Hi there, I own a small business. I was wondering if anyone has the experience of working with a good business coach, what did that look like?
Also, if you’ve had a bad experience with a business or life coach, what was that like? What about it made it bad or not worth the value?
Thank you in advance.
As others have said, I would move forward with a coach / consultant cautiously. When I first got hired as a business consultant, my advice was awful - in hindsight maybe even harmful to our clients.
If you go with a coach / consultant, try to identify one who has been in your industry or at least specializes in it. Anybody can look at your P&L and tell you where the gaps are but without the context of what’s happening in your industry, the feedback will likely fall flat.
One of the most impactful things that I do with my clients is introduce them to people who are successful in their industry. It maybe worthwhile to approach some other business owners in your same field and do something as simple as asking them to lunch. It’s not likely that they’ll share their secret sauce but they may help you identify some areas of opportunity. Also, that kind of relationship can be ongoing and will likely be far cheaper than going the consultant route.