Kaizen Consulting: What is a Business Coach, and how can they help business owners?

Guest Editorial • Spring 2022

You’ve done it, you’ve set up your own company and got it off the ground, and you’ve survived this far. You’re making sales, and you’re working yourself around the clock trying to fit everything in. Who imagined how busy (and overwhelming, and sometimes lonely) it would be?

Rewind to before you took the leap…what was the vision for your business? What were your dreams and ambitions? Can you still remember them, and if so, are they still in focus as you plough through the daily grind?

A business coach is a professional who knows the ins and outs of running a business. Some of the things they can help you with include (amongst many) advice on handling the stress of being a business owner, finding additional income streams, increasing your company’s sales, changing the way you market your products, and identifying funding to inject cash when you need it most.

What will a business coach do for me?

Support you

It’s exciting running your own business, however, it can be very daunting and time-consuming juggling everything. The right business coach will understand the journey you’re on, be on your side, a sounding board who’ll give you unbiased opinions and sound advice.

Challenge and focus your mind

Do you ever get the feeling you’re trying to plait fog? A good business coach will help you stand back, question, challenge and inspire you, and force you to think strategically. They’ll ask you where you want to be and help you discover how to get there. You may not always like what they tell you, but their advice could save you from missing valuable opportunities and making expensive mistakes.

Help you create a road map to your success.

How often have you thought I must update my business plan and check that I’m achieving what I set out to do? Or maybe you don’t even have a business plan, but a business coach will help you do this wherever you are. Through understanding and listening to you, they’ll help you identify what needs concentrating on to grow your business, and ensure it’s achievable.

Make you accountable and continue to challenge

Now that you have a plan you need to follow it. Would a sports coach abandon their clients at this stage? No, and neither will your business coach. They’ll make sure you own your plan AND stick to it. They’ll continue encouraging and challenging you to achieve those targets.

Help you grow your business (and make more money) faster than doing it on your own

You know what your business is capable of, but with this extra pair of eyes and ears, your coach will help you get there so much quicker. Just by standing back, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve with someone at your side.

How do I choose the right business coach?

A bit like choosing any supplier, you need to choose one who can quickly add value to your business. Answering these questions will help you decide whom to work with.

Are they easy to get along with, and do they speak the same language as you? There’s no point in choosing someone who talks in a business language you don’t understand.
Are they good at listening? Without understanding you and your business, they won’t be able to help you properly, and to do this, they must be able to ask the right questions and listen to your answers.
Could you trust them? To get the most out of coaching, you need sometimes to lay yourself bare. Are you comfortable you could have that type of relationship with this person?
Do they, or have they ever, run their own successful business? They’ll be better placed to help you if they’ve been there and done it themselves.
Look at their previous clients – how did they help them, and can you see any similarities between you and them?
Are they results-focussed? Can they demonstrate previous experience with results in your stage of business?

Phil Ward is a business coach who can help develop you and your business and help make your business more profitable and successful. Phil has the experience of starting, growing and selling his own businesses so he knows what you are going through.

And now to the important question…

How much does a business coach charge and can I afford one?

Has anything here resonated with you? Have you nodded and thought it applied to you? Are you ready to invest in yourself and your business?

Then to find out how much a tailored package of support would be contact Phil phil@kaizenconsulting.co.uk or 07960 079948 for Kaizen’s Build a Better Business questionnaire.

Phil is also a grant funding expert and can identify grant funding towards the cost of your coaching.