amazing to be able to build a successful business and provide the best opportunity for my son to thrive too.

At a glance:

Year established: 1993 (AUS) 2001 (UK)

Number of franchised outlets: 250+

Minimum required capital: £69,000

Find out more about the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity here.