Small business coaching is hot. A few years ago the only coaches anyone talked about were sports coaches. Today, PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimates that there are 30,000 business and life coaches worldwide.
Thousands of small business owners and managers turn to coaches every day to improve their personal skills and business results. You have to select the right coach.
Are you Ready?
Most small businesses owners don’t start out using a coach. They usually come to coaching when they’re ready to listen and when they need a little nudge and a little knowledge to do the right things.
Coaching is not a magic bean. You have to work at success every day. I tell my clients that “success is based on persistency and consistency, not magic.”
Coaching does not come without a price. You may even realize that you need to invest in new things for your business.
If you see coaching as an investment in yourself and your success, you’re ready for coaching. Your next challenge is to find the right coach for you.
Are you ready to listen to the things you need to hear? A good coach will ask you about things you haven’t thought of and push you to think outside the box. That’s often scary.
Are you ready to take a hard look at your business? If your business can’t deliver quality to enough people at the right price, even the best coach can’t help you. Sometimes a business simply can’t succeed because the market is too hard or too small to reach.
Rosa started her business out of her home. That’s when a friend suggested that a small business coach would help.
If you’re not ready to be helped, the best coaching in the world won’t help you. Before you go hunting for a good small business coach, answer the following questions.
A good coach may also tell you to change the way you do some things. Because it means admitting that you’ve made some bad decisions and choices, that’s hard for many small business owners.
Choosing the Coach for You
Look for a coach who’s been doing it for a while. My job as a coach is to help you know what to do, but it’s also to help you do what you know. It takes time to learn to coach well.
And, sometimes, even a great coach is not the right coach for you. Small businesses are different from big businesses and you need a coach who understands the special challenges.
It can happen for you, too. If you’re ready, if you’re willing to embrace change and if you’re willing to pay the price, a small business coach can help you become an amazing success story.
After some soul searching and some research Rosa started working with a small business coach. It wasn’t always easy, but together they found ways to help Rosa’s business grow and help her reap the benefits of success. They took her business and life to a whole new level.
Look for a coach that you’re comfortable with. If you feel any of those things, look for a different coach.
Look for a coach who won’t nickel and dime you to death. It seems to me that there are two kinds of coaches when it comes to billing.
Look for a coach who’s run a small business. Before I started coaching I built two successful small businesses. I’ve really “been there and done that” so I know what my clients are going through.
Look for a coach who’s picky. The best coaches are selective about the kind of clients they work with. We expect a lot of our clients and we limit the number of clients we work with so we can concentrate on helping each one succeeds.
Great coaches, like great chefs and great football players, are rare. And, sometimes, even a great coach is not the right coach for you. Here are some ways to evaluate coaches.
I also use coaches myself. The ones that work best for me have small business experience. Small businesses are different from big businesses and you need a coach who understands the special challenges.
A few years ago the only coaches anyone talked about were sports coaches. Thousands of small business owners and managers turn to coaches every day to improve their personal skills and business results. That’s when a friend suggested that a small business coach would help.
