About Me

My name is Inge Dowden and I run Polyglot Coaching. It is my mission in life to make sure that everyone has a good time at work, be that as the owner of the company or as an employee.

I'm orginally from The Netherlands and moved to England in 1995. With a degree in International Business, experience as an Export Office Manager and fluent in 6 languages, it wasn't long before I had achieved my goal of becoming an Export Manager. I was travelling the world, met people from different cultures and really enjoyed the challenge of helping people become successful at selling our products.

I was doing this for a small engineering company that was manufacturing machine components in the UK. Times were always tough in that industry, and every year it was another challenge to increase the turnover and profits. One year it was so tight that my entire marketing and travel budget (bearing in mind that I had to fly all over the world and pay for half of the catalogue to be printed from that) was a mere £10,000. Yet, I still managed to stay within budget AND achieve 20% growth for that year.

Having worked only for small/medium companies, I know what it's like to have small budgets and big plans.

The reason I was successful at selling was because of my ability to form long-term relationships with the distributors. I always put the relationship before any quick win, and that meant that those distributors continued to work with us, even in the tough times. It meant that they were willing to pay a fair price for the products and wouldn't jump to another supplier who would come along with a better offer sometimes. This ensured sustainable growth in the long term.

Engineering is not exactly a women's domain and I have to admit that I wasn't naturally enthusiastic about the products and the markets I was operating in. But with a flexible attitude and focus on people, I really enjoyed it. However, there came a time when I thought there had to be more to life than selling knobs and handles, so I decided to take a sabbatical and ended up teaching in Mexico for a year. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, but did realise that although I liked helping people, I missed the business element. So when I came back to England, I decided to become a business coach, as this combined my two passions: people and business.

I qualified with distinction from the Coaching Academy, the UK’s number One coach training facility. I trained in Personal, Corporate & Executive and Small Business Coaching and as a protégé student I continue my personal development all the time. I am also a qualified NLP practitioner which means I have the tools to facilitate immediate and effective change where required.

Since starting Polyglot Coaching in 2008 I have worked with many different types of businesses: from hairdressers to builders, from an events management company to a recruitment company. One business owner reported a five-fold increase in his business after an intensive coaching process with me, and others have reported increased profits, more time for themselves and better working relationships with customers, staff and suppliers.

I work with business owners who value the people in their business. I sometimes call it "the fluffy side of management" but make no mistakes, the results are anything but fluffy.

Specialist subjects include:

  • Leadership
  • Staff motivation
  • International business
  • Internal organisation

I would not hesitate to recommend her as a coach to others, as I feel she has a relaxed, friendly and professional style and makes you feel comfortable to explore often tricky issues, knowing she is guiding you through the process.

I never thought that discussion could be so powerful or that I could have achieved what I did without Inge's help.

So why work with me? Not only will you get 15 years of experience in International Business as well as a thorough training in Coaching, but I also work with other coaches and trainers to ensure that I am always able to offer a close match to what you need. So whether it is leadership coaching or sales training you’re after, contact Polyglot Coaching and I'll find the right solution for you!

Polyglot Coaching | 10 Herald Close | Bristol | BS9 1DF
Tel: +44 (0)117 370 4204 | Skype: CoachInge
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