Bob and Sophie - Background

Bob and Sophie Maguire

Bob and Sophie are the main characters of How to Grow Your Business by Taking 3 Months Off. Louise Woodbury and William de Ora take you through the journey that Bob and Sophie have taken from the first day they met with Louise and William through to the celebration dinner at a restaurant in Sydney.

Their Journey

Based on our achievement, the first small business owners to consult us about taking three months off were Bob and Sophie Maguire.

This couple, their business, and the structure of their office furniture supply company was a classic case study of the do’s, don’ts and personal complications that affect so many businesses – even before taking into account their goal of giving themselves a three-month holiday!

Their Background

Let us set the context by briefly sharing with you their profile.

Bob and Sophie had been in business for just over 10 years. Bob is a solidly built man in his late forties, with a ruggedly handsome Australian appearance not dissimilar to the late movie star Robert Mitchum – cleft chin included.

He has a loud deep voice along with an uninhibited laugh that provides a most intriguing attribute and quality. And, based on his lengthy career in sales, his conversations with most people are very easy. Sophie, on the other hand, is rather petite, quieter on first impression, hair stylishly cut; but a person of quiet control and determination.

Prior to setting up their own business, Bob had had a 23-year sales career which culminated as sales manager with a large furniture corporation. It was a good job with salary plus bonuses, company car, occasional travel and some flexibility of hours.

However, some 10 to 15 years ago, with the Australian economy enduring the greatest restructure in its history, Bob’s employer was feeling the full impact of the market slowdown, increased imports and the ongoing effects of historically high interest rates.

To survive, the company was drastically restructured and – to use the word of the times – downsized. Bob was made redundant. He was (and is) not alone.

When the day came and his boss advised him in writing that he was no longer employed, Bob knew it was time to consider the options: either become a consultant or start his own business!

For Sophie, the choice was a little more complicated because they had three children to see through high school and she was their primary carer. But with changes to home and social schedules she took the only practical course available to them: to support her husband or see him fade away with no income for the family. So the decision was made and the business began.

Perhaps if they had started the business based on their own schedule and with some pre-planning, it might have grown with a more orderly and staged development. However, the fact that it couldn’t be started this way saw a scramble for whatever clients, whatever products, whatever infrastructure they could put together to make the furniture company operational and profitable — and fast.

Their Business

They had built a business turning over $3.2 million with 16 people on the payroll. Ten years later, emotionally drained and sapped of energy, they were running on empty. Changes to Australia’s trade laws, the opening up of free-trade agreements and ever-invasive globalisation saw them with rapidly tightening profits. Even with a relatively large support team, Sophie and Bob were both working up to 65-70 hours a week.

Ready for a Change

These were the facts and statistics presented to us at the first meeting which culminated with a plea from Sophie: ‘This is sheer insanity…the question is, can you help us and how much will it cost?'

What they needed was time out to catch their breath and rejuvenate — so they could continue running their business with renewed focus and energy. What they had to seriously confront was their need to get their business and themselves in shape so they could in fact, take a holiday.

However, what we didn’t know at that first meeting was that Bob was there because Sophie had given him an ultimatum: ‘Either we get our business in order or I’m leaving’.

Perhaps this sounds like a familiar statement!

Please note: The stories, individuals and business information used here are all based on fact. Any modifications are for commercial/confidentiality reasons or simply to highlight relevant matters.