Have you hit a plateau in your business? Do you need something or someone to help you grow? Perhaps it’s time to consider hiring a small business coach to guide you toward success.
A good small business coach can help you get over any roadblocks and help you reach your goals. Then, you can enjoy life as a successful business owner.
Keep reading to learn more.
Get some referrals
The first step to choosing a small business coach is to pull together a list of potential coaches. One of the best ways to do this is to ask for referrals from people in your network.
Ask people who have gone through business coaching themselves about their experience. Figure out how they decided who to hire and if they’re happy with the service and the results the achieved.
If you don’t know other business owners in real life, you can join online communities such as Facebook groups for business owners. Then, you can figure out who might be a good fit for you. Still not sure on where to start? Contact us here at Waymaker and we can point you in the right direction!
Do a general search
You may also want to search for a small business coach using Google. This can be a great way to find more coaches than asking for recommendations.
When searching, you can include your industry or type of business, as well as your location to help find an expert. For example, you may want to search for “business coaches for a startup in Sydney.”
While you may get recommendations for a good coach, that person might not have experience working with the business you want to start. A detailed search can help you find that person.
Think about your goals
Next, you should consider why you want to hire a small business coach. A good coach can help you with anything from brainstorming ideas for your business to implementing those ideas.
You may also want to think about how much guidance you want from a coach. The right small business coach should be willing to work with you as you work toward your goals.
Whether you need help with each step or want someone to be your cheerleader, you can find a good business coach. But you should consider your goals now to help with your search process.
Small business coaches can benefit from the Waymaker platform by bringing clarity to your business goals and objectives via a realtime, visual dashboard.
Figure out your budget
Another important part of choosing a business coach is to know your budget. You can include the money for a coach in your business budget, so you can consider it a business expense.
Think about how much you can spend overall for a small business coach and how much you can spend per session. Many coaches work with you over the course of a few months.
It can be a significant investment because you’re not only paying for business coach advice, but for their experience as well. Knowing how much you can afford will help you narrow your search for the right small business coach.
Consider their expertise
One of the benefits of a business coach is that hiring one can help your entire company thrive. While you may work one-on-one with the coach, you can implement what you learn across the entire team. The result is growth and clarity for your whole organization, from sales to marketing.
But you won’t get these results if your business coach doesn’t have the right expertise. Make sure they’ve worked with businesses similar to yours and that they’ve helped business owners get results. The best business coach will give you the right tools to help you succeed.
Determine if you’re compatible
Business coaching will only work if you and your coach can work together. Before you hire anyone to coach you, you need to make sure your personalities are compatible.
Of course, you can have different personalities, and odds are, you will have some differences. But you don’t want to be so different that you struggle to communicate or learn.
You can figure out if you’re compatible with a coach by reading about them or reading their testimonials. Listen to podcasts that they’ve been on or articles they’ve written to learn more about them and their coaching method.
Look at their social proof
Next, you should look at any social proof of the business coach. They should have some testimonials or reviews available from past clients, and that’s a great way to learn more.
Past clients will give an honest account of how the business coach helped them. You can see what someone was able to achieve after business coaching, so you can get an idea of your potential results.
If you can’t find testimonials, ask other business owners for their opinions. You may receive some positive and negative thoughts, and you can consider that to help choose a business coach.
Be skeptical of guarantees
As you review a small business coach, consider if they make any guarantees for the results you can get. While it may be tempting to hire someone who will guarantee you can make a million dollars, that’s more of a red flag.
A small business coach is there to guide you, but you have to put in the work. They can’t guarantee that anything will work for you and your business.
If you find someone making big claims, like how you’ll make six figures or get dozens of clients yourself, run. A reputable small business coach won’t have to make such claims to bring in clients.
Do a trial run
Imagine you just found the perfect small business coach, and you’re ready to invest. First, you need to do some sort of trial run with them before you pay a bunch of money.
Ask if they can do a free short consultation or at least a one-off paid session. Then, you can see how you work together in practice, and you can make sure the coach will be a good fit.
While you may love the coach’s experience and appreciate the social proof, they may not be right for you. The best way to know either way is to have a session with the coach yourself.
Time to choose a small business coach
A small business coach can be an excellent resource to help start or grow your business. You can learn a lot from the right person, so you won’t have to make a ton of business mistakes.
But not every coach is right for every business owner. Be sure you consider a few coaches and get a trial run with anyone that interests you.
Finally – if you are a Small Business Coach, consider partnering with Waymaker today and ditch the gig-to-gig cycle of coaching and consulting and become a high value trusted advisor.
