MASTER BUSINESS COACH | 2026 PBCA BUSINESS COACH OF THE YEAR

Are You Ready to Invest in Yourself?

I'm Fred Johnson, a business coach for owners who are ready to grow, resolve partner conflict, or prepare their business for sale. With four decades of experience helping people build, buy, and sell businesses, I help you see clearly what needs to happen next and give you the support to get there.

Portrait of Fred Johnson, Master Business Coach and founder of Inspired Business

40

Years of business experience

2026

PBCA Business Coach of the Year

$14M

Business sale after resolving a partner dispute

2

Clear priorities after every session

Daffodils on a desk in soft light at the Inspired Business office

You Invest in Everything Except Yourself

You invest in equipment. You invest in trucks, technology, and employees. You pour everything you have into your business, six days a week.

But when was the last time you invested in the person running it?

Most business owners carry the weight of every decision alone. The employee who won't stay. The partner you can't agree with anymore. The costs you're not sure add up. The exit you know is coming but haven't planned for.

That's where I come in.

How I Help Business Owners

Business Partner Conflict Resolution

When partners stop agreeing, the business pays the price. I help co-owners work through disputes, rebuild communication, and get the company moving in the right direction again. I never take sides. My job is to solve the problem.

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Preparing Your Business for Sale

Most businesses never sell. I help you build a business that runs without you, keep your key people invested, and prepare your company to sell on your terms. The best exits start one to two years before the sale.

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Business Growth Coaching

Whether you're new and need structure or established and ready for the next level, I help you strengthen your finances, operations, leadership, and sales and marketing, including a monthly review of your financials.

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I also coach key employees at the owner's request, helping your best people grow into the leaders your business needs.

Simple, Focused, and Built Around You

01

Start With a Free Call

Tell me what's going on in your business. I'll ask questions to help you get to the root of it. No pitch and no pressure.

02

Build Your Plan

Together we decide what matters most, from your finances and your people to your growth and your future exit.

03

Grow With Support

Regular coaching calls with phone and email support in between. You leave every session with two clear priorities, never a list of twenty.

Business coach listening to a business owner during an executive coaching session

A Coach, Not a Consultant

A consultant tells you what to do. A coach helps you see it for yourself. I ask the right questions, the ones that help you think through the problem, build on what you already know, and find the answer that fits your business.

One of the top master coaches in the country once told me he'd never met anyone better at asking questions. That's the heart of how I work, along with real empathy for the people I coach and the businesses they've built.

Real Results for Real Businesses

$1M to $10M

MARKETING COMPANY

Annual revenue grew from roughly $8 million to nearly $50 million.

$10M to $12M

ADVERTISING AGENCY

I helped an employee buy the agency she worked for. She has grown it into a $10 to $12 million business.

$14M Sale

PARTNER CONFLICT RESOLVED

Two partners who could no longer work together sold their company. Both remain my clients today.

What Business Owners Are Saying

“Fred has been a tremendous support to us during a very challenging business partnership separation and transition. His abilities as a mediator and his skillset in the world of business and finance provided us with the resources and the plan needed to move forward. We were blessed by his keen attention to pressing needs and his persistence in getting the tasks completed, despite multiple and unforeseen obstacles along the way. Highly recommend Fred for his expertise and excellent care!”

-Andrew and Rebekah V.

I have worked with Fred for over 10 years and he has help us save million dollars in expenditures.
He is always available and his steady presence is a blessing.
I’m thankful he is always available whenever I call.

-Anne M.

Business Owners in Every Industry

I work with owners in any industry, typically with $1 million or more in annual revenue. I believe the owner with a $1 million business often needs a coach more than the owner with a $50 million one.

My clients include manufacturers, advertising agencies, glass companies, and service businesses across the United States, the UK, and Australia.

Clients usually reach out when they're facing:

  • Trouble hiring and keeping the right employees

  • Conflict with a business partner

  • Uncertainty about their true costs and profitability

  • A future sale or retirement with no plan in place

  • Growth that has outpaced their systems

Start With a Free 30-Minute Conversation

There's no pitch and no pressure. You'll tell me what's going on in your business, and I'll ask questions to help you get to the root of it. Most people walk away with more clarity than they've had in months.

Common Questions

Red geraniums in a window box, a reminder to never give up on your business

Never Give Up on Your Business, or Yourself

My father taught me never to quit, and I've built my life around that lesson. I've failed more times than most people ever will, and I learned something from every one of those failures. Now I use those lessons to help business owners get where they want to go.

Your business deserves your best. So do you.