Brad Sugars: Action man brings his message to Leeds

Mr Sugars, an Australia-born business coach who has rolled out his franchise to 27 countries, also said that years of economic prosperity left people believing that a slump would never come again. He was speaking before his appearance in Leeds, today, as part of a Business is Booming world tour.

The serial founder of companies said: "Most businesses are good at what they do in the business but not at running a business.

"Most hairdressers are good at cutting hair but not at running a hairdresser. The biggest problem most businesses have is a lack of knowledge."

Mr Sugars' goal is to make owner-managers see themselves as a business owner and be able to be flexible. He pledges to help firms build growth – whatever the state of the wider economy.

His sessions are targeted at "the smallest of small firms" to businesses with 100 staff, and they aim to be relevant to any type of enterprise. He has helped businesses in Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax.

"It is not industry or sector specific because the core of business is still the core of business."

Mr Sugars, who said his career began as a 15-year-old when he earned a few dollars employing his friends as paper delivery boys, lives in America and runs ActionCoach from Luxembourg, Brisbane and Las Vegas. It operates on a franchise model and since 1997 has built a network of 1,000 offices.

His three-hour presentation will take a crowd of business leaders through 28 growth strategies. His sessions include the importance of how "cash is king", advice on selling strategies and retaining customers, how to increase profitability and "action planning" – how to plan for the next quarter.

Asked if he found the sunny disposition of Americans a contrast to the attitude in this country, he said the British were not always typically downbeat.

"I know people say British people are pessimistic but I don't see that any more.

"The younger generation that own their own business go in with their eyes open. The mistakes made in business are the same from Hong Kong to Glasgow to New Orleans.

"In the US they feel they know what they should be doing, whereas in the UK, there is more of an openness to learning. There is not that arrogance or knowingness."

Mr Sugars also said that consumers and financial institutions changed their behaviour because they lost sight of the fact that no boom lasts forever.

"Greed got the better of the majority of people, which created a situation where everybody believed it was going to last forever. People did things that they would not normally do.

"These cycles are going to happen again and again. It is not like we have never seen them before. Following every summer comes an autumn – or fall."

Several political leaders around the world blamed the financial crisis, at least in part, on America but Mr Sugars said: "Technically, it is correct that it started in America, but I don't see that as saying it would not have started anyway."

From pizza cook to business coach

Brad Sugars, 39, was born in Brisbane. By the time he had completed a business accounting degree, Mr Sugars had worked in 27 different jobs, including as a gardener, pipe maker, pizza cook, disc jockey and an accounts clerk.

His life in business coaching took off after author Robert Kiyosaki asked him to carry out training sessions at his school for entrepreneurs, in Hawaii, in 1994. About 350 business owners and 11 trainers came to learn.

ActionCoach has been ranked the 16th fastest growing franchise in the world by the American Entrepreneur magazine.