Over the years many business owners have asked me how I built my company. My answer always includes at least three things: dedication, support from clients and colleagues, and business coaching (and a little luck).
After all, going it alone isn’t an option when you’re building a business. There’s simply too much to do. From product development to client acquisition strategies to financial planning, running a business can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task. To achieve our goals we all need dependable resources and expert advice in areas that aren’t our strong suit.
For me, that meant working with a business coach. I had always heard about business coaching but I wasn’t sure about the specific benefits I would receive, let alone how to go about choosing a coach. Now, almost six years later, my only regret is that I didn’t start working with my business coach before I started my business.
Here are eight of the ways my company continues to benefit from business coaching:
- Better focus: It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re juggling so many different things at once. My business coach helps me see the big picture and then focus on the specific areas that need my attention right away.
- Crystal clear goal setting: Setting goals is a critical part of running a business that is often overlooked. You have to have a clear understanding of exactly what you want to achieve before you can formulate a plan. Business coaching has helped me think more strategically to see how every move I make puts me one step closer to my goals.
- More accountability: This is a big one for most business owners. In addition to helping you set your goals, a good business coach will hold you accountable for following through on the things you need to do to achieve those goals.
- Fruitful brainstorming: It can be difficult to see all of the different ways to tackle a problem by yourself. My business coach is a great sounding board and a creative thinker who always has ideas I never would have considered.
- Personal development: Business coaching has been instrumental beyond just growing my business. The skills I’ve learned and knowledge I’ve gained have helped me grow as a person as well.
- Experience: An experienced business coach has seen it all—the good, the bad, and the ugly. You simply can’t discount the wisdom that comes from years of working with so many different types of companies and business owners from all walks of life.
- Improved profitability: My business has grown every year since I began working with my business coach—even during the leanest years of the recession. I started my company in 2006 but didn’t hire my business coach until 2008—shorty before the start of the recession. I’ve seen an increase in revenue every year, including a 58 percent increase in 2009 and a 40 percent improvement last year. Without business coaching I probably wouldn’t have been able to adapt so well and so quickly to the constantly changing dynamics of the economy.
- Smarter financial planning: Running the numbers has always been one of the most challenging parts of running a business for me. My business coach has helped me with everything from developing a budget to pricing new services. I know I can come to her with any financial question and be confident that I’m making a smart decision for my business.
These are just a few of the many ways business coaching has helped me grow and accelerate my business. One of the great things about coaching is that there’s always another challenge to face and more goals to accomplish. Working with a business coach puts an advocate in your corner every step of the way along your road to success.
If you’re considering business coaching to help take your business to the next level, your first call should be to Jackie Nagel. Jackie is a strategic business coach and the president of Synnovatia, a business performance firm that will help your company achieve greater results faster and more effectively.
Scott Siders is the president of Novo Writing, a leading SEO copywriting firm specializing in content marketing. Novo Writing helps businesses increase their visibility online, build their brand and reputation, and drive more qualified prospects to their websites. Learn more about Novo Writing’s content marketing program by visiting www.ContentMarketingProgram.com.
This is Jackie Nagel and I approve this message. See for yourself what business coaching can do for you.
Sales are the life blood of any business. Yet, sales is one of the most underdeveloped area of a small business. A lack of sales maturity – in part, caused by missing information or knowledge – can create extensive swings in sales. The sales surges can be fun, however, the sales slumps are stressful. Plus, a sales slump of any size in a small business can be catastrophic!