Training pays off
Nov 8 2007
by Michelle Rushton, Liverpool Daily Post
Michelle Rushton meets ANDY BOUNDS, international speaker and author of The Jelly Effect
INTERNATIONAL speaker and business communications expert Andy Bounds, 38, has always wanted to teach people.
He became an expert in explaining things from someone else’s point of view because his mother is blind, and he spent his childhood working out the best way to describe things to her.
Andy explained: “As a child, I guessed all this experience in explaining things for my mum would lead me to become a school teacher, but as I grew up I realised my skills lie in working with adults rather than a group of 30 children. I don’t know how teachers do it – it must be one of the hardest professions there is!”
When Andy left university, he was unsure of which path to follow, but knew he didn’t want to be a school teacher, so he chose a career which would be incredibly helpful to him – accountancy.
“I worked with Grant Thornton, here in Liverpool, and absolutely loved it!” Andy revealed. “There was one manager, Mike Gilbertson, who really took me under his wing and mentored me through my three years there. I learnt a lot and became a qualified chartered accountant.
“A job then came up at the training company that had taken me through my accountancy exams, and I took it. I spent the next seven years honing my training skills, and I suddenly felt that I’d found my real vocation in life.”
After seven years of becoming “pretty good” at training people, Andy trained three national prize-winners.
It was then he realised he knew things people just didn’t know, and he decided to set up his own business with his partner, Emma, as the company’s managing director.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” said Andy. “I now work with organisations large and small, and demonstrate to them how they can communicate more effectively.
“My advice has helped companies win multi-million pound accounts, and that’s extremely rewarding.”
Exciting times lie ahead for Andy and Emma. In 2008, the couple will franchise their own training business, Andy Bounds Ltd, and, when the time is right, Andy will write a follow-up to his current best-selling book, The Jelly Effect.
“I’m really enjoying the success it’s having so far,” reflected Andy. “It’s currently the best-selling business book to be released this year, which is truly rewarding and shows there is a real demand for the ability to communicate better.
“If we can change the way people communicate, to make them and their audience enjoy the communication process more, and for communication to be more effective and to take less time – well, I’ll be delighted!”