As someone who has been operating a small business for nearly 15 years now, it feels like I have made every mistake imaginable; not least of which is not hiring a coach sooner. Learning on your own may seem like both the most cost effective and thorough method of gaining the knowledge you need for your business to succeed, but in fact it is neither. There is no substitute for a professional coach.
The first objection most people have to hiring a coach is the cost. And although quality coaching does come at a price, this objection can be overcome by the simple fact that coaching almost always pays for itself within a few months. When put to work, the information that you gather and the skills that you learn from your coach will change your business immediately for the better. A more efficiently operating business with a better focus on its goals will bring you more income and make you question why you didn’t hire someone earlier. This new income would not have come about without your coach and that alone makes your investment more than worthwhile.
Realizing the value a coach can bring to you isn’t just about getting over the financial burden of hiring them. For myself and many other people who operate small businesses, admitting first that you need to hire someone to help you was the most difficult part. Often times it is easier on your ego to continue on plugging away at a comfortable level of mediocrity while telling yourself that you are perfectly capable of solving any individual obstacle that crosses your path. And for the most part this is true. Getting off the ground with any business is a success in and of itself and anyone who accomplishes that will generally be able to learn whatever they need to get passed the problems that arise for them. But being a reactionary in the business world will not get you very far past a level of average. You may be able to survive by learning only what you need to, but in order to thrive, at some point you will need a mentor to tell you the things you don’t know and what you will face in the future.
Keeping yourself in a bubble of self reassurance only keeps you isolated from the valuable problems and solutions out there that you may never be exposed to on your own. With more experience comes greater knowledge and that is exactly what a business coach will bring to the table for you. Your own experience may have taught you that doing something a certain way is sufficient, but once you bring in the experience of a quality mentor, you may learn that your ways of doing things could actually be antithetical to progress and efficiency. Bringing in a new set of professional eyes for your career can be like putting on the perfect pair glasses when you didn’t even realize your vision was blurry without them.
For me it took over ten years to realize the value of hiring a coach and ever since I made that decision I have been kicking myself for not doing it sooner. For ten years I made silly mistakes and did little things wrong that dragged on my business in ways I was completely blind to. Within three months of bringing in a coach the investment had already paid for itself and I felt like a new person. Now after 15 years of experience in my field and with some professional coaching under my belt I am able to position myself as a mentor to others who are just starting out. And do you know what the first thing is that I tell people who are willing to listen? Getting a coach sooner rather than later is the best decision you can make for your business.
Speak Your Mind