London Inc. November 2020 - 24

Upfront Growth & Expansion

CONTROL THE
CONTROLLABLES

Modifying systems to create sustainable
solutions, a professional development
ï¬rm makes a pandemic move
WITH A GROWING client roster and the addition of
new coaches to The Achievement Centre in 2019, Marc
LacoursiÃ¨re realized it was time to move the business he had
operated on Adelaide Street North for more than a decade.
" We needed more private space for conference calls and
one-on-one coaching, " says LacoursiÃ¨re.
He found that space at 256 Pall Mall Street. It was larger,
with a suitable layout for the company's needs, so plans were
made to move the ï¬rm (www.tacresults.com) in June.
Not surprisingly, things got pushed back, but the move
eventually happened in September.
" We had literally just ï¬nalized the lease agreement in
March, right when WHO declared the pandemic, " recalls
LacoursiÃ¨re. " Everything shut down, and the [development]
programs that were planned hit the pause button. "
Fortunately, though, very few were permanently cancelled, and those that were already underway were able to
resume after a short delay.
It's not the ï¬rst time LacoursiÃ¨re has been blindsided by
events beyond his control.
" Nobody would ever want to take stock tips from me, " he
jokes. " I bought a license and opened the London office of
The Achievement Centre in 2008 during the global ï¬nancial
crisis. We had to be resilient, and that was good preparation
for the pandemic - although at least then you could knock
on doors and go out and talk to people.
" We're fairly fortunate, though, " he continues. " We have
been in the remote delivery space for a long time, with
self-paced online learning modules and written materials.
Because of the work we do and the tools we have, we've had
the ability to adapt. "
Nonetheless, almost immediately after the move the new
office space was put to use because some clients wanted
to meet face-to-face. " It really depends on the client, their
needs and their comfort level, " says LacoursiÃ¨re.
Back in 2008, when LacoursiÃ¨re was looking to start
his own professional development business, he found The
Achievement Centre program, which at that point was based
in Kitchener. Rather than hanging out his own shingle and
working through the learning curve, he ï¬gured he would
purchase a system that offered structure, proven content, a
recognized brand and a network of support.
" I was the ï¬rst licensee, I liked the model and I wanted to
24 | londonincmagazine.ca | NOVEMBER 2020

The Achievement Centre president, Marc LacoursiÃ¨re

scale it, " he recalls. LacoursiÃ¨re purchased the entire business in 2009, and it is now a national company with coaches
from Halifax to Vancouver.
The Achievement Centre's coaches are self-employed,
each at a different place in their market development, says
LacoursiÃ¨re. Operating in a way that is similar to a franchise
model, The Achievement Centre continues to provide content, structure, branding and support to licensees, as well
as technology that has been developed. There is a fair bit of
collaboration among the coaches, particularly when they
take on a project that requires multiple facilitators.

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London Inc. November 2020

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