Business coaching brings a focus on what’s important.

Would it help to have someone impartial work with you to identify challenges and help address them?

Being in business is not easy (I have first hand experience of this!).  Keeping your focus on how you want your business to be, can be challenging when there are so many other demands on your time.  Working with others and staff issues can at best distracting and at worst, very stressful. Customers or clients don’t always behave as you’d like and neither do suppliers.  Keeping your eye on what’s important can feel impossible (and that’s if you have found the time to actually work out what’s important). As a business owner myself, I can work alongside you to see things more clearly, from increasing productivity and profit to improving staff behaviours and communication. And of course, coaching can help you prioritise and reduce stress and overwhelm.

Coaching can help you get work smarter and feel less stressed.

You may have built a successful business and from the outside seem hugely successful.  The ‘behind the scenes’ story may be very different.  You may crave some time to yourself, you may not be able to remember what it was that you enjoyed about the business, you may be feeling very stressed. Finances can be hard to get a control of, especially if it’s not something you enjoy doing.

Coaching can help you grow the business or plan for exit

Alternatively, you may have a successful business and feel that all is going well, but would like to have a more proactive plan for its future.  So far, it may have been an organic growth pattern, and you realise that should you actually plan more strategically, you could create something even better.  Or you may have your eye on exit and want to fully consider the options ahead. It may be clear that the business is too dependent on you and you need to address this if you want to sell.

Owning a business can be isolating

Let’s face it, owning a business can be isolating.  It’s not always possible to share your thoughts, hopes and fears with those around you.  As you business coach and mentor, I will listen, ask questions, stretch your thinking and hold you account when you set out a plan and say you will see it through.

I have worked with owners of so many different types of business and all find working with a coach immensely useful to gain clarity, focus and a plan for next steps. On a bad day, vocalising fears and problems can help you find solutions, on a good day, talking about what’s working can mean you capitalise on this way of doing things and find more success.

What sorts of business owners do I work with?

The one thing all have in common is that they want to create the best business they can.  This means one that delivers a great product or service to its ideal customer, whilst the owner can live a balanced life and not find it all consuming. And, of course, they want it to be profitable with a productive, happy workforce. Types of businesses include food and retail, marketing and creative, legal, insurance and financial services, IT and tech as well as construction, charities and recruitment.

Common themes

Common themes we look at are  confident communication, strategic thinking and planning, sales growth, marketing (including social media), overall mission and message, team, recruitment, managing difficult people, future planning, exit planning. Many also want to look at decision making and delegation.

Coaching is worth the investment

Coaching may not be top of the financial priority list. However, working with a coach who can help you spot inefficiencies, find ways of increasing productivity and ask questions that will help you find better ways of running the business, you will soon find that your investment pays off many times over.  For example, looking at how you invoice and track staff productivity are ways that quickly bring positive changes to the bottom line. And that’s just the financial investment.  Coaching can help you feel more  positive about the business, open your mind to new opportunities and help you regain your enthusiasm.

It’s worth also looking into business grant that will cover the cost of coaching.

If you’d like to know more about how working with a coach might work, email me for a no obligation chat. Don’t put it off any longer, you’ll be glad you did. Learn more about me.

Read a bit more about business coaching in this article by Go Solo.

I work with clients in Bristol, Wales, the South West and London and virtually with clients all over.