Business Coach

Business Coach – How A Business Coach Can Help

The right business coach can help your business to improve profits, productivity and proactivity through people. When you work with a business coach you are forming a partnership that will enable your business to grow. As a business owner that means increased profits and greater time freedom.

So what is a business coach?

Think of a business coach as being a partner in the success of your business. Your business coach will work directly with you systematically improving the key components of your business that lead to success.

A business coach typically is a business owner themselves. Often business coaches have experienced both the highs and lows of business and had some success along the way. This is what attracts them into business coaching in the first place.

The thing to keep in mind is that your coach does not necessarily need to have experience in your particular business or industry. Through their business coaching training they will have the skills to be able to analyse the different key areas of your business, assess what is happening and help you map out a plan to make significant improvements.

Your business coach could become the most valuable asset in your business.

Why do you need a business coach?

The right business coach will be able to look at your business more objectively than you can as the owner. When you work in a business everyday you are sometimes too close to the business to really see what is going on. It can be challenging to step back from the business and get a realistic view of what is taking place. This is where your coach can be of assistance.

Often as a business owner you have no one to really talk to. You can’t discuss a lot of issues with your staff, customers or suppliers. The last thing you want to do is take your worries home at night. So a business coach can be the perfect person to discuss your concerns and troubles with. Your business coach can help you brain storm ideas and solutions to problems.

Having a business coach also forces you to take time out of working in your business, and invest a little time in working ON your business. This is critical to your long term success in business. The business coaching process gives you a framework for working on the development of your business and future plans.

How can a business coach help you?

There are many ways in which a business coach can help you. Some of these are:

- A coach can help you increase profits
- A business coach can help you improve your productivity
- A coach can help you improve your teams productivity
- A business coach can help you become more proactive
- Your coach can help improve team morale & relationships
- A business coach can help you get the most out of your team
- A coach can help you improve your leadership

These are just some of the benefits of business coaching.

What areas of the business will a business coach focus on?

In any business there are a few key areas to focus on:

- Finance
- Admin
- Sales & Marketing
- Fulfilment & Delivery
- HR

Perhaps though the most important area to begin focusing on is you as the business owner and the leader of your business. In order to be effective as a business leader you have to first work on your personal effectiveness. Are you doing what you need to do each day to lead your business to success?

Your business coach will want to start with you as the first step in your business coaching relationship. They will want to understand your vision for your business, what drives you to build your business, and what is holding you back from success.

As a leader of a business you will no doubt be building a team of people to help you grow your business. What impact is your leadership style having on your team? Do they feel excited and empowered each day they come to work? Are they caught up in your vision for your business? Or are they feeling disengaged and therefore holding back your business?

Your business coach will work with you as the leader of the business and then look at how to improve the effectiveness and productivity of your team.

All of this leads to one thing – your business coach helping you to increase profits while simultaneously reducing your time and stress in the business.

Where to start with your business coach?

So where should you start with a business coach? In a future article we will look at how to select a business coach for your business. Assuming you have found the right business coach though the first thing you should do is set up an initial meeting so that your business coach can gain a more complete picture of your business, your goals and your challenges.

You want to be as open as possible during the business coaching process and feel confident to discuss all aspects of the business with your business coach. So it is essential that you select a business coach that you feel you can confide in.

From this initial discussion your business coach will then map out a plan to move your business forward. The business coaching plan should map out a process to firstly work with you as the business owner on issues like leadership, time management, productivity, personal effectiveness etc.

Then the plan should focus on your team and improving their overall productivity. Often issues like team and workplace culture will arise. This process of working with your team will lead to you becoming an employee of choice and allow you to start attracting better quality staff who have a higher level of engagement with your business.

Benefits of working with a coach

There are many benefits of working with a business coach. Some of these include:

* Improved productivity
* You work smarter not harder
* Fluent communication in your business
* Building a sustainable and efficient business
* Positioning as employer of choice
* Attract and retain good staff
* Staff have a higher level of engagement
* Increase profits through efficient business practices
* Superior client service proposition
* Business leader has more time to do what they should be doing
* Effectively lead change
* Clarity in message to market enabling them to attract the right client
* Reduction in stress levels
* Confidence that all of the key drivers of their business are in place

A good coach can help your business with all the above and more. Your business coach can be one of the most valued assets in your business.

Is it the right time for you to engage a business coach? The best way to find out is to request a complimentary consultation with a business coach.

Business Coach – How To Choose A Business Coach!

If you are considering working with a business coach then you will first of all want to know how to choose the right business coach for your business. The selection of the right business coach can make a huge difference in the overall results you get from working with a coach.

How To Find A Business Coach?

So the obvious question is where are you going to first of all find a business coach? Today there are more business coaches than ever before. The business coaching industry has sprung up overnight with thousands of new business coaches.

The key thing to note is that not all business coaches are equal. Each business coach has a different background, experience, process, and success track record. You want to ensure you are systematic in your approach to choosing a business coach. Where you find a business coach can make a huge difference to the success you have working with them.

The first place to look for a coach is amongst your existing network. Ask other business owners if they have used a business coach in the past and who would they recommend. Often a recommendation for a coach is a good sign that they are worth at least talking to.

One place you will find business coaches is at networking events for small business owners. This is a good opportunity to meet several business coaches for consideration … however do not rush into engaging them. A key thing to remember is that the best business coach is often too busy working with clients to attend networking events and the like. So just because you meet someone who comes across good at an even does not mean they are necessarily the right coach for you.

Another recommendation is to visit the websites and blogs of business coaches. Find a coach who is actively publishing useful and valuable information on how they work with small business owners to get the sort of results you are looking for. In order for a coach to write and publish articles on business coaching concepts they need to be proactively working with clients. You can quickly tell if someone is just writing a lot of theory with no real world experience.

What Questions To Ask A Potential Business Coach?

When you find a potential coach there are a number of questions you want to ask them first before going any further:

- What qualifies you to be a coach? (Note: A certificate from a coaching school is not the answer you are looking for here)

- What business experience does the coach have besides business coaching?

- Ask the business coach for an example of how they moved their business from a sticking point or challenge to greater success. Then ask them for an example from a recent client.

- Ask the coach where they believe the key to success is within a business. If you get surface answers like sales or marketing etc you should put a question mark over them. Real success comes down to you as the leader and owner of the business and your effectiveness in empowering a team to move towards your vision for your business.

- Find out from the business coach what their system is for working with their business coaching clients. If they have no system then they may not be able to help you achieve results.

- Ask the business coach for 3 case studies of recent succesful clients and ask them to identify three things that made the most difference in helping those clients achieve success.

- Discuss with the business coach how they prefer to work with clients.

Finally … you want to ask the business coach who they use as a business coach.

Process For Selecting A Business Coach

When you find a business coach you are considering working with you will want to go through a selection process. Often you can eliminate most business coaches but it is always good to have 2 or 3 potential coaches that you are considering.

Here is the process to go through to find a business coach:

- First of all find several business coaches to consider based on above
- Do your own research on each business coach by looking at their websites etc.
- Look at how the business coach conducts themselves in social media circles like Facebook. Some business coaches fail to realise the world is watching and reveal a lot about who they really are.
- Search the web for any bad reviews or comments about the business coach
- If they have products for sale invest in them and see if what the business coach has to say makes sense and resonates with you
- Have an intital phone conversation with the business coach
- If possible set up a coffee meeting with the business coach to ask them the above questions. This meeting is really about getting a feel for the business coach and if you have a rapport with them.
- Ask them for 3 references of clients you can ring
- Schedule a complimentary coaching session with the business coach. During this session you will get to know if this is the right business coach for you or not.

Finally there is the issue of cost and investment. You will want to ask your coach for a detailed proposal for the coaching services.

What you must consider when it comes to the fees charged by a coach is the ROI (return on investment). Investing $10,000 to $20,000 might sound like a lot of money to invest however if the business coach helps you attract 2 or 3 additional clients over the course of a year and they are worth $10,000 each to your business then you have a better than 100% ROI from your investment in the business coach.

One critical thing to keep in mind is this … your business coach is not a miracle worker. So if your business is not working and there are lots of issues within your business to start with then it is unlikely that your coach will be able to fix this over night. Fixing a business that has issues and is flawed will take a minimum of 3 months to 6 months. So you need to have the right expectations when engaging the services of a coach.

Another key to ensure you get a successful result working with your business coach is that you follow through on all of the agreed upon tasks assigned to you by the business coach. If you do not take personal responsibility and follow through on the agreed tasks then you only have yourself to blame. The business coach will advise you on the best course of action to take but ultimately as it is your business you have to step up and be responsible for taking action and following through.

The First Step In Selecting A Business Coach

If you are serious about finding the right coach to work with then complete your details in the right hand side of this page. We will then contact you to schedule a complimentary consultation with your business coach.

Business Coach – Is A Business Coach Right For You?

If you are reading this then chances are good you are considering engaging the services of a business coach to help you to grow your business. Is having a business coach right for you?

A business coach is not right for every business owner. However most business owners can benefit from partnering with the right business coach. The keys is selecting the right business coach for your business needs right now. Over time as your business grows and develops your requirments for who is the right coach will also change and develop.

One of the first things you want to do is grab a peice of paper and a pen and then brain storm a list of all of the areas in your business that you think you might be able to get help from a business coach. Make sure you put YOU at the top of the list … working with you as the leader of the business should be the primary focus of any good coach.

Now looking down the list of areas you have highlighted circle your top 2 or 3 areas to prioritise. These are the areas that you should focus on when considering different business coaches. You want to therefore find a business coach who has some level of experience in these areas so that you feel confident they can assist you.

How Do You Know If You Need A Business Coach?

You can tell you need a business coach if any of the following apply:

- You need a coach if you are feeling overwhelmed
- You need a business coach if your business has stagnated
- You need a coach if you are doing everything yourself
- You need a business coach if your leadership style is outdated and ineffective
- You need a coach if your personal productivity is low
- You need a business coach if you have a team but they are not effective
- You need a coach if your staff turn over or your team culture is poor
- You need a coach if your sales are too low
- You need a business coach if your cash flow is too low
- You need a coach if your profits are imaginary
- You need a coach if you have had enough and are ready to throw the towel in
- You need a business coach if the success of your business relies 100% on you

If any of the above applies to you and your business then chances are good to excellent you need a business coach asap.

Business Coach – Understanding The Process

You may be wondering what the process is of working with a business coach.

First and foremost your business coach is not there to do everything for you. It is not their job to implement the ideas, strategies and plans discussed. You as the business owner must accept full responsibility for your own success, results and outcomes.

Your coach is there to guide you. The coaching process itself usually occurs over a period of 6 to 12 months depending on the size and nature of your business. It is unrealistic to expect dramatic results in a shorter period of time in most cases. This is because if you currently have issues in your business, or key areas of your business are not working, then it will take time to correct these issues.

So make sure you enter a coaching relationship with your business coach with the right expectations at the start.

A good business coach however will:

- Challenge you and your beliefs
- Help you get out of your comfort zone
- Stretch your thinking
- Expand your vision of what is possible
- Set you tasks and objectives
- Listen to you and check in with you to ensure you are aligned
- Provide you with valuable feedback which you may not necessarily want to hear
- Keep you accountable
- Call you up on your BS!
- Ask you the tough questions you are afraid to ask yourself

A good coach will also:

- Help you craft a bigger vision for your business
- Develop fresh ideas and a new way of looking at things
- Identify opportunities you may have missed
- Inspire you and your team to tap into your potential
- Cheer you on when you have little wins
- Celebrate your great successes
- Be a sounding board and someone to brainstorm with
- Help you to structure a plan for change

Ultimately your business coach will be concerned mostly with improving your profits, productivity and proactivity through developing your leadership style and your people.

Complimentary Consultation With A Business Coach

So is a coach right for you? Well to really find out take the next step. We invite you to request a complimentary consultation with business coach Julie Hyde. During this consultation you will be able to explore key issues in your business and gain a greater understanding of how the right business coach can lead you to success.

To request a consultation with your business coach simply enter your details into the form on the top right hand side of this site.