How to find a business coach that will move your business forward

This post is by Giles Ellis, an experienced business coach and Director at GECA Chartered Accountants. If you need help unlocking your business potential, then Giles can help.

Since publishing the post 5 Reasons to engage a Business Coach last week, several readers have now asked me what to look for in a business coach to get the best results. So here we go.

First things first – understand what you are trying to achieve

Business coaches can help business owners with all aspects of running a business.  This can range from support in specific areas; i.e. improving online sales, to broader items like creating long term strategic plan.  Understand your needs and find a business coach who is qualified to help in those areas.

Independent thinking

So often a business owner’s coach is a family member or close friend, limiting the ability to provide honest independent feedback and assessment.

Having an independent view will enable a fair and reasonable outlook and most importantly, the coach will be able tell the truth, even when it may be something the owner doesn’t want to hear.

Third party perspective

A business owner is often a specialist who has become a manager as the business has grown. As such, their knowledge of the broader aspects of running a business may be limited. This is where a business coach can help.

A good business coach brings a wealth of commercial experience to call upon and apply to your business issues, providing fresh perspective and insights to support the business owner in overcoming challenges.

Compatibility

The basis for a successful coaching relationship is openness and clarity of purpose. Both client and coach must be accountable for their actions to move forward.

By doing this openly and with care, the coach can provide feedback to help the client grow and achieve what it is they have set out to.  It is crucial the coach is someone the client trusts and has confidence in. If your business coach has the perfect skills and expertise to support you but is someone you cannot be open with, keep looking.

Where to find a business coach

Once you have defined your needs and understand what you want to achieve by engaging a business coach, there are numerous solutions available for business coaching services, ranging from inexpensive phone based apps to personalised one-on-one coaching from professional business coaches.

Look for a business coach with a demonstrated record of successful coaching, supported with testimonials. This may be through a coaching specific organisation such as NZ Mentors or through qualified professionals such as your accountant.  Reach out through business networks for recommendations.

As with any business decision, a benefit cost analysis should be undertaken. Factor in not just the costs of coaching but also the time required by the business owner to attend coaching including pre-work and follow up actions.

Coaching is about enabling the client to achieve things, it is not about the coach completing actions for the client. If the client cannot meet the time requirements then the coaching may not bring the returns hoped for.

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Good luck, I hope you find a business coach that will enable you to continue to move forward and achieve.

At GECA our most successful clients use our business coaching services – call us now on 0800 758 766 for a free consultation. Alternatively, you can find out more here.