When Should You Hire A Business Coach or Mentor

This is Part 4 of 4 and the final post in the "That Was Helpful: Professional Series".

The "That Was Helpful" series seeks to demystify the common tricky questions and head-scratching situations Daring Doers and bold business owners face in the everyday running of their business. 

Especially, when it comes to hiring the right professional help at the right time in their business.  

Coaching has gotten a bad rep these days. Especially, BUSINESS coaching. But not all business coaches are out to teach you how to teach others to be rich. Most of them offer solid advice rooted in actual business experience. Below are my recommendations on who you should work with and what to look for based on your business stage. 

BABY BUSINESS OWNER

At this stage in your business, you're looking for a few things: 1) a how-to on how to get started on your business with the least amount of bumps and bruises and 2) secrets on how to get ahead as quickly as possible. If reading that last sentence made you feel bad - don't be. It's totally normal to desire that. Just remember that the biggest challenge you face is to JUST GET STARTED. 

So, for you, you don't need to invest in coaching that is highly specialized. You need to look for coaching that gives you ample support and the space to figure things out. I recommend checking out my mentoring mastermind, The Playground. It's an affordable group mentoring program, that specializes in giving support and individual attention. You can learn more about it HERE.

EMERGING BUSINESS OWNER

For the emerging business owner, your focus at this stage is getting clearer on your brand strategy, your offers, and getting your name out there. I recommend that you look for coaches that will help you focus on growth and brand awareness. You will best benefit from coaches who understand strategy, marketing, and content creation. 

The best advice I can give you when looking for a coach is to first look at the areas in your business where you feel the most insecure about. Maybe it's with sales calls. Maybe it's with marketing in general. Maybe its getting your first product out there. Once, you identify what you're shaky in, THEN start looking for a coach that specializes in that area. 

Following this advice will save you money, time, and a bad coaching experience. 

ESTABLISHED BUSINESS OWNER

The established business owner has special needs when it comes to coaching. You're going to need to work with a coach that knows how to help you maintain what you've built in addition to helping it grow. Here are the areas I recommend you focus on to keep your castle running tight:

Money mindset - to help you bust through earning ceilings and limiting beliefs on what you deserve in your life.

Sophisticated business strategy - for long term planning of marketing and product / service development.

Delegation - to start transitioning tasks that you no longer need to be doing.

Launching - to make your launches more impactful and smoother.

Here are the coaches that I've worked with recently. These folks are the aces in my back pocket! I've benefited greatly from their experience, advice, and insight - and I know you will too!

Erika Napoletano - Brand Dominatrix and Get Shit Done Coach

Paul Zelizer - Spiritual / Wisdom-based Business Coach

Naomi Dunford - Marketing and Growth Coach

Nathalie Guerin - Business Manifesting Coach

*Please note: While it would be cool for you to let these folks know I referred you to them, my referral doesn't get me any kickbacks or kittens.