Michelle Reade

I’m Michelle Reade a business and leadership coach and franchise specialist based in Dorset, with 26+ years in business and leadership behind me.

 

For 17 of those years I worked in franchising, supporting over 1,000 business owners to build something they were proud of. I’ve seen what works, what quietly derails people, and what it actually takes to break through a ceiling  because I’ve been there myself.

I work with established founders who’ve built something real but feel stuck, overwhelmed and exhausted by it. Not startups. People who’ve proved it works and somehow lost themselves along the way. I’m the strategic brain they bring in properly in their business, not hovering at 30,000 feet. The numbers, the difficult conversation, the decision they already know the answer to. Whatever they need that day, I show up as that.

For franchise networks, I bring something rare: independent, outside-in experience across hundreds of owners. I help networks strengthen how they support and develop their franchisees so more of them thrive, stay, and grow.

I work with a small number of clients at any one time. It’s not a programme with 200 people in it. It’s me, in your business, for as long as you need me.

Business & Leadership Coach · Franchise Specialist · UK StartUp Awards 2026 Finalist · 1,000+ owners supported · 17 years in franchising