How we got here
BizCatalyst Coach started in 2017 in a rented office above a bakery on Carter Gate. The founder, Iona Caldwell, had spent fourteen years running operations for two mid-sized logistics companies in central Scotland. She left corporate life after realising that the problems she solved for her employers were the same ones her friends who ran small businesses struggled with alone: unclear priorities, weak financial visibility, and teams that talked past each other.
The first year was slow. Three clients. Lots of coffee. She refined the coaching format by testing every exercise on herself first and discarding anything that felt like busywork. By 2019 the practice had grown to a steady roster of twelve ongoing clients and a waiting list. That year she brought on Marcus Lowe, a former CFO with a knack for translating spreadsheets into plain language.
When the pandemic hit, demand spiked. Business owners who had never questioned their model suddenly needed to rethink everything from pricing to delivery channels. We moved sessions online and shortened the sprint format from twelve weeks to eight, which turned out to be more effective anyway. Constraints have a way of improving things.
Today we work with roughly 30 active clients at any given time. We keep the number manageable on purpose. Coaching only works if the coach actually remembers your situation between calls.
What we believe
These are not slogans on a wall. They are the rules we use to decide what to say yes to, what to say no to, and how to behave when a session gets uncomfortable.
Honesty over comfort
We will tell you what we see, even if it is awkward. A coach who only agrees with you is an expensive mirror. Our job is to point out the gap between where you say you want to go and what your calendar and bank account actually show.
Specifics over generalities
We do not hand out motivational quotes. Every session ends with a concrete action: a conversation to have, a number to track, a process to change. If you cannot describe the next step in one sentence, we have not finished the session.
Small roster, deep attention
We cap our client list so that every coach carries no more than ten active engagements. That means we read your pre-session notes, remember the name of the project manager you are worried about, and notice when your tone shifts on a call.
Respect for your time
Sessions start on time and end on time. Homework is short and relevant. We do not assign reading lists or ask you to fill in personality questionnaires that take an hour. You run a business; your schedule is already full.
The people behind the practice
Two coaches, one operations coordinator. That is the whole team.
Iona Caldwell
Founder and lead coach
Fourteen years in logistics operations before launching BizCatalyst Coach in 2017. Iona works primarily with service-based businesses turning over between £500k and £5m. She is direct, occasionally blunt, and has a particular talent for spotting when a founder is avoiding the one decision that would change everything. Outside work she hill-walks in the Cairngorms and reads far too many crime novels.
Marcus Lowe
Coach and financial clarity specialist
Former CFO at a Scottish manufacturing firm with 180 employees. Marcus joined the practice in 2019. His speciality is helping owners who feel anxious about their numbers develop a simple, repeatable way to read their own financials. He runs the financial clarity review and co-facilitates team workshops. He is calmer than Iona, which clients sometimes find reassuring and sometimes find suspicious.
Priya Anand
Operations coordinator
Priya joined in 2022 after three years as an office manager at a tech startup in Dundee. She handles scheduling, invoicing, and client communications. If you email us, Priya is usually the first person to reply. She keeps the practice running so the coaches can focus on coaching rather than chasing calendar links.
A few numbers that matter
We track these because they tell us whether the work is actually helping.
87% client retention rate
Of the clients who complete a growth strategy sprint, 87% continue into ongoing coaching. That number has held steady since 2020. People stay because the work produces visible change, not because we lock them into long contracts.
142 engagements completed
Since 2017 we have completed 142 coaching engagements across sectors including recruitment, construction, professional services, food and drink, and creative agencies. Each one produced a written action plan and measurable outcomes we reviewed at the close.
Net Promoter Score of 74
We survey every client at the end of their engagement. Our NPS has ranged between 68 and 78 over the past three years. We publish the score because it is the simplest way to show whether people would recommend us, and most of them do.
Ready to talk?
Book a free 30-minute introductory call. No pitch deck, no pressure. We will ask about your business, listen, and tell you honestly whether coaching is the right next step for you.
Get in touch