In order for coaching to work, you both have to be committed.  It’s a two-way relationship, and you have to have a good connection with your coach.  You have to commit to making the changes that are needed, in other you as the business owner need to be coachable.  When you are aware that you need to develop a new set of skills, such as man management; marketing; sales or something similar, you probably ask yourself a series of questions.  It’s important that before you sign any contract your business coach answers those questions to your satisfaction.  There should be a comfortable rapport with your coach, you should feel like you can be totally honest with them.  If you can’t, you are going to run into problems as the relationship progresses.

Hiring a business coach will provide you with objective feedback that is emotionally detached from your business.  That’s really important.  Just that alone will help you run your business better, alongside all the other new skills a coach will bring to you, I’m confident hiring a business coach will be the best thing for your business.  That said, here are five signs you could be looking at in your business that tell you it’s the right time to start working with a business coach.

  1. You don’t have clarity of vision for the future. When I start working with business owners, they have often built their company up and are jack of all trades.  They have a hectic and often very urgent air about them, they have their hands in every part of the business.  They are often performing tasks that could easily be delegated to an employee.  As a consequence of this, you cannot see the wood for the trees.  If you don’t know where you are going, you cannot possibly put in place the steps to enable you to get there.  And even if you could, you’re too busy doing other stuff to take those steps.  A business coach can help get clarity of vision and put in a roadmap with actionable steps to get you there.  Its about connecting strategic outcomes with daily activity.
  2. You’re overwhelmed. If you are feeling this way, my job as a coach is to understand whether your daily activities are moving you towards your goal.  I get that every business owner is busy, but re they busy on the right things.  Overwhelm often stems from working too hard IN the business, and not enough time ON the business.  When this happens, people often feel they have no one else to turn to as a sounding board or to bounce ideas off.  A business coach provides objective feedback, and is a great source of inspiration to get new ideas and get creative.
  3. You need more personal accountability. This is the part that no one likes.  Who is the easiest person to lie to?  Of course, yourself.  I don’t let my clients get away with that.  I won’t collude or accept excuses.  Quite simply, are you doing enough of the right things to start moving the needle in the right direction?  You could turn to a spouse or partner for accountability, but re you 100% convinced they will give you objective feedback?  Or will they let you get away with it?  I think if we are really honest, we know the answer.  A coach will be your accountability buddy, and help you develop much stronger personal accountability as well.
  4. You want to develop new skills. When looking for a coach to develop a new skill set, research will be particularly important.  If developing soft skills like leadership, communication etc, its important you choose a coach you re comfortable opening up to, likewise one that you are comfortable receiving personal feedback from.  Developing hard skills like marketing, selling etc, might require looking t past testimonials and seeing where the biggest impact was made.
  5. You are frustrated at being stuck on the hamster wheel. Business could well be booming; sales are happening and you’re making a profit.  Even with the brightest entrepreneurial spark, disrupting your business operations in order to make strategic growth can be daunting.  A business coach will help you plan, brainstorm and implement in a way that doesn’t hurt your current business.  Instead of falling into a rut, address your frustration and make positive steps.  A business coach will be able to see outside your particular industry, bring new ideas and systems that have worked elsewhere and grow your business without breaking you, the owner.

A business coach has a unique place with you.  They are not swayed by company politics or emotional attachment, they have only the companies’ best interest at heart.  I know exactly how far to be removed from the situation I need to be to have an impact, but keep trust.  As an experienced coach, if any of the above has resonated with you, drop me a message and lets see of we are  good fit to work together.