A business coach can help to bring expert advice, fresh ideas and insight to your business. A good business coach will also have the wisdom and tools necessary to help you make the right decisions for your unique business.

Choosing the right business coach for you is, therefore, vital. It can be challenging to select a professional that will help you in the exact way you need to be supported.  Someone who fills the knowledge gaps and brings depths of experience that support you in a meaningful way. So let’s look at some of the considerations you’ll need to keep in mind.

1. Look For Real-Life Experience

When choosing a business coach, you’ll want someone with plenty of real life business experience. The theory behind making intelligent business decisions is excellent, but hard-earned practical experience, having the real war stories (!) and a history of making tough commercial decisions is so much better.

The ideal business coach will have seen your situation before and helped someone through it. They’ll know what you’re dealing with and be able to help you avoid any pitfalls.

2. Look For Respect

When it comes to a business coach, you need to respect the person you want to work with.  You need to be happy taking their advice, absorbing it and building it into your business direction. 

Your business coach should naturally command your respect because they’ll teach you important lessons and skills. You want to work with someone that you’ll be happy to listen to and feel like you can trust.

It’s genuinely hard to find a business coach you trust, because trust takes time to be earned in any relationship - but if you respect them in the first instance and they’re prepared to respect you, you have the makings of a winning relationship.

3. Avoid Selfish Agendas

Selfish agendas can be a roadblock for you and your prospective business coach. A professional who can help you take your business to the next level will be genuinely invested in your success.  They will want you to win. 

Many poor business coaches either have their own secret agenda for helping (most commonly to sell you other services or get in on the investment) or worse, they try to take over your business and your decision making because they assume they can do it better. This isn’t the kind of person you want to work with!  Always check their motives are true... 

It’s all well and good if someone sorts a problem for you, but if they don’t tell you how to fix it yourself, they’re not really on your side.  Mentoring and sharing the lessons with you is a big part of the coaching journey.  The aim is to empower you to become a better business leader, so that you acquire new skills, confidence and courage to grow your own business. 

4. Keep Budgets in Mind

When hiring a business coach, in my experience, you get what you pay for. The high-quality, well-trained professionals who have done the business journey you are looking to complete will be higher fees to access... but then they should be!  ...and will bring higher value and much deeper insight because of it. 

When you pay for a business coach, you are paying to accelerate your journey, to avoid the cost of mis-steps and wrong turns.  A great business coach will shorten your growth journey and save you money in the long run. 

Whatever you choose to pay, make sure the fees are sustainable within your cashflow. No business coach will want you to bankrupt your business by hiring them!  You need to make sure you make the most of the time you have with the coach during the session and review your budget and affordability from the outset.

You might be tempted to go for a cheaper coach to get their guidance for longer - don’t do this. The right coach will save you thousands and a lot of time, so it’s well worth spending a little more to get quality help.

5. Make Sure You Like Them

Working with a business coach is a lot like having a relationship. You will share alot about the challenges you are facing and how you are feeling as your business scales.  How do you expect to work with them on a monthly basis and have honest conversations about what's working and what isn't, if you don’t even like them?

Chemistry is everything with a business coach. If you don’t like them and their energy, you shouldn’t work with them. It's as simple as that. 

Make It Happen In Your Business

A business coach can be the most extraordinarily valuable member of your advisory team because they provide expert guidance and often become your biggest cheerleader behind the scenes. However, choosing one isn’t as simple as picking the first name in the directory.

Don’t be afraid to interview a couple of different business coaches to find what’s best for you and who lights you up!  When you find your ideal professional, someone you really connect with, grab them with both hands. 

Next Steps:

• Consider whether you would benefit from having a business coach support you on your business growth journey.  If you would like to have a free call with me to see if we are a good fit, feel free to book a call here. 
• Do your research and make a short list of business coaches who you feel you would enjoy working with and fit with your budget.  Ask for a call with them to meet and see if you connect. 
• Appoint the business coach who truly "gets" your business, the scale of your ambition and what your values are.  Select the business coach who you know will advise you safely through this next stage of the journey.