10 Ways Hiring a Coach Can Make Your Business More Successful

by Carrie Smith 6 Minutes

SuccessAs an entrepreneur, you like to do your own thing. But going at it alone is not always the best idea.

There comes a time when you need an expert opinion to ensure you and your business reach it’s full potential. And that’s where hiring a life coach or a business coach becomes a smart move.

I’ve personally experienced the benefits of hiring a coach in my own business over the past year. Below are ten examples of how hiring a coach can make your business more successful.

1. Get Unstuck and Find Motivation

Without a doubt the best thing a business coach can do for your business is get you unstuck. As a business owner, you can get in our own way a lot, and spend a lot of time in your head. So you need someone to pull you out of the funk.

No matter how much self-motivation you might have, it seems nearly impossible to yourself to keep going. That outside push from a coach is what you need to get moving and get going. Even if it’s a confirmation of what you were already thinking, a coach can give you that extra jolt you’re looking for.

2. Challenge You to Try New Things

As an introvert who runs an online business, I can very quickly become enthralled in my own ideas and goals. This is a comfortable place because you can stay at home in your office all day “creating” and leave the outside world where it is.

If you’re anything like me, you know how hard it is to step outside your comfort zone and meet new people or try new things. This is one of best things about having a coach on your side. They will give you a gentle push to explore yourself and your ideas more, while giving you that tough love not to quit.

Everything we do in life is intertwined; our finances, our businesses and ourselves. For this reason I’ve worked with both a life coach and a business coach because I needed help getting over my mental and financial blocks.

3. Increase Your Creativity and Income

Once I was able to get past my (often self-imposed) roadblocks, my creativity was unleashed and I was able to start brainstorming ideas for better products and services for my customers. A coach will give you the courage to get out of your own way, so you can charge what you’re worth, start a line of products to make more money, or increase your prices.

A coach also creates a safe place for you to hash out ideas, test theories and ensure you showcase your work properly. For many of us creatives, it’s hard to brag on ourselves or share our accomplishments, but a coach will help you get past that insecurity. And once you get that ball rolling, it will be hard to stop you!

4. Find Support and Encouragement

You’ll be amazed at the things you can accomplish when you have someone who believes in what you’re doing. Having a support system around you or hearing a few words of encouragement can lift your spirits when you’re down.

With everything going on around you, it can get overwhelming, frustrating and even lonely at times. A coach will be right there with you the whole time, helping you take that next step towards success.

Of course, the point is to get to a place where you have all the tools in your toolbox to handle what life throws at you. But until you’re ready, the encouragement you get from a coach might be just the thing you need to do your great work.

5. Identify Strengths and Weaknesses

On TargetIt’s easy to think that we know ourselves really well, and understand our likes and dislikes. But when it comes to bringing out the hidden talents and deep desires, you’ll likely surprise yourself.

It often takes an outside perspective of someone who knows you really well, to tell it like it is. A coach can identify patterns, and help you exploit your strengths while bolstering your weaknesses.

6. Gain More Confidence

You’ll never truly know what you’re capable of until you have someone who pushes you outside your comfort zone. After working with my own business coach for over a year, I’ve been able to build up a lot more confidence in my own ideas, thought process and even the way I approach my business.

If you’re like me, you know you have greatness within you but you aren’t always sure if it’s a good idea, or something that will get you rejected. It’s hard to convince yourself that you have the ability to accomplish your business goals, and that’s where having a coach is key.

They can help instill the confidence you need to accomplish your big goals, while offering support and guidance for your (sometimes not so great) ideas.

7. Establish Audacious But Realistic Goals

It’s not difficult to set goals and create dreams and I’m sure you already have multiple ideas for your business listed out right now. But will you ever attain them?

With a coach you can! And you better be sure you want to reach a goal because once you mention it, they won’t let you make excuses for not trying. Most times they expect you to reach for the stars, because they can see your potential.

As they challenge you to try new things, they will also strongly encourage you to think bigger, jump higher and really go for what you want.

Audacious goals are the ones that scare us to death, but for an experienced coach they know it’s closer within reach than you realize. Then once you reach those crazy goals you’ll feel invincible and your confidence will skyrocket!

8. Prioritize Your (Business) Needs First

As a business owner it’s easy to put your customers, clients and even your family ahead of your own needs. This is especially evident as a solopreneur or freelance who single-handedly keeps the business going.

A business coach will help you prioritize your business in a way that will enable it to be successful, without sacrificing the other parts of your life, including your mental and physical health.

Additionally, you could even work with your coach to seamlessly integrate your work into your life. With the technology available today, you have no excuse not to take care of yourself so you can give the best to your business and those around you.

9. Be Accountable to Someone

What did you accomplish this week? Are you making progress on your goals? These are standard questions at the beginning of each coaching session that will get you sweating if you haven’t put in the work.

A coach is a built-in accountability partner that nudges and reminds you of what you promised to do, and what you’re working towards. It’s all too easy to make promises to ourselves and then break them because we don’t feel like it, or it’s too hard.

When you’re accountable to someone else, you don’t have that luxury. If you really want to accomplish your big goals and take your business to the next level, hiring a business coach is the right step.

10. Harness Your Ideas

The entrepreneurial mind is a beautiful thing, but it comes with it’s fair share of challenges. One of them being the fact that we have so many ideas, we don’t know where to start. On the flip side, you might be clinging to an idea or direction a lot longer than you should. (Beating a dead horse and all.)

Having a coach on your side will help you gain a fresh perspective so you can harness your ideas. They will also allow you to pivot directions if it’s time to move on.

A Coach is the Best Investment for Your Business

Running a business alone is a tough thing, and I would say nearly impossible to do successfully. You generally need the support of friends, family and colleagues. But in my experience a coach is also a must.

It’s like having a best friend who also knows the ins-and-outs of the industry and can share trade secrets with you. They are a valuable resource you can count on and look to when you need guidance or even a friendly ear.

Are you having a hard time closing new leads? Hire a coach to help you revamp your marketing campaign. You two can sit down together and hash out your process. Download a free proposal template and do it together; two minds are better than one.

Hiring a life and business coach has single-handedly taken my business to the next level. And without that much-needed support, I would probably still be stuck at my day job, hating my life.

Image 1 by Mattox
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by Carrie Smith
Carrie Smith is a financial artist and founder of The Client Connection, a matchmaking service for clients and freelancers who want to avoid job boards and instead build quality businesses. In 2013 she quit her full-time accounting job and now works as a full-time business consultant and writer. Find her on Twitter (@carefulcents).