Finding and hiring a business coach (and doing the work) is one of the best returns on investment a business owner can make. Whether we like it or not, our business is always changing and if it isn’t we’re doomed.
When working with the right coach we can learn and navigate the construction signs a lot faster in order to reach our goals.
I know this reality all too well. After 18 years building a very successful business, change was imminent. I had planned and prepared, but I was mentally exhausted, I felt defeated, and I was anxious. I did not want to start over. Have you heard the quote, “If Plan A doesn’t work out, the alphabet has 25 more letters in it?” It was time for Plan B. The business was certainly under construction.
During this time of change we made the decision to hire a coach. Peter and I didn’t have a budget for a coach, but deep down we knew we couldn’t afford not to have one. During my early years in business I worked with coaches so did we really need to work with one again? Once you work with a coach and learn what to do, you take what you learned, go back and redo… (Am I right? Come on, you were thinking it too.)
In order for us to brand the new business and set and achieve our goals, we wanted to make sure we received, at minimum, the following from our business coach:
- information
- accountability for results
- support
Whatever coach you work with, it’s important to build a relationship first. When you start looking for a coach, interview a few and they should interview you too. By performing your due diligence, you’ll find a coach who you connect with; make sure you know what you’re receiving and what they’re expecting.
Information
Effective coaches provide information ranging from mindset to developing/enhancing business processes and skills, setting goals… Great coaches aren’t afraid to share their knowledge and information.
For instance, our coach held three-day intensive MasterMind sessions and discussed the importance of mindset, mission/vision, the “why” for business and life. She brought in several speakers who shared valuable information – the importance of setting up a newsletter and growing our email list, the importance of presenting a professional image, and the importance of video marketing for business, to name a few. We participated in round-table discussions ranging from marketing, sales, business growth, and more. Before the end of the in-person MasterMind sessions, we set our goals for a three-month period. But the work didn’t end there. We’re held accountable.
Accountability for results
We received the information from our monthly phone calls, intensive MasterMind sessions, group calls. We can have all the material in the world, but if we aren’t held accountable for doing the work to meet goals we aren’t going to achieve success.
Our coach holds us accountable. As part of the coaching program, we have two phone calls per month; we are responsible to schedule the calls and do the work before and after each session. We want this to work; why spend the time and money and not do the work. Is it easy? No. It’s difficult at times, but we make time and do it. Do you know there are several people who pay for coaching and never do the work?
Support
Receiving the information and being accountable for achieving results is great, but as entrepreneurs, we experience highs and lows pretty much on a daily basis. I love what our coach says, “New level, new devil.” Wow. When starting out there are struggles of finding clients, determining the vision/mission, having consistent income which can bring on feelings of inadequacy, anxiousness on how to pay the bills, and more. When our goals turn into successes we find different struggles of how to find time to do all the work, figure out the processes, balance business and life…
Finding a coach who listens, is open to your mission/vision, and encourages you toward setting and achieving goals, as well as recognizing success and failures is important.
What are you looking for in a coach? Knowing what you want in a coach is the first step toward your business success.
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