Many people aren’t sure what a business coach does, so I have written this blog to explain what I do and provide insight into how I work with my clients to help them move their businesses forward. For conciseness, I’ve described the six most common things I do and believe all business coaches should do to get the right results for their clients.
1. Acts as a guide
A business coach will work with a business owner or someone who needs to improve their management skills or wants to start their own business by guiding them to achieve maximum success according to their definition of success.
Before setting goals, a business coach will start by defining the client’s vision and establish why they set up the business in the first place to ensure that the goals set match the client’s abilities and what they want to achieve in life. This is based on what is most important to them, whether they want to create a lifestyle business, grow their company to ultimately sell it, devise an exit plan for retirement, or simply want a change of direction.
2. Helps clients set and achieve their goals
A vital component of any successful business is setting and achieving the right goals. In my work, I make a point of listening very carefully to my clients to ensure their vision and goals are aligned. I do this by asking probing questions, challenging any false and self-limiting beliefs they may have and providing fresh perspectives. Some problems can seem insurmountable to a business owner who has been wrangling with them and still can’t find a satisfactory solution.
This process cannot be performed by providing a ‘tick-box’ approach. All my clients are individuals and have their own specific obstacles that are holding them back in some way. My job is to help them find solutions by listening carefully to gain an in-depth understanding of their business and the direction they want to take it in.
3. Holds clients accountable
Once I have set goals with my clients, I ask them to permit me to hold them accountable for achieving them. We then approach each goal by defining a series of action points that the client needs to perform between our meetings or by a pre-defined deadline to ensure they move forward. Any client not willing to perform the action points will find that they cannot progress and won’t be able to achieve their goals.
Conversely, a business owner who is one hundred per cent committed to moving forward will be able to do so much faster by completing the defined action points. During each coaching session, I check in with my client to find out whether they have completed the action points and are on track to achieve the particular goal we have set. This regular monitoring ensures that my clients are held to account and are more likely to get the desired results.
4. Improves mindset
The mindset you have when you start working with a business coach is crucial to achieving success. If you are unwilling to listen, change your behaviour and be challenged on your beliefs and decisions, you will likely not be able to affect any change in your business.
People are so varied and have different styles of working and interacting with a coach that a bespoke approach works best to find a solution that is moulded to fit the client. Other business coaches may choose to use a template of questions that they present to all of their clients, regardless of the size and nature of their business. I don’t consider this the best way to proceed because, in my experience, one size does not fit all.
5. Builds leadership skills
Not all of my clients are business owners. Surprisingly, some are newly-appointed managers who need to learn how to lead a team and get effective results.
Suppose this is your first time being in a management role. In that case, you will likely need guidance on improving your ability to listen and communicate effectively, motivate and incentivise your team, lead by example and give the right amount of praise at the right time. I can help my clients develop in these areas to improve their leadership skills and run a more effective team.
6. Helps create business strategies
Very few businesses are successful by mistake; if they are, they struggle to maintain their initial momentum, which is why a strategy is so important to take your business to the next level. Looking at a business from the outside puts a business coach in an excellent position to help a business owner create an effective strategy for their business. Having a fresh perspective from someone with experience running a business is vital to ensure the right approach is in place for your business.
A business owner working on a strategy alone may set unrealistic and unattainable goals. When I work with my clients, I always ensure they don’t fall into this trap and help them identify what success looks like to them.
If you are new to running your own business, a business coach can help you achieve results faster by shortening your learning curve. A coach will also ensure that you slow down, stop and evaluate where you are at and where you want to go, thus sharpening your vision and helping you to create a roadmap for success underpinned by an effective strategy.
Find out more about working with me
I hope you have found this blog useful and now clearly understand what a business coach does and how they can make a difference to you as a business owner or manager.
If you would like to find out more about working with me to achieve your business goals, please get in touch to book a free, no-obligation discovery call here: book a discovery call.
About the author
Jason Cornes has been working as a business coach since 2017. He now shares the wealth of experience he has gained from always having been self-employed or running his own businesses with employees. His background means he is ideally positioned to advise others on achieving their business goals and a better work/life balance.
Over the years, he has endured several economic situations, from boom times to downturns and can help his clients achieve success and stay afloat in economically challenging times. Jason’s broad business experience is supported by highly respected business qualifications, which include a Diploma in Management Studies (DMS) and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) supplemented by five years of psychotherapy and counselling training.
Jason understands what it feels like to stand at a crossroads and not know which direction to take or feel that you have reached an impasse and are unable to move forward. He is highly adept at helping other business owners, from the self-employed to owners and directors of limited companies, overcome any obstacles they face. His current and previous clients include Web Designers, Solicitors, Doctors, Architects, Accountants and Tax Advisors, IT Professionals, Teachers, Trainers and Consultants. His client base comprises 30 clients with whom he works individually to provide personalised, results-driven coaching and mentoring services in the business and executive sectors.
“I approached our first meeting with an open mind and quickly realised that Jason is very experienced in business and a great listener. I was able to explore with Jason what I really want for myself and my team and celebrate our strengths. Thinking strategically, we were also able to identify many tweaks, changes and improvements to enhance an already successful accountancy practice.”
Kolos Tapler, Accountant, No. 1 Accountants Ltd.
Find out what Jason’s other clients say about working with him here: testimonials
