First, let me dispel some issues people have with hiring a Business Coach:
I think that many entrepreneurs see coaching as a scam, mostly because they see so many people offering coaching services. It can feel like an “anybody can do this!” world. So why would you want to shell over serious dollars when there’s nothing unique about one coach versus the 5,600 other coaches in the same field?
So I get that, because frankly…it’s true. There are a LOT of coaches out there, and some are more qualified than others, but to use that as an excuse to never get a coach is just bananatown.
How to Maximize Your Investment with a Coach
Consider athletes. Or even better, consider gymnasts. How many gymnasts are out there at the Olympics by themselves? I don’t want to say “none” so let’s say…very few.
You always see their coaches walking down the runway towards the finish when they’re hitting that pommel horse, or doing a dismount off of the bars or rings. There is always a coach there with them who pushed them to get to where they were now competing in the Olympics, a lifetime goal for many athletes.
Athletes have tons of coaches with specialties. Pitching coaches, running coaches, yoga and ballet coaches for football players, strength training coaches. “Trainers” is another word for “Coaches” and how many of them do you hear about on SportsCenter?
So why would it be any different for an entrepreneur to have a business coach? Isn’t it also in YOUR interest to have someone who knows the ropes pushing you to the next level and being there to support you? If athletes swear by coaches, why would being in business be any different?
Okay, rant over. Let’s say you’ve hired a coach, or are about to, but want to make sure you’re maximizing your time with them. How can you do that?
How to Maximize Your Investment with a Coach
1. Ask questions. Ask all the questions
Don’t take the fear that you’re bothering them seriously. You’ve hired them to help you get to where you want to be. So ask them how to do it.
2. Utilize their connections and network
Some coaches won’t do this, but I know others who will. Ask them for their recommendations or if they know someone who can help with a problem you’re having. As an example: I had asked one of my first coaches a question about something…I don’t remember what it was, but let’s say it was something like “How do other Marketers handle this?” My coach said she wasn’t sure, but she knew a few in a Mastermind she was a part of, so she’d reach out and ask them. Sure enough, within a week I had answers to that question and it was thanks to her network.
3. If there are bonuses, use them
My current coach has a deal where her 1:1 clients get access to any program she launches during their coaching package for free. You best believe I eat that shit up and am signing up for all of her offers so I can get all the knowledge that’s available to me.
4. Speak up when it’s not working
If you’re feeling frustrated by your coach or by your business, or you feel there’s a disconnect somewhere, then you’ve got to speak up as early as possible so that you two can correct course. For me, when I started with my current coach, she had a completely different idea of what my business structure was going to be. She thought I wanted to have a small operation, so when I told her my dream day would be doing nothing but content creation, she flipped her shit and told me what I was doing was wrong which is completely anxiety-inducing, right?
That’s when I realized I hadn’t given her the full rundown of what I wanted, which was a multi-layered company where people smarter than I handled things that kept the machine running, while I got to sit around and just write blogs, record podcasts, and make more videos because that’s my sweet spot and what I love. Once we corrected that assumption we made SO much progress.
But can you imagine if I hadn’t spoken up and told her that there was something amiss here? I’d have spent a ridiculous amount of money trying to force myself into a business framework that didn’t excite me and wasn’t what I wanted. I might as well just set my money on fire for the good that would’ve done me.
How to Maximize Your Investment with a Coach
The lesson of this blog post is that you should not be afraid to use what you’re paying for.
A good business coach won’t want to make you feel like your investment wasn’t valuable…to be completely frank, the more you succeed then the better they look. So it’s in their interest to make sure you’re getting the best experience possible.
Instead of being suspicious or afraid to drop money on a coach, take the chance and use every single speck of available options you have at your disposal. The more you grow, the more we all grow…so whaddya waiting for?
