So why do you need a Business Coach? Well, I’m going to be controversial here, and say you don’t ‘need’ one. However, if you want your business to be amazing – then it it wise to have a Business Coach.
When doing some good old fashioned Googling for the definition of a Business Coach, you get met with lots of ads, and lots of sites with clear SEO to be in the first page. There’s not really a great definition as such. Even the Oxford Dictionary says ‘instructor or trainer in sport’. It only actually brings up Coach. The Business Dictionary online says of Coaching ‘Extending traditional training methods to include focus on (1) an individual’s needs and accomplishments, (2) close observation, and (3) impartial and non-judgmental feedback on performance.’
The term ‘Coaching’ comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word for a carriage, which is something that takes you from where you are now to where you want to be. I like that. You see I do believe a Business Coach can help take you from where you are in business to where you want to be. Sounds simple, right? If it was that simple, nobody would need one….oops, there’s that word ‘need’ again.
‘Coaches are not for the meek. They’re for people who value unambiguous feedback. All coaches have one thing in common, it’s that they are ruthlessly results-oriented.’ Fast Company Magazine
Let’s look at some of what a Business Coach does first.
- Motivates
- Inspires
- Listens
- Observes
- Guides
- Encourages
- Assesses
- Teaches
Yes, you can be inspired by reading a book, your best friend can listen to you, your mother’s got that whole encouragement thing down pat and your husband just loves assessing everything your doing. Sounds great – you don’t need a coach. Bull to the you know what!
The whole idea of a Business Coach is that they are completely impartial. Sure, they will listen to what you have to say (in fact, they should listen lots), BUT a good one, will not fall for any of the stories you are telling yourself. A good one, will call you on your own BS because they genuinely see your strengths and weaknesses and want to bring out only the very best in you and your business.
When you are working in your own business it can be so hard to see the wood for the trees. You are to busy running the thing. Juggling everything, being chief cook and bottle washer all at once. When you are in this state, it’s virtually impossible to take your business to the next level. Having said that – whenever it’s time to jump to the next level, you will usually find you are running around like a madman no matter how many people you have on your team, or what your turnover is.
That’s where a Business Coach comes in very handy.
Some of the areas Business Coaches look at are:-
- Strategy
- Finance (sometime in conjunction with your accountant)
- Team
- Marketing
- Goal Setting
- Accountability
- Time Management
- Customers
- Sales
- Technology
You must remember though, that a coach is not there to actually do the work for you. A Business Coach is there to help you along the yellow brick road so to speak.
A word of caution. There isn’t really any standardised coaching certifications. You can be a certified Business Coach with lots of different organisations, or you can be uncertified. Trust me it’s not the piece of paper that matters – it’s their experience in business.
Unlike Life Coaching, I believe Business Coaching should follow a format based on where you business currently is and where you want to go to. There’s no point working with someone who’s great a helping food retailers franchise their business, if your vision is to take over the shop next door and cut down your hours. So I think you need to ‘date’ a couple of coaches before deciding to work with one. You can in fact book a Diva Date with me if you’re keen to see if we would be a good match.
Back to why you need a Business Coach…….Here’s my Top 5 Reasons:-
- They will help you develop a short and long term strategy based on your Passions, Strengths and Vision
- They will help you set short and long term goals and hold you accountable for working towards them
- They will listen and tell you the truth about your business
- They will be able to offer advise and expertise for most areas of your business
- They will be your sounding board, cheerleader, confidante, teacher and mentor
The bottom line is, if you keep doing what you are doing – you will as they saying goes, keep getting what you always get. A Business Coach will help you move beyond that.
Sure, sometimes, you can look at the cost involved and feel a lump in your throat, but, ask yourself ‘what’s the cost of me not doing something about my business’? It’s not even just the financial cost, when it’s your business it’s the physical and emotional costs that can be the highest.
Whenever I have wanted to propel my business, I’ve paid for help. It’s that simple.