Entrepreneurship Coaching Programs for Professional Service Providers
This article about business coaching for entrepreneurs was written by The Results Catalysts' chief consultant, Nicole Wipp. Contact us if you need help with your business!
Are you an already-successful successful entrepreneur looking to push your business even further - for example, a business already making 6 figures and looking to make 7?
If I were to say "business coaching," you might imagine lame motivational speeches and freezing hotel rooms with muddy coffee, or a zoom meeting where someone is telling you generic stuff you hear all the time. And in many cases, your imagination would be right.
But here's the thing: successful entrepreneurs, especially ones that make a living based on their knowledge, are always looking for ways to be better. Pursuing the right business entrepreneur coaching is incredibly useful in all sectors, but arguably, professional services get the biggest bang for their buck from an entrepreneur coach.
Bottom line? Having a business coach can be an invaluable part of the next stage of your entrepreneurial journey, especially for those that work in professional services environments.
What is the difference between an entrepreneur coach and a business coach?
Some people make the distinction between the two by saying that an entrepreneur coach focuses on helping people develop the skills needed to launch their own businesses. In contrast, a business coach helps existing business owners improve their operations and increase profits.
This may be the right distinction, but I don't think it's that simple. We live in a world where many entrepreneurs that are making 6 figures or in many cases, well over 6 figures still need to further develop their service offerings, but are also at a point where the business itself needs more attention in terms of team, resources, workflow, operations, and scale.
The ultimate goal for my entrepreneur coaching clients is to take their business from being a job to one that is self-sustaining, even if they aren't there on a daily basis. I mean really, do you want a full-time job or do you want a LIFE?
Entrepreneur Coaching: Accountability & Peer Mindshare
If you’re feeling stuck or want more freedom and success, it may be time to look for an entrepreneurship coach that is also an accountability partner and a sounding board for your ideas. A great business coach will help you clarify your goals - not just business goals, but life goals.
In my experience, another important criterion is coaching from a person that will give you objective and honest feedback. Sometimes that feedback is hard to hear, but in the end, it can give you more insight into the ways in which your business needs to change to reach new levels and meet new challenges. A great coach will also help you with the strategy to make it all happen.
With the right business coach, entrepreneurs reach new heights of success in their businesses. They can provide the focus, direction, and motivation necessary to take the business to the next level.
Team Is Key To Your Ability To Scale Your Business: But It Is Hard
One of the biggest struggles clients of mine have is in the area of people. Specifically, team members. It is a "dirty little secret" of entrepreneurs that most go through team members in their company faster than they would like to admit. For entrepreneurs, this can be incredibly demoralizing, but also damaging to the business.
As entrepreneurs, we are looking for people that have the right mindset to work in a non-corporate environment, and that look at our business as more than just a job but a place where they can contribute to creating a company that provides high-value to clients.
I also know from experience in my own business, getting the right mindset about creating a team that works in a way that truly elevates my life and company has been game-changing.
Results Are Key: The Right Action Gets You There
Any entrepreneur knows that staying the same won't help you. The world moves too fast; we must always look forward.
You can talk or think about ideas all day long (entrepreneurs typically love ideas!) but when it comes to your business, results are all that matter. Create action, get results!
The right entrepreneur coach will help you create ways to improve your business's ability to get results. These include business competencies, confidence, mental strength, will & persistence....but also the right systems, processes, teams, and capabilities to make it all work - seamlessly. I personally value turning thoughts, ideas, and concepts into action - because action gets results.
Getting The Confidence To Level Up By Making Better Business Decisions
We live in a world where there is an infinite amount of ways to achieve business success. For those of us that have multitudes of success stories under our belt, the bigger question is how to determine what the right mindset, vision, focus, and strategy we need to meet the challenges of what we want our future to look like.
The first step is cultivating a higher level of self-awareness about what you really, truly want your life to look like and what focus it will take for you to achieve that vision.
If Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Is A Challenge For You, Coaching Is A Great Way To Overcome
Sometimes getting to the next level also requires getting over imposter syndrome. If you struggle with the idea of deserving or feel like you don't have the right stuff to create your world the way you want it to be, the right entrepreneur coach helps you get there.
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How Will Your Daily Life Be Impacted By Doing More?
When I first meet with an entrepreneur, they often tell me they want to double, or more, their current business. But I always ask: have you thought about what it would mean to double your business - right now?
For most entrepreneurs, this is a major sticking point. Why? Because all it means is more work for YOU. Double the work requires so much energy - more likely much more than you have to give.
And this is one of the most significant benefits of working with the right business coach. Because the bottom line is if you want to take your company to new heights, you need to make it fit your life. This requires transformation, over and above simple growth.
Entrepreneur coach, business coach, executive coach - whatever you decide to call it, the goal is still the same: to help entrepreneurs reach their goals while managing the stress, uncertainty and potential overwhelm of scaling up. By focusing on what works best for you and your company, we create a plan that accelerates growth without compromising your health or quality of life.
Entrepreneurship Coaches, Business Coaches ... It All Comes Down To Accountability
A good entrepreneur coach is also an accountability coach can help entrepreneurs stay on track with their goals, provide helpful advice and guidance during the strategic planning process, and offer an objective perspective to increase self-awareness.
With the right person by your side, you’ll have someone to support you through leveling up your already-successful business. This type of partner is essential for those looking to build something great; they provide accountability, motivation, and direction that will help ensure success in the long run.
A Lack Of Clarity Is The Enemy Of Success
Business owners know that the path of entrepreneurship can be a lonely one. Even though business advice is everywhere, it's not always easy to find someone who understands the complexity of the business decisions YOU need and has the knowledge and experience to help you make better ones.
That's why having a trusted business coach that has successful experience as an entrepreneur, themselves, can be so valuable for business owners looking for clarity on their next steps. An experienced mentor or colleague who can see things from your perspective, provide unbiased opinions and challenge your ideas helps business owners gain perspective on their goals, as well as uncover potential problems before they arise.
With this kind of partnership in place, business owners can confidently make more informed decisions, knowing that they have a reliable strategy from an experienced expert behind them.
To My Clients, Success Means More Freedom
In my world, freedom is a key metric of entrepreneurial success. What does this mean, exactly? Well, to me, freedom consists of multiple facets - freedom to have the time to do things with the people I want, when I want; freedom to have the money to live and invest in people and things that are important in my life; and freedom to only work with clients that are in alignment with what I do best. Freedom is a sense of independence; that I can do and can figure out how, that I choose my own version of success, not someone else's.
Are you one of the many entrepreneurs that struggle with what freedom means to you?
Understanding and choosing, intentionally, your own version of success is important because we often have limiting beliefs about what we are "allowed" to do as the business owner. Can we take a vacation when our team doesn't? Will we be able to experience business growth even if we aren't "on the job" 24/7? To me, the answer is yes, and yes! But the point is: what is your version of success?
Finding the perfect coach for you is an essential step in any personal or professional development journey. Entrepreneurial coaching requires that the individual has values and integrity that align with your own, in addition to being someone who can help you to reach your goals. Great business coaches will guide and motivate you throughout the process of achieving those goals while also providing support and feedback along the way.
What Qualities are Most Important To You In A Coaching Relationship?
It's essential to find a entrepreneur coach who understands your needs and has experience in working with people like yourself. When looking for the right coach, it's essential to consider their values, integrity, skillset, knowledge base, experience level, communication style, availability schedule, fee structure etc.
Ultimately it’s up to you to decide what qualities are most important when selecting a perfect fit - but if done right, coaching could be one of the best decisions of your life