Business coaching sounds great in theory. Who wouldn’t want someone to help them stay on track?
But if you’re an entrepreneur or business owner, you might be used to figuring things out for yourself. “I don’t have time” you might think, or even “How can I be sure I need a business coach?”
Coaching isn’t for everyone. But, in my experience, there are far more business owners who could benefit from a coach than those who couldn’t – and time and again I meet leaders who wish they’d taken on a coach earlier.
Here are some of the biggest telltale signs that you’re ready for a business coach – and, spoilers, they aren’t only when things feel difficult.
1. You’re successful – but you want more
From the outside, your business probably looks successful. You’re running things well, the numbers are good, you have work coming in.
But as an ambitious business owner, you’re never one to rest on your laurels. You might not be firefighting, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have goals – perhaps you just need to clarify where to focus your energy.
As business owners we spend so many of the early years fighting to establish a foundation. Which means that relative stability can, strangely, feel quite unsettling.
You don’t need to be in a crisis to need an outside ear. If you’re at a crossroads, coaching can give you the space to figure out what’s next.
2. You’ve got big decisions to make – and no one to talk them through with
As I always say, it’s lonely at the top. The higher up you go in business, the fewer people you can really talk to.
Your team look to you for answers and certainty. Your peers are invested, sometimes too much so, and there’s only so many business conversations it’s fair to saddle your partner with.
Sometimes what you need is someone who gets it, but isn’t in it.
Someone who can ask the right questions, and can give you the space to think clearly.
3. You’re stuck in the detail
The day-to-day life of a business owner is relentless. Setting targets, juggling emails, running operations, worrying about cash flow etc etc. It goes on and on.
You’ve got plenty of ideas and ambitions, but when are you going to find the time to put them into practice?
Coaching helps you step back from the whirlwind of the day to day, giving you the time to refocus, reset, and start acting more strategically again. So that your business can be better prepared, and you can get to where you want to be.
4. You’re doing too much on your own
Most small business owners I work with run fairly lean operations and wear multiple hats. But when everything runs through you, you become the bottleneck.
When you’re in that situation, it can feel impossible to change things. Where are you going to find the budget to hire all the extra staff you could really do with? When will you find the time to train them?
A good business coach gives you space and the steer to explore what’s behind that need for control, helping you build functions into your business that free you up.
5. You know something needs to change – but you’re not sure what
Whether things are ticking along or not going so well, it’s unpleasant to feel like something isn’t quite working.
You might feel restless or bored. Or you might simply be struggling to find the time to identify the underlying issue.
This is often the moment people take on a business coach. Not necessarily because something’s broken, but because they can feel that things could be better.
Ready to talk?
You don’t need a crisis to benefit from coaching. You just need a curiosity about what might be possible – if you had a little more clarity, a little more structure, and someone in your corner.
If that sounds like something you’re ready for, I’d love to have a conversation.
Kind Regards,
Chris