How many of you make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight or go to the gym? How many of you reach your goals? This is a prime example of knowing WHAT to do but not staying motivated to actually DO it. Intellectually, we all KNOW that eating healthy foods and exercising is the key to losing weight, yet many of us never seem to stick with it.
The same is true with growing your business. We all KNOW we should have a business plan and market our businesses, yet life gets in the way and our plans never materialize, or we take a break from doing back-office work because we’re too busy handling our clients’ needs.
Enter the business coach.
In this instance, a business coach will keep you focused on your short- and long-term goals and the individual tasks at hand. Instead of getting distracted, you will have a plan in place for your next steps. Plus, your coach will want a weekly or daily accountability report (I call it a Success Tracker), so if you find yourself distracted, you’ll get back on track quickly without wasting too much time. For most of my clients, completing their weekly Success Tracker helps them stay focused. Knowing the next steps helps drive you forward in your productivity.
Of course, life happens when you’re running a business. You may have to take some time off or shorten your business hours when emergencies happen. A business coach can help you reconfigure your business and marketing plan as needed so that you’re not losing progress. Whether that means changing courses altogether or simply hiring an independent contractor to take over some of the tasks, your coach will be your sounding board if a life problem is preoccupying your mind.
Your business progress can also be halted by technology. For instance, you may KNOW that you need to use a system to take payments from clients. Uncertainty about how to install it can halt your next steps. A business coach will have recommendations about software or, at the very least, the name of a technical person who can assist you with the purchase and installation.
Keep in mind that business coaches are available to give advice, not to do the work for you. Listen to your coach’s unique perspective on your business. Take her under advisement. Then decide and “act now.” Developing a coach/client relationship that allows you to feel confident in your own decisions is important to the growth of the business.
Are you ready to hire a business coach?
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