Are you thinking about hiring a business coach but wondering what does a business coach do?

Well, it seems like a simple question, but the answer can vary somewhat.

In general terms, a business coach provides structure, guidance, and support to help you achieve business success.

However, they may also have areas where they specialise in the services they provide.

For example, they may be a female business coach who specialises in helping women in business.

Alternatively, they could be a specialist in a specific industry, or a function, such as a financial coach or marketing coach.

Alternatively, they may specialise in business coaching for small business owners.

When you have a specialist business coach, you’ll benefit by being able to share their knowledge and experience.

This expertise will help you to get where you want to go faster, and without the stress and overwhelm that you may experience if you were trying to work it out on your own.

So, what does a business coach do?

A business coach provides the clarity, structure, and coaching support you need to grow your business without the stress and overwhelming feeling of trying to figure everything out on your own.

A business coach helps you to achieve clarity and order your thoughts, so you’ll know exactly what to focus on next.

And, with the right support, you’ll build confidence, learn new skills, and avoid costly mistakes.

Listed below are the main areas where a business coach can support you in growing your business:

1. A business coach provides clarity and direction

When you’re running a small business, it can become very overwhelming trying to do everything.

It’s especially true when you are first starting and can’t afford to hire a team to help you.

With so much to do, it’s hard to know what you should be focusing on next.

It’s at this point that a business coach can help you to gain clarity and direction.

They will help you identify your goals, what you want to achieve, and what success looks like.

Once you have clarity on what you want to achieve, you’ll know exactly what to focus on and the direction you should take.

A business coach will also help you analyse what’s working and what’s not.

From here, you can determine what to stop working on and where to shift your focus instead.

With a plan and clear direction, you’ll be able to achieve your goals much faster (and without the stress and overwhelm).

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. Click the button below to download my free checklist – The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for Coaches and Consultants and service-based small businesses:

2. A business coach helps you avoid costly mistakes

One of the greatest benefits of working with a business coach is that you can tap into their experience of working with other businesses like yours.

In their work with other clients, business coaches will have discovered the best tools and systems to use and will provide you with recommendations.

Business coaches also have a unique view of being able to see a lot of what works, as well as what doesn’t.

This knowledge is valuable as it can not only save you money but can also help you avoid wasting time on activities that are unlikely to benefit your business growth.

Business coaches also invest a lot of money in their own education, and you are able to share in the benefits when they pass this knowledge on to you.

3. A business coach helps you to think strategically

You may have heard of the term ‘CEO Mindset,’ which essentially means thinking and acting like the CEO of your business.

It means taking a step back from the day-to-day operations and taking a holistic and strategic view of what’s happening in your business.

Another way you may have also heard it described is to be working ‘on’ your business and not ‘in’ it.

A business coach will help you to identify where you may be spending too much time in your business on a task that would be better automated or outsourced.

They will help you to step away from the tactical activities to focus more on strategic growth activities.

With this strategic mindset, you’ll be able to grow much faster as you’ll be focused on the strategic activities that will grow your business.

4. A business coach connects you to their networks

Networking and relationship-building are essential skills for any small business owner.

A business coach can support you in growing these skills as well as introduce you to their network of business connections.

These introductions and referrals are a great way to explore collaboration opportunities and understand where you could outsource some business activities.

As a client, you’ll also become a part of their network and, over time, may find referrals coming back to your business as well.

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. Click the button below to download my free checklist – The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for Coaches and Consultants and service-based small businesses:

5. A business coach holds you accountable to your goals

It can be quite lonely in business if you’re a solopreneur or working with only a small team.

Also, finding the motivation to stay on track to achieve your goals can be challenging.

Procrastination and ‘shiny object syndrome’ can also be very detrimental to your business and result in added stress and overwhelm when you don’t see the outcomes you want.

However, a business coach can provide the accountability you need when you’re only answerable to yourself.

They will help you to set milestones for the goals you want to achieve and support you in staying on track against your plan.

When you have someone holding you accountable, it helps you to achieve your goals sooner, and you’ll avoid making excuses for why you haven’t done the work.

6. A business coach teaches you new skills

You can learn quite a lot when working one-on-one with a business coach.

This includes learning new skills, as well as learning more productive and systemised ways to work that will improve your productivity.

Working with a coach is also very different from taking an online course, as you can ask questions and get feedback along the way.

When you’re looking for a business coach, it’s essential to ask questions about their teaching and coaching style.

It would help if you also asked them what areas they specialise in and what knowledge they can share with you.

This type of questioning can indicate whether you’ll be a good fit to work together and if the skills and strengths they have are the ones that you want to learn.

7. A business coach helps you to build confidence

Promoting yourself can be quite scary when you’re running a small business.

Also, selling your business and services takes a lot of confidence.

One of the reasons why I believe small business owners lack confidence is that they don’t fully believe in what they are selling.

There’s just something there that’s holding them back.

However, a business coach can work with you to enhance your brand, your service packages, and your promotional messages to give you the ability to speak about your business confidently.

When you’re more confident in what you’re selling, then you’ll be more likely to attract new clients and close sales with ease.

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. Click the button below to download my free checklist – The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for Coaches and Consultants and service-based small businesses:

8. A business coach helps you achieve success

Success looks different to everyone, so it’s essential to understand what success looks like to you individually.

When you’re clear on your version of success, you’ll be more likely to achieve and recognise it.

A business coach will ask you thoughtful questions and help you to articulate what success looks like and means to you.

I recommend writing this down, so you have a visual reminder of why you are running your business and what you want to achieve.

Also, a business coach will also help you to create a step-by-step plan that takes you from where you are now, to where you want to be.

How to choose a business coach that’s right for your small business

1. The first step is to know what it is that you’re seeking from a business coach. Or what you want to be coached on.

Once you know what you’re looking for, then you’ll know what questions to ask when you’re speaking with a potential coach for your business.

You can ask them about their qualifications and experience of working with businesses like yours.

So, you’ll be able to find out exactly how they may be able to support you in achieving your goals.

As an example, are you looking for:

• Systems to attract new clients and grow your business
• Support to overcome negative thoughts and imposter syndrome
• Structure to provide clarity and a plan to take your business to the next level
• Accountability so that you stay on track to achieving your goals
• Alternatively, something else?

2. Reading client testimonials is another way that you can also find out what a coach’s strengths are and the types of transformations they have been able to help their clients achieve.

In addition to finding out their skills and strengths, it’s also essential to understand how a coach will work with you.

Find out how the coaching calls will be structured as well as what support you’ll have access to in between calls if you become stuck.

3. Finally, you’ll also want to ensure that your values and communication styles align well.

The best way to find this out is with a conversation, either over the phone/teleconference or in person.  

Most coaches will offer a free, no-obligation Discovery Call to get to know a bit about each other before you need to commit, so be sure to take them up on this offer.

Tired of trying to figure out what you’re missing when it comes to finding clients and making sales in your service business?

Break through the barriers that are holding you back with the support of an MBA-qualified Marketing Coach and Business Mentor who will tailor a 1:1 program specifically for you.

BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH is a 3 or 6-month 1:1 Coaching Program for service-based business owners who want to develop the strategy, systems, and structure they need to find clients and make sales, so they can stop feeling stuck and start gaining massive momentum in their business.

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