Who Is Susan Thomson? The ActionCOACH Franchise Owner Behind MakeMoreWorkLess in Madison, Wisconsin

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Reviewed by Steven Ellis

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Career and rise

Susan Thomson is a business coach whose path to coaching came through running actual companies rather than through sales training or online education. Before founding ActionCOACH Dane County in late 2007, she spent 25 years in manufacturing leadership — including a stint as President at Kapro Tools and a role as Global Director at Fiskars Brands. Those are not placeholder titles: both companies operate at meaningful scale, and the work involved the kind of operational complexity — supply chains, global teams, P&L ownership — that shapes a genuinely different coaching conversation than someone whose primary experience is their own consulting practice.

That background is central to how Thomson positions herself and her firm. Operating under the brand MakeMoreWorkLess at 440 Science Dr Ste 104 in Madison, Wisconsin, she serves small and mid-size business owners and their leadership teams under the ActionCOACH franchise methodology. The practice targets a specific and common problem in the SMB world: the business that is entirely dependent on its owner — functional and profitable, but not yet a business by the technical definition ActionCOACH uses. Most SMB coaches describe the same problem in some form, but Thomson's manufacturing career gives her a credible frame for talking about operational maturity rather than simply motivational growth.

A disambiguation note is warranted. "Susan Thomson" is not an uncommon name, and the Instagram handle @makemoreworkless is the specific touchpoint most likely to bring someone to this profile. This profile covers Susan Thomson of ActionCOACH Dane County, the Madison, Wisconsin franchise operating as MakeMoreWorkLess — not any other public figure or practitioner who shares the name.

The firm's recognition record, while regional, is real. InBusiness Magazine named ActionCOACH Dane County a finalist in its Executive Choice category for Management Consulting in four consecutive years from 2009 to 2012 — a track record that suggests consistent visibility in the local business community during the firm's early years. The practice was inducted into ActionCOACH's President's Club in 2012 and earned Global Top 10 Firm recognition in 2016 (per Thomson's LinkedIn profile, self-reported, as of June 2026). The Americas Business Excellence Forum awarded ActionCOACH Dane County for Ascend Strategic Plans in 2016 (per LinkedIn, also self-reported). These are franchise system and regional awards rather than independent third-party honors, and buyers should weight them accordingly — but they indicate a practice that has maintained meaningful engagement within its network and local market for nearly two decades.

Thomson also holds formal coaching credentials that go beyond the ActionCOACH training itself: business coaching certification from the International Business Coaching Institute in 2007, executive coaching certification from the same body in 2012, and Marshall Goldsmith Executive Coaching certification in 2016 (all per Thomson's LinkedIn profile, as of June 2026). The sequencing matters — the executive coaching credential and the Marshall Goldsmith certification arrived after the firm was already established, suggesting a genuine investment in expanding capability rather than front-loading credentials before launching.

The firm is classified as a veteran-owned business (50%+ ownership) with the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce, per that organization's public directory listing.

The method they teach

ActionCOACH's methodology provides the primary structural frame for Thomson's work. The system is built around the premise that most small business owners are working in their business rather than on it — responsible for everything, replaceable by nothing, and therefore unable to scale or exit. The coaching framework addresses that condition across six disciplines: mastery, niche, leverage, team, synergy, and results, moving owners step-by-step toward what ActionCOACH calls a "commercial, profitable enterprise that works without you."

Within that framework, Thomson's delivery reflects her manufacturing background in at least one specific way: she talks about the business as a system of interdependent components rather than as a collection of individual problems to solve. That framing tends to resonate with operators who are already running complex organizations but haven't yet treated the business itself as the thing to be engineered.

Several principles show up consistently across her program descriptions and social content:

• Owner independence as the endgame. The central goal is a business capable of operating, growing, and eventually transferring without being hostage to the owner's daily presence. This is the organizing logic behind both her standard coaching programs and her Succession University offering.
• Management and sales as disciplines, not instincts. The 6-Month Management Masterclass and 6-Month Sales Masterclass treat leadership and sales as learnable operating skills rather than personality traits — a practical orientation suited to owners who need to develop their people, not just their own capabilities.
• Strategic planning at regular intervals. GrowthCLUB workshops deliver structured quarterly planning sessions, providing the kind of recurring rhythm that keeps businesses oriented toward longer-range goals rather than reacting to whatever is most urgent in the moment.
• ADHD executive coaching as a specific lane. Thomson offers coaching explicitly designed for executives with ADHD — a distinction that is both genuine market differentiation and an honest acknowledgment that standard coaching structures don't work equally well for every leadership brain. This offering puts her in a relatively small group of business coaches who address neurodivergence explicitly rather than assuming the default framework fits everyone.

The Business Diagnostic assessment functions as a common entry point — a structured evaluation that maps the current state of the business and identifies which areas need the most attention before a program begins. This is a functional onboarding tool, though the specifics of what it measures are best confirmed directly with the firm.

It is worth being specific about what is documented versus what is claimed. The program structures described here are drawn from the firm's public website and verified against available sources. Client outcomes — revenue growth, profitability improvements, team retention — appear in testimonial form on the site and in LinkedIn recommendations, but are self-reported and not independently audited. Thirty-four LinkedIn recommendations as of June 2026 represent a meaningful sample for a regional franchise, and the volume suggests consistent client engagement over time. They are still testimonials, not data, and should be read as such.

Programs and pricing

ActionCOACH Dane County offers a wider range of program structures than many regional coaching practices, ranging from individual 1-on-1 engagements to structured cohort programs and periodic workshops. The table below reflects what is publicly described on the website and associated materials as of June 2026.

Pricing is not publicly disclosed for any of these programs. ActionCOACH franchises use a custom-pricing model based on program type, frequency, and engagement scope, which means numbers are discussed during a discovery conversation. As of June 2026, no public rate card exists. This is standard practice for the ActionCOACH franchise network, not unusual for the firm specifically — but it does mean buyers cannot comparison-shop from the outside without initiating a conversation. The website at makemoreworklesswi.com is the right starting point.

Content engine teardown

Thomson's social footprint reflects the practice of a regional specialist rather than a national content creator. Her Instagram presence at @makemoreworkless, her Facebook page at ActionCOACH Dane County, her LinkedIn profile, and her X (Twitter) handle @bizcoach1 all serve a similar function: maintaining local visibility, sharing coaching content, and signaling active practice for anyone researching her before reaching out.

The content mix leans toward practical business guidance — frameworks, questions for business owners to ask themselves, and event promotion for programs and workshops. The tone across channels is consistent with the advisory positioning of the firm: useful, professional, without the high-volume entertainment cadence common among newer online educators. This is coaching content calibrated for an audience of established business owners, not aspiring creators looking to follow someone's daily grind.

LinkedIn is where the professional record is most fully developed. With approximately 5,000 followers (as of June 2026) and 34 client recommendations as of June 2026, the profile functions more as a credibility document than a growth engine — a reasonable use of the platform for a regional B2B practice where referral networks and local reputation matter more than follower count. The recommendations themselves are the most useful signal in the social presence: a volume of 34 suggests a consistent pattern of client engagement over time, not just a cluster of early supporters.

YouTube and Facebook carry additional content in the form of recorded workshops, program previews, and educational clips. Volume is moderate relative to creators who have built online businesses around content output, but that comparison is somewhat beside the point — Thomson's business model is local and relationship-driven, not audience-monetized.

The MakeMoreWorkLess brand name itself is worth noting as a content and positioning choice. It names the problem ("overwork, underresult") in a way that resonates with the specific stress point of the SMB owner who has more on their plate than the business can justify — a cleaner encapsulation of the value proposition than many coaching brands manage.

Reception and reach

For a regional franchise with nearly two decades of operating history, ActionCOACH Dane County has built a credibility record that is proportionate to its market and model. The InBusiness Magazine finalist mentions over four consecutive years suggest consistent local visibility during the firm's growth phase. The ActionCOACH Global Top 10 recognition and President's Club designation (both self-reported per LinkedIn, as of June 2026) indicate strong standing within the franchise system. Neither of these is equivalent to independent investigative coverage or audited client outcome data, but together they paint a picture of a practice that has been operating, visible, and recognized within its network for a sustained period.

The 34 LinkedIn recommendations as of June 2026 are among the more useful public signals available. That count is high for a regional coaching practice and implies that Thomson has asked for — and received — written testimonials from a meaningful cross-section of clients over time. A practitioner with a pattern of short-term or disappointed engagements typically doesn't accumulate that volume.

Third-party press beyond the regional and franchise-network awards is limited. WisBusiness covered the firm's executive coaching expansion in 2013, but deeper independent reporting on client results or business outcomes is not readily available as of this writing. This is characteristic of regional B2B coaching practices rather than a specific gap worth dwelling on — it simply means buyers are evaluating based on the firm's stated track record, direct conversations, and whatever they can confirm from people in the local business community.

No regulatory actions, disputes, or complaints were identified during research for this profile as of June 2026.

Practitioners interested in frameworks that operate at a similar intersection of systematized business growth and operational independence will find adjacent thinking from coaches like Alex Hormozi, whose publicly available material covers the mechanics of scaling SMB operations and building businesses that don't depend entirely on the founder — a different delivery model, but a shared underlying problem statement. For buyers specifically evaluating SMB coaching options in a regional market, Thomson's long operating history, formal credential stack, and documented local presence make her a substantive choice worth assessing through a direct conversation.

The right buyer for ActionCOACH Dane County is a small or mid-size business owner in the greater Madison area who has a working business but wants structural help — improving management depth, preparing for eventual succession, building a sales function that doesn't depend on the owner closing every deal, or simply creating enough operational bandwidth to stop working in the business and start working on it. The program range is broad enough to address most of those scenarios. The natural first step is the Business Diagnostic, which provides a structured way to assess fit before committing to a longer engagement.

Frequently asked questions

What does Susan Thomson teach?

Susan Thomson coaches small and mid-size business owners and leadership teams using the ActionCOACH framework, which focuses on the mechanics of building a business that runs without being entirely dependent on the owner. Specific programs address sales team leadership, management development, succession planning, and — distinctively — executive performance for leaders with ADHD. Her GrowthCLUB workshops deliver structured quarterly strategic planning sessions, and her 6-Month Masterclasses in Sales and Management provide cohort-style deep work for operators who want structured accountability over time.

How much does Susan Thomson's coaching cost?

Pricing is not publicly listed. ActionCOACH franchises typically price through a discovery process, and session frequency — weekly, fortnightly, or monthly — factors into the structure. As of June 2026, no public rate card exists for ActionCOACH Dane County or the MakeMoreWorkLess brand. The direct path to pricing is a conversation through the website at makemoreworklesswi.com.

Is Susan Thomson legit?

Yes — the documented background supports her credibility. She carried executive responsibility at two named manufacturing companies before founding ActionCOACH Dane County in 2007, and her certifications include formal business coaching (2007), executive coaching (2012), and Marshall Goldsmith Executive Coaching (2016). The firm earned four consecutive finalist mentions in InBusiness Magazine's Executive Choice category for Management Consulting (2009–2012) and was recognized as a Global Top 10 ActionCOACH firm in 2016 (self-reported per her LinkedIn profile, as of June 2026). Thirty-four LinkedIn recommendations from clients as of June 2026 suggest a sustained client relationship track record. The honest caveat is that independent third-party press is limited, which is common for regional franchise operations of this type.

Related coaches

Sources

1. MakeMoreWorkLess / ActionCOACH Dane County website: https://www.makemoreworklesswi.com/
2. Team page — ActionCOACH Dane County: https://www.makemoreworklesswi.com/business-mentors
3. Susan Thomson LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanmthomson/
4. ActionCOACH of Dane County — Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce listing: https://business.wiveteranschamber.org/directory/Details/actioncoach-of-dane-county-3343870
5. WisBusiness: ActionCOACH Business Coaching of Madison expands executive coaching offerings (2013): https://www.wisbusiness.com/2013/actioncoach-business-coaching-of-madison-expands-executive-coaching-offerings/
6. Susan Thomson on X (Twitter) @bizcoach1: https://x.com/bizcoach1

Voiceloop is not affiliated with or endorsed by Susan Thomson. This is an independent, editorially researched profile. Voiceloop takes no affiliate commissions from any program mentioned here. See our editorial policy. Corrections: hello@voiceloop.app.