There are many options for accessing this expertise – reading or studying, attending business seminars, networking, business colleagues, friends and family, business partners, joint ventures, consultants, mentors and coaches.
If you are a small business owner, an entrepreneur or a solopreneur, a specialist small business coach can create immense leverage for you! What is most important is to determine the type of support you need as a small business owner: coaching, mentoring or a business consultant.
A coach will help you learn the skills you need to move forward and keep you accountable for progress. A mentor will add the benefits of their personal business experiences. A business consultant offers expertise in specific areas and will contract to complete a project for you. If you are not sure which style suits you, then choose a coach who has a diversity of skills and experience, or one who has great networks and is willing to provide referrals when appropriate.
The following services may be provided by a coach, a mentor or a consultant – it will depend on the specific skills the individual offers. Once you have a sense of the types of support and assistance that could boost your business, it’s time to choose your support team! A great coach will enable you to achieve more - using less time, money and effort!
Business Coaching Strategy: Focus On Results
• Diagnose issues and offer solutions.
• Create a compelling vision.
• Craft a cohesive and prioritized action plan for moving forward.
• Develop self-discipline, self-motivation and self-confidence.
• Create space and insights which enable tangible progress.
Business Owner Support: Create Your Ideal Business
• Offer an independent perspective on your ideas, strategies, goals and challenges.
• Provide honest insights and feedback on your leadership and management skills.
• Develop emotional intelligence and help you breakthrough mental barriers.
• Provide access to supportive and business building networks.
• Create clarity, focus and sustainable motivation.
Your Business Future: Set Your Vision
• Develop strategies to ensure your business can run without you.
• Identify alternative high growth business opportunities.
• Consider expansion and exit strategies.
• Strategize for succession planning.
• Offer support in making big decisions.
Business Strategy: Discover Successful Approaches
• Help you work ON your business rather than IN it.
• Help you realize the full potential of your current business.
• Develop a business plan to maximise sales and profits.
• Transition into new strategies and markets.
• Utilize knowledge and experience from other industries.
Business Goals: Achieve Your Vision
• Create stretch goals and action plans and coach you to achieve them.
• Work out which goals to pursue and which to drop.
• Re-focus you on business growth or life balance, rather than daily problem-solving.
• Working out what performance indicators are important to your business.
• Setting up systems to measure and report on important performance indicators.
Marketing Strategy: Learn New Marketing Skills
• Identify profitable niche markets and ways to access niches.
• Review your pricing strategy to maximize profitability.
• Maximise the potential profitability of current clients.
• Plan for new client lead generation.
• Develop effective customer service strategies.
Productivity: Achieve More With Less
• Develop strategies to work smarter rather than harder.
• Identify opportunities for systemizing and automating your business processes.
• Maximise the contributions of employees and outsourced services.
• Prioritize: help you get focused on the issues and actions that matter most.
• Re-balance your workload between what has to be done and what you are best at.
Creativity: See Your Business With New Eyes
• Introduce creative problem-solving tools to create new ideas and approaches.
• Develop new business, product or service ideas.
• Help you solve business challenges.
• Expand your perspectives on what is possible.
• Create strategies to ensure ongoing innovation in your business.
Life Balance: Bring the Joy Back Into Being A Small Business Owner
• Develop goals for balancing life and work.
• Develop practical strategies for balancing your life and business commitments.
• Be your accountability partner.
• Help with stress management.
• Strategies for managing overwork and overwhelm.
Ultimately coaching is about clarity and accountability. If you aren’t sure why your business is not ‘working’ as expected, then you’ll benefit from the insights a coach can offer. If you are ‘stuck’ in your business and need a fresh set of eyes, then a series of coaching sessions can turn around your productivity 100 fold! A talented and competent business coach will make business success easier for you!
If you are a new business owner then a coach is even more invaluable – you’ll have the resources to avoid making the common mistakes new business owners often fall victim to! Your coach will save you time, money and resources (as well as lots of headaches)!
Small business owners are notorious for succumbing to the effects of stress, burn-out or simply losing their vision and getting tired of the daily grind. In this situation a coach can help revive your approach and get you back to being passionate about your business. Ultimately using a small business coach is about self-care and profitability. If you are firing on all cylinders, then so will your business!!
About Lisa Murray:
Lisa Murray is a small business coach focusing on peak performance, first aid for burnt-out small business owners and helping people transition from job to business owner. Her techniques help small business owners solve their biggest challenges with ease. Lisa recently got her life back after completing an MBA in entrepreneurship and has coached hundreds of small business owners throughout her career. Lisa is a published author and small business speaker. Find out more at www.ReviveCoaching.com.au, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call her 0404 063 513 to book your free introductory telephone coaching session valued at $175.
