Our story
Clear Goals Coaching started in 2017 when our founder, Rachel Whitmore, left a 14-year career in operational management at two mid-sized manufacturing companies. She had spent years watching capable business owners make the same handful of mistakes: pricing too low, hiring too late, and trying to do everything themselves.
The idea was straightforward. Most small business owners do not need a consultant to write them a 60-page report. They need someone to sit across the table from them every two weeks and ask hard questions. Someone who has seen enough businesses from the inside to spot patterns quickly. Someone who will tell them when the plan is not working instead of nodding politely.
Rachel started with three clients, all referrals from her previous network. Within 18 months, word of mouth had filled her calendar. In 2020, Tom Gallagher joined to handle the growing demand for peer group facilitation, and in 2023 we brought on Sarah Iqbal to focus on financial analysis and pricing strategy.
We have now worked with over 120 business owners across sectors including construction, professional services, e-commerce, hospitality, and healthcare. Our clients range from sole traders turning over £150k to owner-managed businesses with £3m in revenue and 30 staff.
What we believe
Honesty over comfort
We will tell you what we see, even when it is not what you want to hear. A coach who only agrees with you is an expensive mirror. Our job is to challenge your thinking, not validate it.
Numbers first
Feelings are real, but they are not a strategy. We start with the data: revenue, costs, margins, time. Once the numbers are clear, the decisions become easier.
Finish what you start
Ideas are cheap. Execution is where businesses grow. Our 90-day cycles exist to keep you accountable to the plan you set, not to generate new plans every month.
Owner-first
The business exists to serve the owner, not the other way around. If your company is growing but your quality of life is shrinking, something is wrong with the model. We help you fix that.
The team
We are a small team by choice. Every client works directly with one of us, not a junior associate.
Rachel Whitmore
Founder and lead coach. 14 years in operations management before starting Clear Goals in 2017. Works primarily with service businesses and professional firms. Certified coach through the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Tom Gallagher
Peer group facilitator and coach. Previously ran a digital agency with 22 staff before selling it in 2019. Specialises in team dynamics, hiring, and scaling operations. Runs both peer group cohorts and works one-to-one with e-commerce and creative businesses.
Sarah Iqbal
Financial analyst and pricing strategist. Trained as a management accountant (CIMA qualified) and spent six years at a mid-market accounting firm before joining us. Leads our financial health check service and supports coaching clients with cashflow modelling and margin analysis.
"I came to Rachel because my revenue had plateaued at about £600k for two years running. Within the first cycle, she identified that I was spending 12 hours a week on tasks I should have delegated months ago. We hired an operations manager, restructured my pricing, and finished the year at £780k. The coaching paid for itself many times over."
— Daniel Marsh, owner of a facilities management company in LeedsCredentials and affiliations
Rachel holds a Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). Tom completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme in 2018 as a participant, and now draws on that curriculum structure in his group facilitation work. Sarah is a CIMA-qualified management accountant.
We are members of the Association for Coaching (AC) and follow their code of ethics. That means we maintain confidentiality, operate within our competence, and refer clients to other professionals when a situation falls outside our expertise. If you need legal advice, therapy, or specialist tax planning, we will say so and point you to someone qualified.
We carry professional indemnity insurance and are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for data protection purposes.
Our office is at United Kingdom, England, New O'Connell, GQ0 1QU, 13 Lynch-Stokes Field. You can reach us by phone on +44 1472 273183 or by email at [email protected].