Let’s get in the game with a business coach

At different times as a business owner, I have hired business coaches and even a franchising coach. Personally, over the years I’ve had a lot of different personal trainers, and recently engaged with a new one. Particularly, as a business owner, you are wearing a lot of different hats: salesperson, CFO, CEO, and HR. It’s tough to juggle so many roles and find the “one thing” that is going to move your business forward.

Most of us have had great experiences with coaches as a child or parent. Have you or your kids ever had a voice coach or sports coach? What about a life coach or personal trainer? These experts are hired to guide you and you seek their wisdom and experience to become a better singer or athlete or just to get in better shape. The coach can share his or her successes and failures to get and keep you on the right track.

A business coach will help you become laser-focused on what’s the most important tasks for you to do that will actually grow your business producing more revenues.

But would you ever hire a business coach to help you be accountable to your work goals? Small business owners are increasingly turning to business coaches to help them pay closer attention to finances, budget and personnel decisions. Maybe you don’t have the right employee in the right seat. Maybe the person isn’t the right fit for the company. These are tough decisions to make alone so a trained, certified coach could be the sounding board you need.

So why do business owners not seek a coach? Here are three reasons I hear:

• Maybe they don’t know someone
• Maybe they don’t want to be challenged or pushed
• Maybe they don’t know who to trust

A trained, experienced coach is going to get to know you, your strengths and weaknesses and help you increase your productivity. They are going to get and keep you focused and help you create an action plan to increase your sales and revenue. Or it could be accountability, ways to grow your business or how to find more leads.

Don’t fret if you are thinking this could be an overwhelming arrangement. It doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment when hiring a business coach. Depending on what you need, it could be a short-term relationship. A business coach can be more affordable than hiring a person on staff, which you will have to provide with a salary, training and benefits. A good business coach will pay for themselves in the additional revenues they help create.

Usually, coaches schedule at least one session a week for 30 minutes or an hourlong call every other week. The goal is really to help you work more ON your business than IN your business.

When looking for a business coach, I recommend you follow these two tips:

• Find someone who has experience in business and has some stumbles or failures in their business life and can tell you how they overcame their failures and continued to be successful and demonstrate upward advancement.
• Find someone who has owned their business, maybe even with specific experience in your industry. Sometimes, though, you might want to find someone outside your industry who has fresh insights into your service or product.

I became a certified business coach because I have a passion for helping other entrepreneurs address their stumbling blocks and build a thriving business that fulfills their dreams.  Having a process to follow and structured strategy can make a huge difference in how and when you get there.

Feel free to schedule a call with me? Or email me at cheryldacey@me.com if you have comments or questions on business coaching.