Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs: When to Get Outside Help

Coaching compresses time

A good coach does not give you new information. They make you confront the information you already have, faster. The right time to hire a coach is not when you are desperate. It is when you have stopped being able to be objective about your own operation.

The signals you need outside help

• The same problem has repeated three times.
• You cannot describe your offer in one sentence.
• You are working harder and earning the same or less.
• You are avoiding a decision you know you need to make.
• Your weekly review keeps getting skipped.

What to look for

Look for a coach who has operated a business at the level you are trying to reach, not just talked about it. Ask for the structure of their engagements. Beware of vague promises and theatrical confidence.

What to bring

Bring your numbers, your offer, and your honest answer to one question: what are you avoiding? That answer is where the real work begins.