How to Find a Business Mentor or Coach - A Guide
A business coach is one of the most invaluable tools that business owners can rely on. It is a helpful tool at any stage of the business, whether you are starting off or trying to scale your business. Before you can delve into the process of how to find a business coach or mentor, you must first look at the reasons why you might need one in the first place.
Benefits of Hiring a Business Coach
Working with a business coach is an investment. And it’s an investment that will have a huge payoff for your business, provided that you pick the right one for your needs. If you’re not convinced that you should work with one, here are convincing reasons that will sway your opinion about them.
Unbiased Viewpoint on Business Performance
It is difficult to objectively assess and evaluate your business when it’s something that you are passionate about, or have built from the ground up. Whether you admit it or not, you are sensitive when it comes to matters involving your business since it is a fruit of your passion.
Therefore, a business coach can step in to provide an objective point of view about your business. Any business always has room for improvement and a business coach can provide exactly the feedback that you need. It is also difficult to make your own assessment and evaluation of the business internally since you can get lost in your own head. You might not be able to point out the areas of weaknesses, which can be detrimental to the growth and success in the future.
Promotes Accountability
Obtaining unbiased feedback from a business coach will help you become more accountable about achieving your goals. They will help you stay on track and be less distracted by unnecessary things that do not contribute to your goals.
Greater accountability is essential for your business to succeed because you assume a laser-focused commitment as a result of it. It also prompts you to develop an actionable plan that will not only achieve your goal but also realize it within your desired timeline.
Reduce the Learning Curve
For startups or new business owners, the services of a business coach are indispensable. They can help you learn the in’s and out’s of running a business in a faster and more efficient manner than if you were to learn them on your own. It eliminates the trial-and-error phase because you are directed towards the steps that will deliver the most favorable results.
Moreover, a coach can also provide you guidance when overcoming certain obstacles that business owners face. It will give you more confidence to run your business knowing that the steps you take are calculated.
Constructive Criticism
Criticism is always a good thing when done constructively. For business owners, they welcome it because they see it as an opportunity to grow their business. It is, therefore, one of the main benefits of hiring a business coach.
Constructive criticism is given with the objective of improving on identifiable areas of weakness. Coaches are trained to look past the personal bias and focus on finding new ways to grow the business.
Alignment of Personal and Business Goals
Working with a business coach will also help you formulate goals that will facilitate personal and business growth. Entrepreneurs are known to be multifaceted individuals. Aside from running a business, they also have personal goals of their own.
With the help of a business coach, they can keep those goals in alignment. They can apply the brakes when needed to help the business owner achieve a certain level of organization. When your business goals are in alignment with your personal ones, you become more driven and motivated.
Boost in Revenue and Profits
This is the primary reason why you should hire a business coach. The best measure of success and growth for a business is through profits. Any step you take – internally or externally – to improve a business is towards the same thing: to increase your profit margin.
Therefore, a business coach can help evaluate business processes and other aspects of the business to facilitate profit growth. They do this by identifying any shortcomings and recommending solutions for those.
How to Find a Business Coach or Mentor
There are several styles and methods of coaching out there. The same applies when you hire a business coach. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all approach if you want to know how to find a business coach or mentor that will facilitate growth.
Check out these tips to help find a coach that is a good fit for your business.
● Seek out recommendations from the people in your network, especially the ones who’ve hired a business coach themselves. Ask them for any feedback or recommendations. While your needs are different from that of your peers, this will give you a good list of names to start with.
● Hire a business coach who is local. This will give you the opportunity to personally speak to them and assess if there is chemistry, while also getting a glimpse into how they work. If you can find someone who offers complementary consultation, that’s even better.
● Check who they have worked with before. While some coaches will keep their client list confidential, some are willing to share them. Make sure you look into it so you can assess the caliber of the coach you are working with.
● Learn more about their coaching style. Based on the information you gather, you can assess if it is in alignment with what you are looking for or your business needs.
● Speak to a few different coaches. This will give you the opportunity to assess many coaches in the field to see who can work best with you. Keep your vetting standards high.
● Know that this is a financial investment. If you are considering a coach based on the cost of hiring one, do note that you have to maximize the services so that you can bring more money in to cover the investment.
Unlocking the fullest potential of your business is the primary goal of hiring a business coach. Use the recommendations above to find the right coach that will be the ticket towards making that a reality.