When to hire a business coach: what every female founder should know.
Hi fellow female founder,
You’re here because you’ve been in business for a while or you might just be starting out and want to work with a business coach from the start.
Either way, you’re toying with the idea of more support and are wondering when to hire a business coach.
The answer is…(drum roll)... right now.
If you’re thinking about it, you know deep down that you need that input now.
BUT KNOWING WHEN TO HIRE A BUSINESS COACH AND ACTUALLY HIRING ONE ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.
Here are a few things to consider before you take the plunge:
Winging it is not an option
A business coach will help you see your blind spots, stop you wandering off down paths that aren’t yours to take, to get unstuck, to get clear, to move forward. Sure, you can do it on your own but it will make achieving your goals a whole lot faster and easier if you have someone there with you every step of the way being your champion, challenger and calling you out when you get sidetracked.
Building a business is not a solo sport
You’ve got this far on your own but building a business is not a solo sport despite what the capitalist patriarchy would have us believe. Women, especially if you were raised in the 80’s and 90’s, were sold the story that we could have it all (read, do it all) AND we had to do that on our own. Other women are competition and there is kudos in the struggle, the martyrship and battling your way through. Spoiler alert: that route will get you burnout, overwhelmed, knackered and furious very fast. Accepting help, getting the support you need and investing in yourself and your business will make the whole journey easier and faster too.
Do your research
You know what you and your business need, and no two business coaches are the same. I combine coaching and Human Design for example. Some people are very sales focused. For others, it’s social media. Or magic. Or money. Or confidence. Book those discovery calls, get to know the people you want to work with and figure out who is the best match for you and your business.
A side note on discovery calls: they are for you both to figure out if you’ll be a good fit. If anyone tries to strong arm you into working with them, pay anything up front or you sense a red flag - run!
Alignment is everything
I’m a big believer that the vibes you get from people ring true. You’ll know if the business coach is the one for you. I could go into why and how from a Human Design perspective for hours but that’s another blog post! If you what they’re saying makes sense, you get a good feeling, go for it. The majority of business coaches out there are doing what they do because they genuinely care about you and your business and they want you to succeed.
Look beyond vanity metrics
So you’ve found your business coach and checked them out on Instagram or LinkedIn or Facebook or wherever BUT they’ve not got many followers. Take this as a big so what? Being known and being good are two very different things. (Helen Perry has an excellent podcast episode on this exact thing). I know business coaches with a sprinkling of followers who are supreme at what they do, and fully booked most of the time. I know others with massive communities who peddle the most basic stuff.
Do you need a coach or a mentor?
Let me break down the difference for you...
A coach is someone who has a particular skill set in empathy, people skills and communication. Their active listeners, they probably have their own business they’re building so have the entrepreneurial experience there. They ask you questions, get you to look at different perspectives and challenge your perceptions. They’re all about you guiding you to find your own answers.
A mentor is someone who has been there and got the T-shirt. They probably have a few successful businesses and will give you advice and pointers based on their experiences. You can take your questions to them and they’ll give you concrete this-is-what-I’d-do answers.
Now, to confuse matters, lots of business coaches work with a mix of these things. For example, I’m a coach BUT I will step out of coach mode if you ask me too and act as a sounding board using my experience of building my own business. I combine coaching, Human Design with strategy, structuring your business and offers, planning and action taking and mindset work. Confusing, huh?!
My advice, look at a variety of business coaches and mentors, talk to them, read their testimonials and see which chimes best with you, your business and your goals.
So there you go. When to hire a business coach? Now, but consider these points as you go.
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