Any Guru

"When I first started working with Phil, I was very new to the business world. At only 19, a lot of things felt unclear, and I wasn’t always sure what direction to take or what I should be focusing on next. Phil was really easy to talk to and helped me set a clear vision for my business. Through our sessions, he supported me in mapping out the next steps and putting together a plan for the future. One of the most valuable parts was working through the Growth Orbit Planner, which helped me properly visualise where the business could go and understand the steps needed to get there. As a new business, this made a huge difference. It gave me more clarity, structure and confidence about the direction we were heading in. I also spoke to Phil a lot about general business topics, and he always helped me understand things more clearly, especially when I felt stuck or unsure what to do next. When we faced hurdles or when things didn’t go to plan, Phil helped me understand what the next steps were and encouraged me to keep going. He helped me look at challenges more clearly, work out what needed to happen next, and stay focused rather than feeling overwhelmed. Phil also kept me accountable and made sure I stayed on top of the things I said I was going to do, which really helped me keep moving forward. Overall, Phil has helped me a lot as I’ve started my journey into the business world. I’m now beginning an apprenticeship within the business, so my time working with Phil is coming to an end, but I’m really grateful for all his support and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for guidance, clarity and encouragement in their business. "
Will Crombie
Analyst

About The Company

Any Guru is an AI-powered business coaching platform based at Ergo, Meadow Road, Hessle. The platform gives founders and small business teams access to a bench of specialist AI “gurus” across marketing, sales, finance, HR, operations and strategy – turning complex decisions into clear next steps, practical frameworks and ready-to-use tools, without the cost of a traditional consultancy. Founded by Darren Crombie and built on the experience of scaling the AI care company Bridgit Care, Any Guru was created to give small businesses the practical, always-on support its own team had wanted while scaling. Will joined the business at just 19, stepping into the commercial world for the first time and taking on a central role in driving a young company forward. The ambition and appetite to build something were evident from the outset, but with no prior business experience, the direction was far less certain. What Will needed was a sounding board and a structured way to think about the future – someone to help turn early ideas into a clear vision and a practical plan.

The Challenge

Stepping into the business world at 19 brings energy and ambition, but very little of the context that comes with years of commercial experience. Everyday decisions that seasoned owners make instinctively can feel much bigger and far less obvious when you make them for the first time. Will had the drive and appetite to grow, but many things felt unclear, including what to prioritise, what good looked like, and what the next step should be. In a young, fast-moving business, that uncertainty is easy to carry and hard to resolve alone. The challenge was to: • Establish a clear, articulated vision for the business • Translate that vision into practical, sequenced next steps • Build the confidence to make decisions without a business background to draw on • Maintain focus and momentum when setbacks and distractions arose • Create accountability so that intentions consistently turned into action. This was not about fixing a struggling business. It was about giving someone new to the commercial world the clarity, structure and confidence to build properly from the start.

Key Results

Over the course of the coaching programme, I worked with Will to build a clear picture of where the business was heading and to define a practical route to get there.

Key outcomes included:

  • A clear and well-defined vision for the business
  • A structured plan mapping out the immediate next steps and the longer-term direction
  • A visual growth roadmap developed through the Growth Orbit Planner
  • Greater clarity, structure and confidence in day-to-day decision-making
  • A stronger understanding of core business principles and how they are applied in practice
  • A consistent accountability framework that kept committed actions on track
  • The confidence and grounding to progress into a formal apprenticeship within the business.

With the coaching programme now drawing to a close, Will is moving into an apprenticeship at Any Guru, equipped with a clear direction, a practical plan and the confidence to keep building on it.

My Solution

When I began working with Will, the ambition was obvious. What was missing was a framework to channel it. At 19, in a young business and with no prior commercial experience, the question was never whether the drive was there – it was how to turn that drive into a direction that could be pursued deliberately rather than reactively.

My first priority was to create the space to think properly about the business rather than simply working in it. Through our early sessions, we established a clear vision – what the business was ultimately for, where it was heading, and what success would look like.

From there, we used the Growth Orbit Planner to make that vision tangible. Seeing the growth path laid out visually turned an abstract ambition into something concrete and, just as importantly, revealed the specific steps needed to reach it. It shifted the conversation from “someday” to “next”.

Alongside the strategic work, our sessions became a place to discuss general business questions as they arose. When Will felt stuck or unsure, we worked through the reasoning together so that the reasoning was understood and could be applied independently again.

Setbacks were handled the same way. When things didn’t go to plan, we broke the situation down, identified what genuinely needed to happen next, and kept the focus on progress rather than on pressure.

Accountability underpinned everything. Each session revisited previous commitments, which kept momentum steady and ensured that plans consistently translated into action.

The result is a young business professional with a clear vision, a practical plan, and the confidence to continue moving forward independently.