There are many things you can and should learn by yourself. Yet, no one is perfect. There are still other things you will need a teacher for. Especially in business, it is really common for a small business owner to come to a business coach. The point is you are aware of the right time to seek one.
When you reach the next level
Maybe you had hired a coach before to push your new business forward for a long way until you could stand by yourself. However, if that coach could only bring you to that level, he/she might not be appropriate anymore when you reach to a higher one. In different stages of the business cycle, you will need to focus on different aspects while it is hard for a coach to master all those stages. Thus, find the new one suitable for the business level you are in.
When you get stuck
Even when most of the steps you took were smooth, there is still a chance you would get stuck somewhere at the end, especially if your business is in the middle of an expansion stage. For example, you may be a brilliant code writer and software designer who creates many wonderful high-tech products. Nevertheless, you have no idea about marketing to bring them to customers. You can choose to hire a marketing agent to do it for you each time you come up with a new product or you can learn from a coach to do it yourself later. Moreover, if you can build up the relationship with your coach, he/she might be willing to help you out with other small problems.
When you are short on time
Unless you do not want to improve your business or do not tend to remain it anymore, you will have to spend most of your time operating it on a daily basis, not mention when you are seeking for the next level. When you are trying to expand the business, you have to both remain current activities and get used to many new things while the source of time stays the same.
Either you are able to handle those things on your own or not, it is time for you to find a coach and save your precious resources. Instead of spending months struggling to find a way to get over that issue yourself, hire a professional coach to help you with it for only a few days or weeks. You can still learn it but in a faster way. Remember that besides the company, you also have family or other important things to take care of. Do not abuse the amount of time for them to invest only in running your business.
When you need a supervisor
For some people, a coach is just a supervisor who observes and notice them all the time about their businesses and performance. It is not because they need a teacher to tell them what to do. It is because sometimes they need a person who keeps pushing them forward when they are lack of motivation. When you feel that you are already safe from all problems, a coach will be there to remind you that there are still many other things to accomplish as he/she observe your business from a neutral angle with more experience. Your coach has the accountability you need and will be the trigger and motivation for your further steps.
When you can afford
Funding is the reason for many of business owner’s hard decisions. Thus, you do not need to get yourself more problems with debts raising in order to hire a coach. Do it when you are able to manage your sources of fund to have an extra amount for a business coach. There are some simple ways you may find helpful:
– Make more money by accepting extra customers and project offers.
– Reduce redundant expenses like office decoration or unnecessary space rental.
– Use your own savings (Only if you can afford it).
– Use a credit card. If you are familiar with borrowing money from the bank and payback in a short period of time, this may be a suitable way. Recently, many small business owners also choose credit cards as a source of many expenses. But. please be careful when using credit cards!
Of course, before saving any fund for hiring a coach, you should plan carefully to estimate the earning you are going to get in the return by doing so. It must higher than the amount you have invested in.
At Black Arrow Bookkeeping, we pride ourselves on providing our clients carefully curated advice to help them overcome business obstacles. We love coaching our clients through their tough times and seeing them rise like a phoenix! Become our client now to enjoy our premium services!