No matter what stage you and your business are in, an online business coach can help you get ahead if you are an entrepreneur.
The right coach for you can be an excellent resource for your business, especially if you’re starting. They can provide critical support to you in establishing your business which can accelerate your results faster, saving you valuable time and money.
Real Support and Guidance to Build Your Business
The primary objective of an online business coach is to support their client in achieving their business goals and understanding how this impacts their personal goals. They can help you clarify your business vision, develop your long term strategic plans, deliver on your action plans, business diversification, grow a team, marketing and communication. Honestly, the list is long and depends on the experience of your chosen coach.
Now, you should know some things before expecting to find success through working with an online business coach. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is assuming that an online business coach will do all of the work. The truth is, hiring your coach is only the beginning.
You have to be prepared to do most of the implementation work yourself.
There are many areas of business that you will need to learn and factor into your business strategy and plans. A good coach will help you to understand and master your critical and unique business aspects and manage yourself in the process. So that you can become the best business owner and leader you can be.
Not all online business coaches are created equal.
Not all online business coaches are created equal, so it is imperative that you research and interview each potential coach. Every coach works differently, so it’s essential to understand their approach to coaching.
Here are my top tips for finding the right one for you:
Tip #1: Know what you want to achieve from working with an online business coach
This is the very first step to finding the right coach for you. Knowing what you want to achieve from working with a coach gives you keywords to search for and a base for interviewing your candidates to discover how they can help you achieve your vision.
Now it’s ok if you do not know what you need to achieve the goal. That’s what your coach will be able to support you in discovering.
Tip #2: Research your candidates before going any further
If this is your first time working with an online business coach, make sure you do enough research on them before committing in any way financially or emotionally. You could potentially spend months looking into who they are and what they offer before deciding on whether or not you feel they’re worth the investment or not. You want to make sure that you find someone who:
- has helped others in similar situations in the past (not just their own, so ask for examples),
- is trustworthy (accredited coaches have undergone professional training and adhere to ethics and standards),
- will give honest feedback (professionally that is in your best interests even if that means not working with you), and
- has experience working with other entrepreneurs (review their testimonials or speak with their past clients).
Tip #3: Ask yourself the following
Once you’ve found someone who fits what you want in a coach, it is common to feel excited and scared all at once. Excited about the possibilities and apprehensive at the same time, so be sure you know the answers to these questions and any others that give you confidence:
- Do I have time for this? Working with a coach takes time, and you must invest in getting the results. There is as much planning and strategising as implementation, so you must prioritise it.
- How much does it cost? Coaching is an investment in yourself and your business, so be sure to think of this as a percentage of what you desire your annual business income to be to appreciate the figures when determining the potential value.
- Can I see how I will achieve my vision through working with this coach? You want to understand how the coaches will support you to achieve your specific goal, and you want to feel aligned with the approach they suggest.
- Do I trust this person? Coaching only works when both parties are open and honest. It is a container of vulnerability without judgement for you to explore strengths, weaknesses and options. If you feel uncomfortable opening up to your chosen coach, think again about hiring them.
If all your responses are favourable, then it is likely you have found the online business coach for you! If not, continue researching until you find someone who meets all these requirements for you and don’t worry if it takes a while, it can, but it is worth it.
The Benefits of Working With A Business Coach online
The benefits of working with an online business coach are vast, but here are the top 5 things you can and should expect:
- You will learn more about yourself and your current situation. It may not feel like the most exciting outcome, but it is a precursor to knowing how to get you from where you are to where you want to be and is vital in identifying and eliminating blocks and their reoccurrence in the future.
- You will be able to focus your attention on the most productive areas for you. Working with your coach will have you devise a plan that incorporates everything you want and feeds into each project in a timely and purposeful way. So say goodbye to overwhelm and wanting to do everything now.
- You will feel more confident about your abilities and ability to achieve what you want for yourself. Seeing a clear strategy and action plan and a realistic timeline will support you to grow in confidence as milestones are met. You will also have skill sets enhanced and reflected back by your coach so you can acknowledge and utilise them again in the future.
- You will have the ability to be proactive in your own life by taking control in areas that require it (like financial issues or personal projects). You become grounded in decision making and choices that support your goals and visions—no more being distracted by shiny objects or indecisiveness. Clarity prevails through working with an online business coach.
- You will begin new routines and habits that maintain positive reinforcement loops that keep you motivated, inspired, and engaged in what you are doing. Because the vision, purpose and milestones are no longer a dream but an obvious pathway to your reality, and you know the part you are planning to make it happen. (To take action on this now, download The Mindset Pathway – it is the must have tool for successful entrepreneurs.)
Discover How To Market Your Business The Right Way
The internet has made it easier than ever to build a business. With the ease of getting your product or service to market, you can achieve a lot more in less time. The problem is that there are a lot of businesses out there that are banking on enrolling hundreds or thousands the minute they start a social media page or get their website live. The reality is there is a whole world of marketing that every business owner needs to get familiar with, and it is not easier to outsource this unless you know your business inside out.
This is why an online coach can come in handy; they show you how to make money in your business and provide you with insights into your own business identity and success and how to manage other future ventures better.
Working with an online business coach can help you get consistent results with your marketing, elevate your customer journey, and manage your day-to-day life as a result.
It’s never too late for your business to make itself socially viable. An online coach can help you improve your brand messaging and provide guidance on how best to advertise yourself (organically, in the first instance) to become more visible with your potential clients and customers in a way aligned to your business vision. But you must remember it is down to you to consistently implement the strategies and actions into your business over time to see the results.
Markets are moving swiftly, and depending on your business, it’s important to remind you that experimenting, pushing yourself to try new things and learning from your experiences will get the skill sets you will require to lean into as an entrepreneur.
How an online business coach can save you time and money
You can’t be successful if you don’t do the work. Conversely, it’s not true that you can only do well by hiring an expensive coach. The simple fact is that you don’t have to go it alone in business, and you will often go further faster when you are supported.
Here are some of the benefits of working with an online business coach:
1. It will save you time: There is no one roadmap to follow when it comes to starting or building a business, and yes, experimentation is likely, however working with a coach, you will have an expert steering you in the options most likely to succeed because they have more experience, experiments and results under their belt. Having a coach to work with saves you time as you have direct access to years of their training, experience and perspectives to help you navigate the route to your business success a lot faster.
2. It gives you perspective: To talk through visions, goals, options and have someone who can challenge you, guide, and share stories themselves can add such value to the way you think. It can expand your perspective; as often being in your business so deeply and passionately, you need the outside perspective to help you get a better overview of where you are going and how you can get there.
3. It supports you: Everyone needs an impartial sounding board where they can offload their worries, weights and challenges without judgement. As a business owner, you also have a life, and it’s not surprising that the two intertwine and overlap. It can be hard not to let each impact and interact with each other. With a coach in your corner, you can work through everything that’s obstructing you from your visions of success and how you can move forward in a way that’s best for you, which is priceless.
4. It saves you money: In business, time is money, and mistakes are costly. Though we all get to make them, they are part of the rite of passage as a business owner. Mistakes can teach you so much and propel you forward in the long term, but with an experienced coach to work with you, you do not need to make any unnecessary ones and understand all the risks before you dive in so you are fully aware of success and learnings.
5. It is efficient: You won’t know everything, all the technology that’s available to support your business, the opportunities to streamline your processes and systems. Your business coach will come to know your business inside and out and help you take advantage of systematic and technological possibilities to improve your business. They become the expert in your industry, sharing whether a new piece of tech or a marketing strategy could be beneficial to implement in your business.
6. It makes sense: Working with an online business coach should never be boring. They should always inspire growth and motivation; help you learn and grow more than you ever thought possible, and help you achieve your objectives and dreams because that’s what matters most in this world.
The result of working with an online business coach and accessing their expertise will ultimately lead you to more efficient and purposeful operations within your business. Because your coach will help you to plan your strategy over time, providing insights into what works best for your customers, clients or prospects and helping you refine those strategies as you and your business evolve.
Combined with your present state awareness of your skills and ability to stay focused on what’s important, you will make smarter decisions that improve your bottom line and quality of life.
In simple terms, working with an online business coach can have you making your dreams a reality a lot sooner than if you were to go it alone, for a fraction of the time and money investment you are looking to make. Doing this could be your first big business decision, but it won’t be your last.
If you are ready to get started book your Clarity call today with Alison and put these points to the test!
With Gratitude always,
Alison Callan is an international award-winning online business coach and an award-winning author. Alison helps entrepreneurs harness clarity and mindfulness to embrace their full potential successfully and lead fulfilled and meaningful lives. A certified coach with the International Coach Federation, a member of the NLP Association, and a Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Alison’s mission is to champion those starting in business to ensure they discover the confidence to be seen and heard. So that they elevate their brand to thought leadership status and their work becomes a legacy an inspiring movement for others to raise their potential.
Check out more on Alison Callan on her Website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, or schedule a Discovery call to work with Alison now.