As a small business owner or business leader, you’re often the person that other people in the company turn to. You provide them with support, guidance and a shoulder to lean on. But who’s there to do the same for you? Who’s your sounding board, advisor or advocate (sometime’s devil’s advocate)?
“Being a business owner is quite a lonely place to be… Having an ActionCOACH is like having someone else on your side,” explained one of my valued coaching clients, Patrick Steppel of PML Construction. I think that’s a key role of a business coach – to be on your side.
Business coaches are experienced professionals who support startups, entrepreneurs, and business leaders with advice and guidance based on their specific business needs.
If you want to get fitter and healthier, a personal trainer will coach you to reach those goals. If you have personal development ambitions, a life coach can support you. But if you want business success and professional growth, turn to a business coach.
What can a business coach do for your business?
Business coaching helps you to improve and grow your big, mid-sized or small business. Working closely with a business coach, you’ll set clear goals, implement business, financial and marketing strategies, and work on overcoming challenges. You’ll get the tools, advice, and support needed to make better decisions and take action. Coaching isn’t simply about advice – it’s about creating measurable results and making your business work better for you.
As an ActionCOACH, I concentrate on practical, results-driven strategies that work. Importantly, I offer a personalised approach, focussing on the areas that matter most to your business. I prioritise creating real, measurable outcomes such as business growth, improving sales, marketing strategies, systemising operations, leadership development, or managing teams more effectively. My business coaching programmes can be transformational in helping you to run a more successful business without compromising your personal life. Yes, you can have both a successful business and a personal life!
Key benefits of business coaching
I’m an experienced business coach, working with small business owners and leaders in particular. As such, there are common themes that crop up in my coaching sessions. The tangible benefits to my coaching clients include:
Accountability
One of my roles as your business coach is to keep you on track. I’ll set you tasks to complete, long and short term goals to reach. You’ll need to report back each time we meet. That accountability makes a huge difference. You’re much more likely to do the work when you’re held to account
Support
As I said earlier, running your own business can be lonely and isolating. A successful business coach will provide guidance, support and insight, helping you navigate any blind spots and challenges that may arise. They can be your sounding board and will offer an outside perspective (something you can’t get from those within your business).
Business strategic planning
We’ll work together to create business strategies that align with your aims. An effective action plan provides you with a roadmap to achieving your business goals. The coaching process will guide you to reach your full potential, and that of your business.
Marketing strategy work
We can focus on your marketing efforts and initiatives. Where should you invest your time and money? Advertising, SEO, social media content, email marketing, all or none of those? With a tailored approach, we can create an effective marketing strategy for your business.
Personal goals
It’s not all about work, work, work. I love to help business owners improve their work/life balance or even create a business that can work without you. Creating better boundaries is good role modelling for your employees too.
Leadership skills development
Developing this particular skill set can be a game-changer for you as the business owner or your leadership team. This is particularly true if you’re aiming to spend less time in the business and to delegate more responsibility to others.
Testimonial
“We wouldn’t have progressed. We would have, at the very best I think, remained the same. Or worst case, we would have come across harder times even. But now I’m fairly confident we’re moving in the right direction,” Patrick Steppel, PML Construction explains how he’s benefitted from working with me at ActionCOACH. “I needed that little bit of extra help to take it [the business] to the next level.”
Watch the client testimonial video in full
What should I expect from a business coaching session?
The best business coaches combine years of experience in business with coaching skills, particularly soft skills like active listening, communication skills, decision-making and problem-solving. Whilst a business consultant focuses on the peculiarities of your business and how it operates, a business coach focuses on you as a business owner and leader.
Each business coach will have their own ways of working, offering different coaching programs and employing varied methodologies. Here, I’ll explain my business coaching services.
1. Gifted strategy session
I’ll help you get clarity on your business, your challenges, and your goals. From there, we’ll develop a custom plan tailored to your needs, with clear goals and steps on how to take your business forward.
2. 1-2-1 coaching program
This type of coaching program is personalised for you as an individual. You’ll gain valuable one-on-one support between you and your business coach. You’ll work closely together to tackle the specific challenges you face, create a plan to reach your goals, and improve your business performance. It’s highly tailored to your needs, and the sessions focus on your business’s unique situation, providing direct guidance and accountability for faster results.
3. Group coaching sessions
Group coaching involves a small group of business owners working together. You share ideas, solve problems, and learn from each other’s experiences. You’ll learn from your experienced business coach as well as the small business owners in your group.
Whatever your business needs to thrive, your coach will provide guidance and strategies to improve performance, increase profits, and reduce stress. Every plan is tailored to your unique situation.
How do I know if business coaching is right for me?
Whilst I’m a huge advocate for working with a great business coach, it’s not for everyone. You need to be willing to work, to be challenged and to be open to alternative, outside perspectives.
But if you feel stuck or are struggling to achieve your personal or business goals, business coaching could be the catalyst you need for growth. By having an experienced business coach by your side, you’ll gain clarity, discover blind spots, and implement effective strategies to drive success.
The process is results-driven, so if you’re serious about improving your business performance and scaling up, coaching is likely to be a great fit. No matter whether you’re an experienced business leader or new business owner, you can learn, grow and develop by working with a business coach.
What qualifications should you look for in a business coach?
I always recommend listening to what the clients of a business coach say. Check the coach’s LinkedIn profile or website for client testimonials. You’ll soon get a feel for whether they’re a great business coach, good business coach, mediocre or even poor business coach.
There are groups like the International Coach Federation and the International Association of Coaching that certify professional coaching. That will show that they’ve invested in professional development and a structured coaching program.
At ActionCOACH, we offer a 12-month money-back guarantee. If, at any time in the first 12 months, you’re not at the very least, covering the investment in coaching, we’ll refund the difference between your investment and your growth (which we measure). Our aim though is not just to ‘cover costs’, and working together, our intention is to make a significant difference to your business and your lives.
Work with an experienced business coach
If you think business coaching may be for you and would like to explore it further, please get in touch and we can discuss your unique needs. We may be biased, but we truly believe that business coaching is transformative and a powerful tool to drive business growth and success.
We look forward to hearing from you.
