Should you have a business coach?

“If you are not clear on where you want to go, then everything will distract you”. This is a truth and problem encountered by every business owner, project leader and would-be entrepreneur out there at some point.

If you feel like this is happening to you sometimes, then you are certainly not alone. So should you have a business coach? Not just to help formulate a vision but for all the different issues that arise? Examples of issues in a business, especially early on are:

Getting clear on a vision, breaking this into goals and then further into plans to attack those goals.

Setting up of systems. Accountancy, e-commerce, websites, customer management, sales processes and marketing are just some of the systems that need creation and operating in a new business.

Creation of ideas and brainstorming.

Being held accountable to your stated plans, to achieve your stated goals, which will propel you towards that dreamy vision.

Having a coach in business is really no different to having a coach in a sport or a teacher in learning a musical instrument or learning a language. There are things that are just too hard and motivation-sapping to go through on your own and learning from other’s experience (good and bad) is surely one of the fastest ways to achieve anything.

When I found online business coaching with the SFM, I learned that access to personal coaching and mentorship for growing a business online from scratch, was closer than I thought.

Here are some of the top ways a business coach can help:

• Your growth starts at the edge of your comfort zone. So to progress in a big way with something, we often need to get uncomfortable. People don’t really like being uncomfortable and so it follows that it is easy to get stuck in a rut with a project or business. A coach can guide you out of these ruts and encourage you to try things that you wouldn’t when left to your own devices.

• A good coach will generally not have a problem with telling you where your weaknesses are and correcting you when you say or do something wrong. Friends and family on the other hand, do not always want to be so blunt with you.

• Ideas creation. Sometimes a new and different perspective can do wonders for mental blocks and to get some creativity going. A coach can also critique your current ideas and be much more objective about them. A good coach will always keep your vision and values in mind during ideas creation, so ensuring it all stays aligned.

• A business coach will hold you accountable to your plans to achieve the goals you discuss. Most people don’t like accountability but accepting it and giving someone permission to check up that you are doing what you said you would, is a fantastic way to stay on track and heading in the right direction.

• Access to the best and latest tools. An experienced coach will have knowledge of and keep abreast of the latest and best tools of the trade and resources that are key to your type of business. Just as a sports coach will keep up on the latest training techniques, a good business coach will know their sector very well and the current technology advancements and resources to move your business forward faster than you thought possible.

Click here for an introduction to the business coaches I work with for creating and building your own online business. Be sure to watch the introduction and then enter your name and best e.mail address for your free 7-part video series on how you can start from scratch with no existing knowledge.