Some entrepreneurs experience a single, thunderbolt-like idea that propels them into business. Others, like Max Fuhrer, owner of Arobake in Wellington, New Zealand, follow a path formed by years of exposure, personal interests, and a desire for independence. After working decades as a baker and pastry cook, both at home and in Switzerland, Max transformed his passion into a thriving enterprise with two retail locations and over 120 wholesale customers. Yet, as his staff grew to 42 over 36 years, he discovered that neither technical expertise nor sheer determination alone could handle the complexities of business growth.
Early success led to a surge in customer demand that forced him to hire quickly and learn on the fly. Although he handled rapid expansion well enough, new challenges involving finances, brand-building, and team management gradually tested his resilience. Eventually, Max turned to ActionCOACH and coach Chris Whelan for sustained mentorship around leadership, systems, and strategic planning. The result was a more balanced workload, a stronger sense of clarity among his employees, and fresh motivation for Max to take on new ventures without compromising quality or peace of mind.
“I was a tradesman who turned into a business owner,” Max says. “In the beginning, I realized I really didn’t know much about business, just how to bake.” His story demonstrates how bridging the gap between hands-on expertise and methodical leadership can be pivotal to building a sustainable operation something ActionCOACH helped him accomplish.
From a Teenage Passion to a Career in Baking
Max’s affection for baking dates back to childhood. At 13, a trip to Europe with his parents introduced him to European pastry traditions, reinforcing a budding aspiration to master the craft. That impulse led him to work in Switzerland for three years, deepening his understanding of European baking standards and disciplined kitchens. Although his father had run multiple businesses, Max entered the field primarily as a technician, skilled at mixing dough and shaping pastries, not necessarily at overseeing a brand or financial structure.
He eventually launched Arobake without a thoroughly shaped brand or business plan, diving into a cramped, older facility. Sales unexpectedly soared fivefold within the first year, and Max realized too late how unprepared he was for hiring, financial management, and the complexities that arise with success. “Expanding quickly is great when you’re a tradesman, but it creates a lot of operational chaos,” he recalls.
His devotion to craft sustained him through exhausting days, ensuring consistent product quality. However, new realities soon pushed him to grasp deeper business fundamentals. Without them, day-to-day firefighting overshadowed long-range strategic thinking, until he realized that a methodical approach was vital.
Recognizing a Need for Help
Despite robust early sales, Max noticed critical issues. Cash flow was unpredictable, forcing him to borrow funds. In some periods, the bank even bounced checks. A large wholesale client abruptly stopped placing orders, pushing him into a precarious spot that made him question whether he could remain in business. Determined to keep going, Max powered through by working 12 to 14 hours a day, leaning on the unwavering help of loyal staff and family.
He embraced the importance of perseverance and flexibility but also recognized fundamental weaknesses in his approach. A tradesman can’t always make up for the absence of structured business know-how. “We were basically just diving in. I had a vision of the end, but I didn’t have a plan for the steps along the way.” Over time, he grasped the necessity of hiring assistance to shape that plan. His initial encounter with a business coach around 2012 introduced him to key performance indicators (KPIs) and a customer relationship management (CRM) system, which helped him step back from the bakery bench and analyze the business. Yet that coach’s role proved short-term, and Max slipped back into an ad hoc style.
In the past year, feeling he sometimes procrastinated, Max reached out to ActionCOACH, connecting with Chris Whelan. This time, instead of addressing a single crisis, Max wanted consistent mentorship to help him systemize operations and possibly explore an exit strategy down the line. Although not planning an immediate retirement, he recognized that a more fully structured bakery could smooth expansions or ownership transitions. “I guess I’m still my own driver,” he says, “but I also needed to be driven, to put my ideas into motion and tackle the chores that always got put off.”
Building Systems and Managing Growth
With Chris Whelan’s help, Max systematically mapped the wholesale process, identifying every step from order intake to fulfillment. He sketched how revenue channels fed into the big picture such as retail shops, wholesale, and online sales, then used that diagram to craft simpler, more accessible instructions for employees. Though bulletproof standard operating procedures (SOPs) were the goal, Max wanted a format that staff could easily follow without stifling creativity. “We do have a brand of our own in how we do things,” he says, “but we also want clarity so if we say ‘this is how we do it,’ we don’t get 10 different versions.”
Simultaneously, ActionCOACH introduced Max to short planning cycles to keep everyone focused on progress. Bi-weekly or monthly check-ins ensured that new initiatives like upgrading the wholesale ordering system or refining brand identity were carried out. This level of accountability reduced Max’s tendency to jump between tasks or settle for short-lived improvements. He points to financial systems as a prime example: “I always had some handle on the numbers, but we never built thorough budgets until Chris insisted. Now, I see how the budgets are tied to growth milestones. I can measure every line of business with real data.”
As a result, the wholesale team discovered inefficiencies in order handling, the shops streamlined inventory tracking, and Max gained a deeper sense of which revenue channel performed best. Small changes, like documenting the steps for shipping pastries to an outside vendor, freed him from repeated micro-instructions. He marveled at how those incremental refinements snowballed into major relief for both staff and himself, letting him shift focus from firefighting to strategic innovation.
Cultivating a Strong Team and Culture
Beyond mechanical processes and budgets, building a cohesive culture became a key component of Max’s work with ActionCOACH. He credits the loyalty of long-standing employees for smoothing out transitions. “Some of my team members have been with me for years,” he says. “They keep the culture consistent and ensure that if someone new doesn’t fit in, they get weeded out. It’s better than me doing it all.”
ActionCOACH’s emphasis on accountability extended to staff roles, too. Through regular check-ins, employees learned how their tasks connected to revenue or operational KPIs. This consistent feedback loop made them stakeholders in each improvement, from rethinking how flour was stored to optimizing online order packaging. The result was a more collaborative dynamic, reinforcing a sense of shared wins.
Also, by clarifying roles and SOPs, Max reduced the guesswork new hires faced. He recalls how prior confusion occasionally led to misinformation in instructions or training, eroding efficiency. Now, with well-defined protocols and a supportive team, new workers adapt quickly, adopting methods that keep both tradition and consistency at the forefront.
The Ongoing Impact of ActionCOACH
ActionCOACH played a pivotal role in turning Max from a purely reactive business owner into a structured leader. He remains candid “I’m still a tradesman at heart, but at least now I have a better sense of the business side.” The partnership with Chris Whelan prompted him to schedule time for strategy, ensuring he didn’t bury himself beneath endless hours in the bakery. Instead of letting day-to-day tasks dictate his schedule, he regularly asks how changes improve or undermine the larger mission. With the newly refined approach, Max sees improvements in multiple areas:
Revenue and Profitability: Gains in operational structure and sales clarity helped boost margins across all segments, wholesale, retail, and online. He tracks each channel’s performance more methodically, which in turn guides expansions without jeopardizing existing operations.
Employee Satisfaction: By mapping responsibilities and adopting short planning cycles, employees feel validated and needed, fueling retention and better performance.
Leadership Confidence: Max overcame earlier uncertainties about delegating. Through ActionCOACH, he learned that structured processes let others manage tasks effectively, preserving his time for strategic decisions.
The forward momentum also encourages Max to explore new ventures. He acknowledges that entrepreneurial itch: “I started something new recently, and my wife questioned it, but that’s just who I am. Now, though, I do it with a plan, not just winging it.”
Lessons for New Entrepreneurs
Asked about the primary lesson he’d share with aspiring business owners, Max points to the importance of planning. He jokes, “I had a vision of where I’d end up, but I had no idea how to get there. Don’t do what I did, start with a plan.” He also highlights flexibility: “Being open to trying new methods or solutions can be the difference between stalling and thriving. He underscores how crucial coaching was to bridging skill gaps. “I realized it’s not about having a brilliant fix you never heard of,” Max remarks. “It’s about someone holding you accountable, making sure you follow through on the steps you already sense are right. Without that structure, it’s easy to let tasks slide or keep talking about them without doing.”
Finally, Max insists that a healthy culture acts as a powerful stabilizer. Even if expansions happen quickly, a strong, well-aligned team can adapt. Hiring for cultural fit, especially in an industry as physically demanding and time-sensitive as baking, yields employees who uphold standards without constant oversight. “You can’t be in every corner of the bakery at once,” he says, “so your team’s got to buy in and push for the same values.”
A Clear Path to the Future
Arobake’s evolution, guided significantly by ActionCOACH interventions, highlights how a determined specialist can grow into a strategic leader. Max began as a talented baker with an unstoppable work ethic, but a scattered approach to business operations. Today, he heads a smoothly running enterprise that handles multiple revenue channels, maintains a loyal workforce, and preserves the quality that made him initially popular.
Although Max has no immediate plans to leave baking, the structure and systems gained from coaching give him the confidence to pursue new ideas. He can walk away from day-to-day oversight for vacations or a short break, trusting his team to handle everything from dough management to retail customer service. “That freedom might be one of the best gifts of coaching,” he notes. “You learn how to trust your people and your processes. It all runs, even if you’re not there turning the oven off.”
Ultimately, for entrepreneurs in any sector, especially those who have built expertise in a trade before moving into ownership, Max’s experience at Arobake underscores the power of seeking external guidance. Consistent accountability and strategic frameworks can elevate an operation from reactive to proactive, from ad hoc to sustainable. In Max’s words, “Don’t wait until you’re drowning to get help. I am 36 years in, and I’m still learning something new every day. That’s what keeps me excited, and that’s how you build a bakery that can stand the test of time.”
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