The process
Here’s how it works.
- You phone. Your Counsellor phones back and makes an appointment to suit you.
- Your Counsellor turns up at your farm or business. Wherever it is.
- You teach them about your business. Look it over. Walk it. Go through the books.
- You’ll talk about the issues. What you want and why you’re not getting it.
- Then, together, you’ll analyse what’s blocking you and map out a strategy for changing it.
- You’ll start taking steps to make that happen. Some of them your Counsellor will take for you (we’re good at negotiating with banks, to create a breathing space, for example). Some of them you’ll do, or learn how to do, yourself.
There will be setbacks. After a while you’ll want to make a new analysis, perhaps reconsider your goals. Maybe you’ll do this several times.
Will all this happen in one session? No. A session might be one or two or three hours. Then there will be another. And another. With phone calls and emails in between. Your Counsellor (with your consent) may deal with other people, call in further expertise. We’ll stick with you. We’re not quitters.
You will make progress. Eventually you will create a resolution. Find solutions, Regain control.
If it takes years, we’ll still keep turning up, rolling up our sleeves, getting on with it.
The model
All of our Counsellors follow a model, a process of how to manage the situation for the best result and what steps must be taken.
It’s not rigid, in fact it anticipates lots of looping around and back and even jumping forward – the paths that will be unique to you.
You’ll never feel as though it’s interfering in your work with your Counsellor or pushing you directions you don’t want to go, but it will ensure that all the lessons of experience are brought to bear and that all the necessary things are done. Above all, it will ensure that all the effort is directed towards the goals you have set, whatever they are.
Who developed this model? Well, we did. We borrowed quite a lot from others, that worked (no need to reinvent the wheel) but the RFCS WA model reflects WA, it reflects today’s economic climate and it reflects our clients – people like you.
That’s why it works.
From what we know, we are one of the most successful rural business support organisations in the world (there aren’t as many as there should be), and it’s because of the effort we have put into building a process based on what owners want and what works.
You can check out the RFCS WA Counsellors for your area and deal direct with them, or contact our office in Geraldton.