You’ve made a savvy decision to hire a small business growth coach. About 50 percent of small businesses fail within five years primarily because they fail to achieve sustainable growth.
A growth coach can help you solve a wide range of challenges and unlock bottlenecks that are stifling the growth of your business. Finding the right coach is key to reaping these benefits.
This begs the question: what should you look for in a small business growth coach? We have the inside scoop.
Read on to learn more.
1. Relevant Experience
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “coach” is experience. Whether in sports, academia, or any other field, a coach is typically a vastly experienced professional whose primary mission is to impart knowledge and skills to trainees or students.
When you’re hiring a small business growth coach, you need someone with several years of experience helping small businesses like yours thrive. You have to ask your prospective coach how much skin they have in the game. Not only that but also the actual number of business owners they have coached.
It’s possible to find a coach who has been in the business for several years but has only had a handful of clients. There’s a reason for that. They probably aren’t as competent as they might make you believe.
A coach with a long, verifiable client list is a good find, but don’t be too quick to check that box. Evaluate whether they have adequate experience working with small businesses in your industry or niche.
For example, if your business is a food delivery app, a coach with 100s of clients but has never worked with a food delivery company won’t bring you much value. They aren’t familiar with the unique business challenges in your industry.
2. Professional Credentials
Experience aside, a business coach should have the right academic background. It takes plenty of professional training in business management and administration to stand a chance of becoming a competent coach.
Look at their level of education. Are they MBA holders, for instance?
There are business concepts that are only taught in graduate school. So if you’re planning to hire an experienced coach but they didn’t study beyond undergraduate school, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
3. Availability
If you’ve been part of a sports team, you have seen how present a coach can be. They’re always there with their assistants to oversee every training session.
You want the same level of availability and dedication from your business coach. Of course, you’ll enter into an agreement that defines their scope of work, but the general principle here is that you need their input as often as possible.
The best coaches are super busy since at any given time they have several clients to attend to. Does this mean you should settle for second-rate coaches who’re readily available?
No.
There are strategies the busiest coaches, or any coach for that matter, use to ensure they’re giving their clients the highest level of availability. In today’s digital age, a coach doesn’t need to be physically in your office. An online business coach can still deliver effective coaching from the other side of the world.
As such, it’s important to ask a coach about their online coaching capabilities before hiring them. Do they have an existing infrastructure to support online sessions?
If they don’t, it’s best to continue with your search. Online coaching gives you great flexibility as a business owner. Whether you’re in the office or away attending a trade show, you can hop on a video call and learn something from the coach.
4. Personal Attributes
There are boatloads of experienced professionals in every field, but only a fistful become coaches.
Why?
Coaching in itself is a unique ability that not everyone has. On top of their professional qualifications, business coaches need excellent communication and interpersonal skills. They must be able to show empathy to their clients, possess a natural knack for solving problems, and have a high sense of self-awareness.
When picking a business coach, assess their attributes and establish whether they’re likable. Setting up an initial face-to-face consultation is an ideal way to pick up their communication style and strike some rapport. You’ll tell whether they’re passionate about helping small business owners or if they’re in the profession for a quick buck.
If you fail to strike a personal connection, don’t overlook it, even though they might exude great professionalism. Keep in mind that a business growth coach is like a partner. You’ll share the most intimate details of your business with them, so it’s important that you can talk freely and openly.
5. Resourcefulness
Someone is considered resourceful if they offer more than expected or required. You want a business growth coach who will bring a lot more than just growth coaching to the table.
For instance, a resourceful coach can connect you to funding opportunities. Because growing a business requires capital, naturally a growth coach will have access to investors and even lenders.
Picture a scenario when your coach tells you that you need to raise more capital to solve a cash flow problem. Wouldn’t it be of great help if they could connect you to a suitable investor instead of leaving you to start hunting for funding on your own?
Hire the Right Business Growth Coach
The benefits of hiring a business growth coach are well-documented. However, a lot depends on the experience, professionalism, and personality of the coach your hire. With this guide, you now have a clear idea of the most important attributes to look for in a coach.
Head over to our business section for more informative articles for business owners.
