If you’re thinking about business coaching as a career choice and are ready to help business owners build the business they imagined, we’ve put together a 9-point checklist that will help you determine whether you are ready to go down this path.
#1 Does it excite you?
It’s no good becoming a business coach if the business of business doesn’t excite you. Do you like helping and motivating other businesses? Does the psychology behind getting customers and keeping customers excite you?
If you’re not passionate about the transactional part of business where your sales and marketing strategies sit, or where you need to work out profitability, then this is not for you.
If motivating people and helping business grow is your thing, then you have what it takes to become a business coach.
#2 Are you a people person?
Business coaches coach people not businesses. They coach people that work inside a business and operate a business. You need to be a people person. If you find it difficult to socialise or if you’re uncomfortable with people around people, then being a business coach may not be the best step for you.
#3 Willingness to Learn
Are you always looking to learn more, educate yourself further and broaden your knowledge? Then this is definitely right up your alley. As a business coach, the knowledge you’ve got right now will get you so far, however, it is important to stay ahead. You must spend time investing on tools that teach you more. This could be creating an Audible Account, listening to podcasts, going to workshops ior getting your own coach with experience. If you are willing to invest in yourself, then you have ticked out checklist item number 3.
#4 Passionate about helping others?
To be a good coach, passion is everything. You need to passionate about helping other business owners grow. As Zig Ziglar once said, enough people get what they want and you’ll get what you want. Be passionate about others instead of only focussing on yourself.
#5 Are you the go-to person?
Do you find that you’re the person your family, friends and peers come to for help when it comes to business? Do you feel you are constantly giving out business advice, sharing trends, and giving away gold to business owners who are succeeding? Chances are, they trust you enough to take advice from you and for that reason, you can tick off number 5 on your checklist. You are definitely ready to explore the possibilities of becoming a Business Coach.
#6 Do you have Business Experience?
If you want to become a Business Coach, you need to have some industry experience. You don’t need to have a business or have owned a business in the past. You do need to have some experience in the day to day running of a business. This information and knowledge will help you when coaching another business owner. You need to have basic understanding on how business workds because this will help you be empathetic with your client.
#7 Are you firm when required?
From experience, a client is more upset when a coach is NOT tough on them than the other way around. As a coach, you cannot let them get away with not going the work. Imagine this scenario; you have just signed up for a personal trainer. You rock up at the gym for your first session with a pack of donuts. You sit down and tell your coach, you are going to eat donuts today instead of working out. The personal trainer turns around and says OKAY! See you tomorrow!
Would you be happy with this outcome? NO! Same goes for coaches. There are times when you need to be the client’s unreasonable friend. You need to able to call them on their behaviour and hold them accountable so that they can go ahead and achieve success in their business.
For some, this is uncomfortable. But if you’re prepared to be tough when it counts, then you have what it takes to become a Business Coach.
#8 Are you a self-starter?
Are you the kind of person who can work on their own and independently?
Business coaching works if you are flexible with your hours, occasionally work around your clients and be self-accountable and motivated to do so.
#9 Are you prepared to be congruent?
One of the biggest complaints I see from clients that have had a bad experience with a coach is that their coach was not congruent. They’re telling their client to do something that they weren’t prepared to do themselves to grow their own business. Clients want to know that you are prepared to take the same steps you are asking them to do in your own business. If you are open and honest about your own business then the likelihood is that you’re not going to be a very successful coach.
We’re looking for some amazing people to join our team as a Business Exceleration® Accredited Franchisee.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Business Excelerator®, click here for more information.
About the Author
Ben Fewtrell is a sought-after Business Coach, Keynote Speaker and trainer who has featured in Virgin’s Inflight Magazine and Entertainment Portal, SKY Business and “Secrets of Top Business Builders Exposed”. He is also the host of the popular Business Brain Food Podcast where he interviews leading experts on anything and everything business.
