Ever wondered what a business coach actually does?In this blog post we peel back the curtains and discover what a business coach does As I sat here thinking about this blog post about what a business coach does, I decided to start with explaining what a business coach does not do. The caveat, I can only speak on behalf of myself and not other coaches, although, I think most work in a similar way. A business coach does not do the work for you, nor should you expect that. For you to get the most out of working with a coach you need to do the hard yards. Your coach will be there to guide you, motivate you and hold you accountable, but they will not do the work for you. A business coach does not work by the hour. Over the years, one of the challenges people face when enquiring about business coaching is understanding that you are not paying your coach by the hour, but instead you are investing in having someone work with you one on one, with the goal of helping you achieve your goals. A business coach is not an employee, and you should not treat them that way. For you to get the best from your coach you want them to feel like they have the freedom to be honest with you, brutally honest. If your coach feels like an employee, or you treat them like an employee then you are unlikely to ever enjoy coaching.Hopefully that has helped clarify what a coach typically will not do, now let’s take a look at what a business coach will do.
Your business coach will help you with business planning. One of the keys to being successful is having a plan to keep you on track. Working together with your business coach you should put together a plan of action, a very tactical ‘Action’ plan. Your plan should not be over complicated, and needs to include goals, key performance indicators (KPI’s), strategies and resources required to get your plan implemented. It is this ‘Action’ plan that you will both refer to at your regular coaching sessions to ensure you are on track. Your business coach should meet with you for regular coaching sessions. At the very least you should meet once a month, more in the beginning of your coaching program. These meeting may be in person or via the phone and/or web conferencing such as Zoom or Skype. Meeting in person is not always ideal, and certainly not efficient. When possible you and your business coach should hold your session over the phone, you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you will be. You and your coach will brainstorm new ideas. One of the benefits of working with an outsider is the different perspective your coach will bring to your sessions. Having worked with literally hundreds of clients one on one I can honestly say there was never an instant where I wasn’t able to see something they could not. I like to call it ‘Business Blinkers’. You get so busy caught up in the day to day running, or the passion you have for what you do, you have virtual blinkers on that prevent you from seeing something that is obvious to an outsider. Your business coach will hold you accountable! One of the biggest, if not the biggest benefit of working with a coach is having someone hold you accountable. If you say you are going to do something, then your coach should question you and challenge you if you do not get it done. I often say to people I meet when they are enquiring about working with a coach, “you already know what to do, you are just not doing it”. For whatever reason, whether it is laziness, you get distracted or doing something new seems overwhelming, having someone to hold you accountable will be invaluable. You coach will introduce you to other business professionals. Having worked with business owners for many years, I have been able to build up a great contact list of some of the best in business! Most business coaches will be in networking groups and have contacts that can help you with everything from accounting to marketing. If you need something done you should always check with your coach to see if they have a trusted contact that can help you out. Your business coach will encourage you to learn new things. You are where you are because of your knowledge. You don’t know what you don’t know! Your coach is most likely reading at least one book a month, listening to podcasts, and attending workshops on a regular basis. They should be able to recommend something to help you overcome any issue or upskill you in an area of weakness. You might feel this is an extra burden on your time, it is the time you spend working on yourself that will make the biggest difference. Make sure you take the time to learn something new every month at a minimum. Your business coach will be brutally honest with you. If they are not, then you need a new coach. The last thing you want is someone that will give you ‘lip service’ and tells you what you want to hear. These difficult conversations, as tough and uncomfortable as they are for you and your coach, will sometimes be the nucleus for change that is required. If you are keen to learn more about working with a business coach, Click Here to download some information about our different programs and the costs involved. I made a short video explaining what a business coach does a few years ago, you can watch it here on our YouTube channel. About the Author
Hopefully that has helped clarify what a coach typically will not do, now let’s take a look at what a business coach will do.
Your business coach will help you with business planning. One of the keys to being successful is having a plan to keep you on track. Working together with your business coach you should put together a plan of action, a very tactical ‘Action’ plan. Your plan should not be over complicated, and needs to include goals, key performance indicators (KPI’s), strategies and resources required to get your plan implemented. It is this ‘Action’ plan that you will both refer to at your regular coaching sessions to ensure you are on track. Your business coach should meet with you for regular coaching sessions. At the very least you should meet once a month, more in the beginning of your coaching program. These meeting may be in person or via the phone and/or web conferencing such as Zoom or Skype. Meeting in person is not always ideal, and certainly not efficient. When possible you and your business coach should hold your session over the phone, you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you will be. You and your coach will brainstorm new ideas. One of the benefits of working with an outsider is the different perspective your coach will bring to your sessions. Having worked with literally hundreds of clients one on one I can honestly say there was never an instant where I wasn’t able to see something they could not. I like to call it ‘Business Blinkers’. You get so busy caught up in the day to day running, or the passion you have for what you do, you have virtual blinkers on that prevent you from seeing something that is obvious to an outsider. Your business coach will hold you accountable! One of the biggest, if not the biggest benefit of working with a coach is having someone hold you accountable. If you say you are going to do something, then your coach should question you and challenge you if you do not get it done. I often say to people I meet when they are enquiring about working with a coach, “you already know what to do, you are just not doing it”. For whatever reason, whether it is laziness, you get distracted or doing something new seems overwhelming, having someone to hold you accountable will be invaluable. You coach will introduce you to other business professionals. Having worked with business owners for many years, I have been able to build up a great contact list of some of the best in business! Most business coaches will be in networking groups and have contacts that can help you with everything from accounting to marketing. If you need something done you should always check with your coach to see if they have a trusted contact that can help you out. Your business coach will encourage you to learn new things. You are where you are because of your knowledge. You don’t know what you don’t know! Your coach is most likely reading at least one book a month, listening to podcasts, and attending workshops on a regular basis. They should be able to recommend something to help you overcome any issue or upskill you in an area of weakness. You might feel this is an extra burden on your time, it is the time you spend working on yourself that will make the biggest difference. Make sure you take the time to learn something new every month at a minimum. Your business coach will be brutally honest with you. If they are not, then you need a new coach. The last thing you want is someone that will give you ‘lip service’ and tells you what you want to hear. These difficult conversations, as tough and uncomfortable as they are for you and your coach, will sometimes be the nucleus for change that is required. If you are keen to learn more about working with a business coach, Click Here to download some information about our different programs and the costs involved. I made a short video explaining what a business coach does a few years ago, you can watch it here on our YouTube channel. About the Author
Ben Fewtrell started as a business coach in 2002, is the co-founder of MaxMyProfit and co-author of the Business Exceleration Blueprint.
