How coaching brought steadiness to speedy growth
A guest post from the founder of strategy consultancy, Lucky Start
“This is a guest post from Ben Brooks-Dutton, founder of Lucky Start. Lucky Start is the strategy business he launched in April 2025 to help founders, agencies and brands sharpen their thinking and make faster, clearer decisions. In just six months it has grown to 20 clients and more than 40 projects. In this post, Ben shares how coaching gave him the steadiness to match the speed – showing how his own Living Strategy and our work together came together to build not only commercial success, but a sustainable way of working and living.” - Sarah
Ben’s story
Six months ago I launched Lucky Start with a simple aim: to make strategy something people can actually use when the pressure is on, not something that gathers dust in a folder. It started as a scribble in a notebook, and six months on it’s become 20 clients and more than 40 projects.
But if I was going to build a business like that for others, I had to make sure I was living it myself. That meant finding steadiness to balance the speed. And that’s where Sarah came in.
Coaching that goes beneath the surface
Sarah’s work starts in what she calls the Hidden Cost Gap – the space between how people look like they’re doing, and how they actually feel. That description hit home. On the surface I was energised by Lucky Start’s launch, but underneath I knew I risked carrying the quiet fatigue that comes with starting something new while balancing family life.
Her PR.I.S.M. Process rebuilds from the inside out:
P – Physical: energy, sleep, movement, nutrition, stress
R – Regulation: how your nervous system is really coping
I – Insight: patterns, beliefs, boundaries, mindset loops
S – Strategy: routines, habits, systems
M – Momentum: keeping it consistent and sustainable
The outcomes are always the same: clarity, restoration and direction. And that’s exactly what I needed.
Strengthening my own Living Strategy
Most days, I help clients build their Living Strategies. But with Sarah, the focus was on mine. Her coaching gave me the space to create and put four pillars into practice:
Living within my own capacity
Choosing what matters most in life
Protecting mental clarity
Feeding the spark that drives me in life and work
One example stands out. In the early months, opportunities came thick and fast. Without coaching, I might have said yes to everything and overloaded myself. With Sarah’s support, I was able to step back, choose the most meaningful projects, and trust that clarity would fuel growth. That choice kept Lucky Start moving forward without eroding the life I wanted to protect alongside it.
The impact on Lucky Start
The headline numbers are clear: 20 clients and more than 40 projects in six months. But the real story is how it’s felt: sustainable. I’ve been able to grow Lucky Start without running on fumes or letting the rest of my life fall away. Coaching gave me the steadiness I needed so the speed of the business didn’t turn into strain.
Clarity, restoration and direction
The mix of coaching and strategy has been transformative. Lucky Start’s growth is real, but what makes it meaningful is that it hasn’t cost me clarity, health or relationships. Coaching gave me clarity when choices were overwhelming, restoration when energy dipped, and direction when I needed to focus.
Sarah’s coaching has been the backbone of that. It’s shaped how I’ve grown the business and how I’ve protected my life outside it. It meant I could actually live my own strategy, not just design them for other people.
That’s why I believe strategy and coaching have to work hand in hand. One gives direction, the other makes it sustainable.
“Ben’s story shows why strategy and coaching belong together. Strategy brings direction, but coaching makes it sustainable. For Ben, that meant not only growing Lucky Start, but also protecting the steadiness of his life outside it. My role was to restore the clarity and energy behind his Living Strategy – so he could succeed in business without losing himself in the process.” - Sarah