‍How A Business Coach Helps Transform Your Company

People hire coaches all the time. For their bodies, their sport, to learn a musical instrument or new skill . . . and yet, when going into business, many overlook this invaluable resource.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at business coaching: what it is, what a business coach does, and how working with one can radically transform you and your business. So if you’re ready to take your company to the next stage of growth, read on.

What Is Business Coaching?

Business coaching is a problem-solving tool leaders use to strengthen their companies. 

Because, let’s face it, running a business is tough. Many company owners leave work each evening feeling stressed, weary and irritable. Accounts are continually in the red. There aren’t systems in place that make handling large-scale projects possible. Everything seems to be stumbling along and barely staying afloat.

These are some of the typical reasons leaders hire a business coach. And since business coaches tend to work with a wide variety of companies, they carry a broad knowledge set that helps them elevate almost any business they work with. In other words . . . 

Business coaches have the tools you need for success—and will teach you how to use them!

What Size Companies Hire Coaches?

Business coaching is for companies at every stage of growth. Just like hiring a physical trainer, it’s not only Olympians that benefit from working with a coach. And regardless of what your goals are for your business, a qualified coach will help you achieve them in a way that works for you and your company.

Say you’re a hobby artist looking to build an online platform to market your art. Once your coach has helped you choose the best way to position yourself, automated the process and walked you through the curve of learning to market art profitably, that could be a wrap for your partnership.

Alternatively, if you’re a CEO of a booming corporation, you might hire a coach to help you rework office systems to handle the influx of sales. Along the path, your coach may find additional problems brought about by the growth of the company—and then help put processes in place that propel you further forward. 

Simply put, your coach is available to help you solve the problems you want help solving. They are an unbiased guide with one goal: helping you make the most of the situation you’re in while preparing for a strong future with your company!

Who Becomes A Business Coach?

At their heart, business coaches are teachers. They’re driven by helping others, imparting experience, and facilitating growth in a way that feels good for everyone involved. 

Your coach won’t just point out the negativity in your management team—he’ll sit down with your team over coffee and facilitate a group conversation. He’ll personally coach your core staff in power-packed methods of leadership. Your coach will explain industry trends to you and give specific examples of what is working well for companies similar to yours. 

And they’ll stay alongside you through the process of making those changes.

Business Coaches Are Networkers

Any business coach worth their salt will have built an incredible network.

Most have managed companies of their own—and draw from resources they themselves have used in business. They know which of those resources will help companies like yours and have built relationships with consultants, finance gurus, tech developers, HR specialists and team builders.

Business Coaches Know Industry Trends

It’s a business coach's job to know what’s trending in the corporate world. And your coach isn’t just guessing—they’ll have plenty of data baking up their recommendations. So when your coach tells you what's happening in the larger business world, you can feel confident they’re speaking from a place of expertise and knowledge. 

Business Coaches Hold You Accountable

One of the best reasons to work with a coach—aside from their expertise—is the accountability they provide in you putting the work in required to make change.

Business coaches aren’t therapists—they’re motivators. Together, you’ll keep your sights on the future, assessing current successes and roadblocks and using that information to make better decisions moving forward. 

Once the path has been set, your coach is there to hold you accountable to those unpleasant tasks. They’re there to provide the resources and encouragement you need to move forward—especially when the road gets tough.

So just while an athletic coach can’t run the race for you, a business coach does not take responsibility for your success. That’s up to you. But if you heed their advice, you’re certain to exceed your own expectations.

A Business Coach Rallies For You

Business coaches love solving problems for people. They want to see companies succeed. And at the end of the day, your coach is your most faithful supporter.

A coach is the kind of person who you can tell your problems to on a bad day. You can ask for help anytime—their job is to provide resources, after all! And best of all, your coach is the one who believes in you more than anyone else. 

Who wouldn’t appreciate a little more of that in their lives?

What’s the Process of Working With A Business Coach? 

1. Identify Your Goals

The first step of working with a business coach is to identify your goals. Your coach will want to know your mission and values. If you don’t have them defined, you’ll write them together! You’ll also discuss target audience, past and present clientele and what problems your company is solving for people.

In other words, your coach will get to know your brand. He’ll want to be familiar with operations and team structure, how you make decisions and big picture strategy for running the day-to-day. 

Then, with all that in mind, you’ll define your goals—what you want your coach to help you achieve. For these are the basis for building your road to success.

2. Identify Roadblocks

The next step is working with your coach to determine what’s keeping you from those goals. You’ll locate sources of unnecessary stress, identify inefficient systems and trouble-shoot areas of poor management. 

Basically, this stage is about rooting out all problems through operations, systems and company culture. Then—with an unbiased view—you’ll work together to fix up these issues one at a time. Strengthening your company as a whole and freeing you up to achieve your goals. 

3. Write A Roadmap to Success

With goals and roadblocks identified, you’re ready to create a plan. 

At this point, you and your management team will sit down with your business coach to write out a plan of action. This plan will outline the sequence of steps needed to eradicate those roadblocks and achieve your goals. 

4. Get the Tools You Need

Having agreed upon a plan, it’s not time to get to work. This is the stage where your coach outfits your team with the tools needed to launch the plan from words to action. 

Since business coaches are committed to staying on top of the cutting-edge business methods and resources, you’ll be in good hands. In fact, you might even be amazed by the tools your coach pulls out to empower your company expansion!

In this stage, you may take many directions. For example, your coach may help you reorganize leadership or rewrite processes. You may spend large amounts of time with management staff to develop new protocols. If needed, your coach may even help you rearrange staff roles, bring in new team members or let ill-fitted teammates go.

In other words, this is the time of change. It can feel like a lot, but have faith that your coach has your best interests—and the ultimate success of your company—in mind as you move through these transitions.

5. Your Coach Holds You Accountable

Change requires action. It can be messy. And almost always things get worse before they get better. 

During the uncomfortable reconstruction period, your coach is your best cheerleader. He will cheer you on and provide motivation during the rough spells. If something isn’t working, he’ll find another route. You don’t have to handle company growing pains alone.

6. The Length of Your Coaching is Up to You!

As with any coach or mentor, you can opt for a short season of intensive work, partner with your coach consistently throughout your career, or simply work together to solve a single clear-cut problem. 

No matter the timespan of your partnership, at the end of the day, all CEOs agree. . . 

The best part of partnering with a business coach is freedom from facing huge decisions alone.

So if you’re ready to explore the potential of business coaching for your business—and we think you’ll like it—give us a call today.

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