You may be thinking about getting a business coach, and that’s good. I’m really pleased to see that you’re starting to seriously think about how you can get some external help to help you grow your business. But you’ve probably got that little voice inside your head saying, ‘Well what if it doesn’t work?’ And that’s a very, very valid question.
I think in the last 30 plus years I’ve met with hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and it’s a very common question I get, and that is, ‘What if business coaching doesn’t work? Do you have a guarantee?’ And I’m often a bit cheeky, and I’ll say, ‘I guarantee if you don’t do business coaching, you won’t be as successful.’ Now, I know that sounds cheeky, but it’s true. If you don’t have someone holding you accountable, if you don’t have someone driving you to a plan, then you won’t be as successful.
If your mindset going into business coaching is, ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ well then, you know what, you’re not backing yourself. Here’s the thing, it’s like an athlete. An athlete doesn’t say, ‘I’m going to try out this sport, and what if it doesn’t work? Or having a coach?’ They just get a coach. It’s a done thing. Now they can change coaches. Definitely. Maybe the coach they’re working with doesn’t work, but coaching certainly works. I want to just reiterate that for you. Business coaching definitely works!
When to try Business Coaching
Now you may have had an experience, you may have heard of an experience where business coaching didn’t work. And, in fact just this week, I met a guy who’s just started on one of our programs, and he said to me, ‘Ben, I tried coaching about 7, 8 years ago, and it didn’t work.’ He said, ‘What I realized was that I was not ready.’ Now this is the good news. The reality is, if you don’t feel like you’re ready, that’s okay. Don’t just go into coaching unless you know that you are ready for the challenge. If you’re the type of person who’s uncomfortable with stretching outside your comfort zone, you’re not ready to step up, be a leader, be strong in your business, you’re not looking for any more business or to make more money or any of those things, then maybe business coaching isn’t for you. And be okay with that. Be okay with the fact that you’re just not ready.
Make Business Coaching Work
However, if you’re at a point where you are ready, well that’s great news. Business coaching will work for you. You’ve just now got to find the right business coach. And this is the key. So instead of saying, ‘What if this doesn’t work?’ I say to you it will work, just make sure you make it work. And that’s being honest with yourself.
How long to give it
If you find you get a little way in your coaching relationship and it’s not working, then it’s probably not going to work with that particular person or organisation. When I say a little while in, I’m talking 6 to 12 months. Don’t expect the result in three weeks or three months, it just doesn’t happen. The reality is the bigger your business, the slower that it moves, the more difficult it can be to get the growth out of it.
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.
