Published 9 July 2015. Updated 14 October 2026.
Having a business coach is not a luxury, but rather a necessity you cannot afford to skip. When you’re not performing your best, then you are potentially missing out on business, opportunities and potential profit. Working with a business coach will help you in so many ways. Do you suffer from problems in your business that keep you awake at night? Is cash flow tight or downright lousy? Do staff cause you grief? Are you disorganised, time-starved, or working massive hours? Or perhaps it’s not about a problem (or a few) but rather, you have a great business that you want to scale and take to the next level. Are you seeking greater profit, without working ‘like a dog’ or missing out on life entirely?
Let Me Show You How Having a Business Coach Can Help You
Cash flow
Yes, a coach costs money, but a good one will be worth their weight ten-fold. As long as you have a few dollars to invest, they will give you strategies around cash flow, which will assure immediate fiscal improvement. With improved systems, smarter marketing, less waste and more profit, you’ll see the benefits fairly quickly. I’m often helping clients with the money side of their business, whether it’s budgets (aka Planning for Profit), margins, break-even points, daily overhead costs, pricing, forecasts and achieving cash flow relief. A small business cannot afford to ignore strategies around smart cash flow, nor be complacent about getting paid, and getting paid promptly. I frequently work with service-based businesses, who are selling time or a package or service, which means they don’t get paid on the spot by the customer who walks into their store; so they need to ensure they have great methods in place to not be left carrying bad debt. There is a great expression I love:
Turnover is vanity. Profit is sanity. Cash flow is reality.
Accountability
Will your staff, or your partner, tell you if you’re not doing the right thing, or slacking off or simply, with all good intents, really don’t know how to help you, or don’t want to help you? Your coach will be in your corner and will have the experience and expertise to guide you appropriately. Plus, even more importantly, your coach will tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it. Whilst I am careful to not hurt clients, or be blunt and definitely not nasty, I will tell you how it is. Knowing someone is checking up on you really does motivate us to keep on top of the action we are meant to be taking and promises we have made.
Clarity
How often do you get ‘lost’ and really don’t know the next step to take, or what even the next few steps are? Often, I ask new business coaching clients what their end goal is and they really don’t know. If the goal is to sell the business down the track, then certain things should be put in place, often years prior so you have a more saleable asset which will achieve a better price. Sometimes it is a case of two heads are better than one, and what better than a person who is experienced in business and has probably come across your problem many times before and likely doesn’t just have one solution, but will likely have a few great solutions.
Direction
Your coach will not only help you focus on what you need to do now, but will show you the path to longer-term goals, so that your developed strategies meet both short-term goals and long-term objectives. Sometimes clients flit from place to place, or are enticed by ‘shiny new objects’ or struggle to focus on their goals. Sometimes they get caught up in the day-to-day of running a business and forget to work on the business regularly as well. If you want something to change or to achieve a goal or objective, you need to focus on it, work on it and take action.
Achieving More!
Just like a sports coach, your business coach will make you run more ‘laps’ whilst making each round easier and more efficient. You’re not in this alone and they will push you to your full potential. In fact, often the coach sees the potential of a business more so than the business owner themselves. Be prepared to be pushed a little out of your comfort zone and yes, be prepared to improve your profit levels too. There are rewards on the horizon.
Listening
A good coach is able to listen, and as importantly, knows the right questions to ask. As an experienced business coach, often someone considering my services will ask, “How do you know what I need to do, or what can be improved?” This comes about from my initial questionnaires, the great questions I ask and me constantly listening. I always have my iPad in front of me, taking notes, so when I hear something that triggers investigation, I make note (so as to not interrupt a client’s thoughts) and will always circle back to delve deeper and unfold an opportunity for improvement.
In Summary
In short, your business coach will perform many functions. They will be your marketing manager, your sales director, your training coordinator, your partner, your confidant, your business mentor, and sometimes even your best friend. I am also often a business’ pseudo CFO (Chief Financial Officer), an educator, a marketing strategist and a connector. I connect my clients to professionals they may need to contact to sort a specific issue, whether it’s a fabulous website designer, an awesome bookkeeper or a knowledgeable lawyer.
Remember when you first dreamt about starting your own business? Do you remember that feeling of hope, or wanting flexibility, freedom and being the designer of your destiny? Remember why you are in business? That feeling and dream don’t need to be a vague memory.
Contact a few coaches today, compare pricing, but more importantly, talk to them and see if they resonate with you and you feel there is a connection and you believe they have the experience, knowledge and background to guide you. Find out if they have run a business themselves, and how long they have been coaching. Ask for testimonials and enquire if they have an introductory meeting, and please don’t sign any long-term contracts. I strongly believe that if a coach does a great job, they don’t need a contract to lock you in. Once you start working with them, if they are great, your only regret will be that you didn’t start with them much sooner!
Instead of having a ‘sales meeting’ or ‘discovery session’, I offer a free sample coaching session. This is not 30 minutes of me doing the hard sell, but it’s a real coaching session where you will walk away with some great ideas. This allows me to get to know you, but as importantly, you get to see what I do, how I do it and the degree and depth of my experience and knowledge. Whilst I have qualifications in Accounting, Marketing, Training and Small Business Management, it’s the decades of real-world experience which makes me the coach that gets so many fabulous 5-star Google reviews. I love what I do and that shows in my dedication and passion for each and every client’s potential. To book a sample coaching session, click HERE.
