Strap in, it could be a bumpy ride...
Real World Experience, No-Nonsense Advice, No Certificates, No Fluff.
With over 50 years on the odometer and 30 years of real-world experience in positions ranging from grunt to CEO, spanning The Royal Navy, The Police, The Ambulance Service, and, more importantly, Business (from scrappy startups to international PLCs), James has made more mistakes than most people make in ten lifetimes. He's also enjoyed a great deal of success having learned from those mistakes.
Alongside navigating business minefields across industries like Technology, Retail, Events, Professional Services, Healthcare, and Charities,
If your life or business is spiraling or stagnant , there’s a good chance James has already crashed, burned, and emerged—bruised but wiser—on the other side of a similar experience. Some of the Personal & Business screw-ups and hard-earned lessons, include:
✅ Financial disasters & debt (he’s played “do we go on red or black?” more times than he cares to admit)
✅ Financial Planning (James hates spreadsheets, that's what accountants are for, but there's the back of a fag packet over there we can use)
✅ How to Pivot your life or business to make a silk purse out of a Sow's ear (the Navy teaches all sorts of useful life skills like sewing)
✅ People challenges (this is kinda James' shlick , and what he is best known for)
✅ Mental health battles ( James has a lot of lessons learnt, and knows how to optimise unique abilities that different people have)
✅ Marital and relationship challenges (including, but not limited to, saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time)
✅ Weight, fitness, and health setbacks (he's the proud owner of multiple gym memberships... rarely used)
One thing that James has found in all the work he has done, business performance is intrinsically linked to a leader's / Boss's performance. If the Boss has an off day then that will ripple throughout the organisation however large or small. So the solution to a problem is never solely about the numbers and the stats or the products, which is why a more holistic ( eeek! "coach speak") approach is usually required. Like it or not, however good your team is , your business's future depends on you!
His Mission?
To help others avoid the same potholes he hit at full speed — without the airbags deploying.
No Coaching Jargon. No Guru Talk. Just Results.
James has never taken a coaching course. He’s allergic to self-help books. Now, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like coaches. He just has an allergic reaction to anyone calling themselves a “coach” who’s never actually run a business (but has spent a fortune getting a piece of paper saying they can give advice to others), or met their own goals in life.
That’s why James doesn’t call himself a "Coach".... Facilitator? Sure..... Reality-check distributor? Absolutely..... Human BS Detector? Now we’re talking.
So, Why Talk to Him? (And more importantly, why hand over some of your kids’ hard earned inheritance?)
Through a bizarre mix of karma, fate, and sheer survival skills, James has an uncanny knack for:
✔️ Reading people (sometimes better than they read themselves—spooky, huh?)
✔️ Getting them to open up (even the ones who "never talk about feelings")
✔️ Offering brutally honest, practical solutions—for both business and life
He’s tackled people problems, financial crisis, sales disasters, and operational nightmares across 48 countries and cultures.
So, unless you’re calling from Mars, he’s probably dealt with something similar before.
Who Shouldn’t Call James?
If you’re looking for a comfy couch, a box of tissues, and some vague “manifest your destiny” chat, James is not your guy.
If, however, you need someone to:
- Tell you straight-up why “XYZ” is the dumbest plan you’ve ever had
- Give you smarter alternatives that actually work
- Help you cut through the nonsense and fix your mess—fast
...then he might just be part of your solution.
Reality Check:
If you think James—or any other coach/mentor/guru—can magically transform you into a rich, successful, highly attractive genius overnight here’s your first free piece of advice...
💡 Buy a lottery ticket.
No Contracts. No Long-Term Commitments. No Boring Tedious Sessions.
You won’t be signing away your life. Heck, you might not even sign away more than a couple of hours.
There’s no 10-session plan, no "unlock your true potential" program, and no hour-long PowerPoint presentation.
Why?
📌 James’s attention span doesn’t allow for that.
📌 You probably can’t afford that much time with him anyway.
(Disclaimer: Unless you have just won the lottery, in which case, let’s discuss where to send the recurring monthly invoice.)
Confidentiality:
James isn’t collecting material for his next Edinburgh Fringe one-man show, and he follows the golden rule:
❝ What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. ❞
Cost:
💰 It's probably cheaper buying every self-help book on Amazon, but then will you actually get any real results or value from that?
Like everything in life, it’s negotiable. The first conversation to ascertain if James likes you, and thinks he can help, is FREE ( well it would be nice if you at least bought the coffees)
Disclaimer: James sets his rates based on two things: (1) how interesting your problem is and (2) how much he actually wants to help you after hearing your sob story.
So… Feeling Brave Enough?
Let’s have a conversation and see where it leads. Worst case? You get some blunt, honest advice and a reality check. Best case? You get an actual solution. We will meet, speak and only after that initial meeting will you be offered the chance to engage James' services , because if he thinks he can't add value, then he won't want to take your money.
Either way, you’ll walk away wiser. If you want some juicy examples of James's work then click Learn More
Contact James
You can either reveal yourself and get on with finding the solution by connecting directly on WhatsApp or even , shock horror, by picking up the phone. Or if you aren't ready for that then send me message by clicking the subtle banner below!
