National Post (National Edition)
Coaching from the sidelines
AGENCY CONSULTANTS HELP CREATE CLEAR GAME PLAN
Whether they are a solo founder or have a team to rely on, no entrepreneur is an expert on every facet of their business. Last year, when I was considering hiring an operations person for my marketing agency, someone who had lots of experience in agencies, knew how to implement processes and efficiencies and who could keep us on track, a peer suggested hiring an agency consultant instead. It was something I hadn’t considered — I figured the person needed to be in-house full time to be effective. In hindsight, I don’t know why I thought that, given we outsource such other business functions as accounting, legal services and website development.
But now, after a year and a half with the consultant, I can confidently say it was one of the best business decisions I’ve made. Here’s why hiring a business coach is good for business:
They provide a frame of reference
The key to a great coaching relationship is working with someone who specializes in your industry or type of business. Mine focuses exclusively on agency owners and has deep first-hand agency experience, so not only does he understand how they work, he gets my pain points. One of the biggest value-adds I get from him is when he says something like “for an agency of your size this is normal.” Based on his experience, he can advise on
what is or isn’t typical in our day-to-day interactions with clients and staff. He likes to call it a sanity check, and some days that’s exactly what it feels like. They provide an unbiased perspective
When you’re working in and on your business, it’s hard to step away and see it from an unemotional perspective. And because there are certain things you don’t necessarily want to discuss or share with team members, a business coach can act as an unbiased third party who will tell you what’s best for your business, which can sometimes be hard to see. They’re also a great sounding board for issues you might not want to take to your team.
They set larger goals that help you work “on” the business, not “in” the business
Every small business owner knows the struggle of trying to focus on high-level planning and goals, while also working on the day-to-day execution. A business coach can help set those high-level strategic goals, while also teaching you to delegate to your team — thus allowing you to work on the day-today work you love.
They hold you accountable — and call you out when needed
When you’re at the top of the org chart, unless you have outside investors there isn’t really anyone to call you on the things you’re not doing well. While the coach is available to help with the ongoing stuff, they always keep the high-level goals in mind. Not only will they task you with completing the goals they set, they’ll steer you back on course if those strategic priorities get lost.
They’re there to work through problems and issues that crop up
I call my business coach my agency therapist, as I go to him with all my problems and he calms me down and talks me through them. Whether it’s a client departure, an issue between team members or a slow sales month, a business coach can help guide you through it and, more important, keep you calm during the process.
They have expertise in areas you don’t
Whether I’m wondering about the ideal ratio of billable versus unbillable work, my profit margins or the best way to handle collecting payments from clients, my coach always has an answer. His expertise in agency operations fills the role I needed filled because I lacked the expertise.
When looking to bring in a coach, first make sure it’s someone who has expertise in your industry — for example, a tech entrepreneur might choose to focus on a coach that helps scale tech companies, while a fastgrowing business might bring in an executive coach to work with the leadership team. Then figure out what coaching structure works for your company. I started off with a coaching project and moved to ongoing coaching, but I’ve seen coaches offer everything from hourly sessions, to by-the-minute calls, to workshops and more indepth programs where they are embedded to work with multiple members of a team.
And not to be discounted, a business coach provides you with peace of mind that you’re not alone in the entrepreneurial journey — something every small business owner needs to hear now and again.