From the course: Entrepreneurship Foundations

Business coaches

From the course: Entrepreneurship Foundations

Business coaches

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- What do athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, and Michael Phelps all have in common? They are surrounded by some of the top coaches, nutritionists, and trainers in the world! Top athletes employ coaches to help them reach the pinnacle of success, and to achieve in a way that no one else has before, and just like them you too can have your very own coach. Many people don't know about business coaches, but they can make a world of difference in your business, and no, they are not the same thing as mentors or advisers. They are in a field all their own. Let's walk through how business coaches differ from mentors and advisors. For business coaches, your success is their full-time job. With a business coach, whether it takes days, or weeks, or months, they can truly deep dive and work through the issues of your business. Sometimes the best type of company growth comes from really getting into the harder, more in depth parts of the business. These types of harder issues can rarely be dug into with the hour catch-up meeting you might have with an advisor or a mentor. And, unlike mentors and advisors, who have full-time day jobs, a business coach does this all day, every day. Because of their ability to spend more time with the founder, they're able to get in a great amount of insight into how a founder is dealing with a problem or a hurdle. Also, mentors and advisors know you, and so they can be biased. Business coaches don't know any of the players, investors, or individuals in your business. They only know you. Sometimes, when we present a problem, or an obstacle to others, it's filtered through our own lens or processed through the lens of someone who knows us really well. The great thing about a business coach is they can help you see a problem from a third party perspective. This unfiltered, unbiased look at your company is key to getting real feedback and solutions in place. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Kim, I didn't even know "about business coaches a few minutes ago! "But now I'm wondering where would I find one "if I wanted to learn more?" Rest assured, there are lots of resources for business coaches. Three main ways to find business coaches are from other founders, LinkedIn, or, from your mentors and advisors. As you find information about potential coaches, you're going to want to make sure that if you're considering a coach, it's a good fit for you. Most coaches will have trial calls or meetings to assess if it's a good working relationship. Also, be sure to check references. Call other entrepreneurs who have used them to see what type of feedback and results they achieved. Just as important as finding a business coach is finding the right business coach with the best credentials with what you're hoping to achieve. Remember, just like a world-class athlete needs help getting to the top, you too might need a little bit of outside help to take your business to the next level.

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