How to Find, Evaluate and Work With a Business Coach (FS112)

If you’re thinking about hiring a business coach, if you’ve ever wondered what to expect from working with a coach or if it’s worth the cost, this podcast episode is perfect for you.

We discuss our experience with coaching (both working with the coach and being the coach) and share what you need to know before you get started, answering questions like:

What, exactly, will you gain by working with a coach?
How can you find and hire a coach (or a few coaches)?
What mindset should you bring to a coaching relationship and what should you expect?
How can you evaluate if a coach is working for you or not?

My personal hope for you on this one is this: if you’re thinking about hiring a coach this episode gives you everything you need to get started. Because the clarity and action that comes from coaching can be world changing. Enjoy!

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“How to Find, Evaluate and Work With a Business Coach”
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These conversations have been fascinating, so we compiled a list of the 10 mistakes we hear most often into a nifty lil' guide. Get the 10 Most Common Mistakes in Starting an Online Business here »

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Alison Crosthwait

Guys – great work today. This is such an important topic. I love how you make it clear that the coach facilities YOUR process rather than telling you what to do.

I think it is so important people know what they are really wanting when they seek out a coach (or therapist). Sometimes it is obvious: business strategy (business coach), help with an addiction (therapist). But what if you are searching for clarity? purpose? increased emotional capacity or strength? In this case I think your search is for a person who has travelled the path before you and who continues to be actively engaged in their transformational process. i.e. if you want to grow your email list take a course from someone who’s done just that. But if you want to come out of your shell and be the person you know you can be and bring your gifts to the world – find someone who has done that in their own way. Not necessarily someone who has done online business but who can match you emotionally.

I could go on and one about why teachers, coaches/therapists are different – am so glad that you have opened this up.

I expanded on the therapy-coaching difference here: http://www.thegoodtherapists.com/should-you-work-with-a-therapist-or-a-coach/

Thanks guys!
James Wilder

I clicked on the Coaching tab but all I see is training on how to choose a topic.
- Corbett Barr
  
  Hey James – sorry about that – give it another try and the page should be working now.
  - James Wilder
    
    Hi Corbett! Thanks, works now. Hey, could you get Jason Zook to do a mini class on sponsorship? :)
Bobby Burns

Although I currently started a freelance content writing business, I am and have been, a business coach for almost 10 years now, most of those with the company EMyth. We used to say that a Coach is somewhere between a “therapist and a consultant.”

You made an important and valid point that a coach doesn’t provide all the answers and that – as we used to say – “the power is in the question” and holding a client accountability.

Unfortunately, this is a largely unregulated profession. In other words, even my dog could hang out a shingle and call himself a “coach”. (And many do…) Certification is good, but is no guarantee of competence. What really helps is when the business owner knows what they want to accomplish, or achieve.

Great podcast, guys!
- Jeff Jones
  
  Great point, Bobby, and it’s one of the things that’s kept me out of the coaching profession until recently. My thoughts were with so many online big shots having coaching programs that seemed to focus on maximizing your wealth, it almost felt like a dirty profession, as silly as that sounds.
  
  Don’t get me wrong, we should ALL be able to do great work AND be nicely compensated for it. Learning how to make the most of your time and influence is NOT shady at all!
  
  Jeff
- James Mondry
  
  Bobby – while there is some truth to the “it’s an unregulated profession”, that’s starting to change throught the efforts of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). They are trying to look at the best methods and models to regulate who can claim to be a coaching trainer right now. Repeating the “anyone can call themself a coach” is true, but its also a bit of disinformation. A bad coach isn’t going to keep getting clients, and the proof will be in the impact they have (or don’t have) on their clients.
  At the end of the day, a coach’s value is best demonstrated by their ability – I think it’s always valuable to see if they will offer a demonstration/intro session to see how well you will work together. As a coach (who’s working towards CTI and ICF Certification), I don’t know many coaches who wouldn’t want to check in advance if both parties are a good fit for each other.
Diana Kerr

Great info! I’m a coach and love helping business owners! I specialize in coaching Christian women who are goal-oriented and need help to minimize overwhelm and make time for what matters most.
Sterling Lynk

I appreciated today’s show. I focus my coaching on working with non-profit leaders, especially with small-shop Executive Directors that are feeling overwhelmed and under-resourced. Like you, I also believe that every leader should engage a coach.

One of the things I ask my prospective clients to do before our chemistry check (or what you called a discovery session) is review my list of things that coaching is not at http://www.mightypurpose.me/a-coach-by-your-side.html. This helps them get clearer what they are looking for and how I can be the most useful to them. Sometimes people just need a therapist, a trainer or a consultant.

Thank you for discussing this and I hope all of your Fizzlers take advantage of the coaching market place you building for them. Matching coaching with your road map has a lot of potential to facilitate a lot of good.
Jeff Jones

Hey Guys,

This podcast is unbelievably timely for me as a mentor of mine just suggested I become a life coach and this podcast gives great insights into the process from both sides.

One question I had was can you explain difference between a mentor and a coach? Or a consultant and a mentor?

Jeff
- Chase Reeves
  
  I think I get into this a little bit in the show, Jeff, but I may be remembering incorrectly. There’s no hard and fast line between coaching and anything else, to be honest… it’s blurry. My favorite coaches had moments of mentorship and consulting and friendship and all the stuff in between.
  
  If it were perfectly distilled I’d put it this way: my coach is the person who asks me questions I’m scared to ask myself and keeps me accountable to my own goals (as well as helps me discover those goals). My mentor is either a) like a parent to me (love + support and a broader life wisdom guide), or b) like a consultant, someone who’s done/built things similar to the things I’m trying to do/build.
  
  Don’t know if that clarifies or muddies the waters :) Cheers, Jeff!
  - Jeff Jones
    
    That does help, Chase! Thanks!
    
    I did remember you speaking to the coach and coaching type differences.
    
    The mentor clarification is really helpful.
    
    Jeff
- James Mondry
  
  Jeff – depending on the type of person you want to hire, you may be able to get both mentoring and coaching. I love Chase’s explainations, but I’ll add a bit more.
  A mentor is someone who has been through what you are about to go through (or achieved what you want to achieve). They can offer insight from their experiences, and typically offer good advice from their vantage point. Think of hiring Chase to help you create a business like Fizzle – he would offer the experience he has, and make you laugh about everything.
  
  A coach is someone who is focused on reflecting back what they are experience from the client, to help them find clarity and confidence in what they are doing. A coach may not have any experience in your field of effort (for instance, a leadership coach may have never been a CEO) – but they use their skills of asking powerful questions, mindful listening, reflecting back what they hear and see (often calling out the contraditions that we avoid in ourselves), and help the client get clarity over what they want to achieve and how they have the resources to make that happen. There are a number of tools and skills that a good coach has developed, all focused on helping you see yourself and your situation in a non-judgemental, and honest way.
  I hope that helps.
  - Jeff Jones
    
    Thanks so much James for this additional clarity on this subject. This really helps me moving forward for my business and personal life! I think the most important thing is having coach that asks the tough questions we’re afraid to!
cotey

Hey Chase,
You mentioned in the pod that you’d read a good Transition Coaching book
once upon a time and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing the title.
Thanks.
And thanks for all the great stuff.
- Michelle Harwick
  
  My guess is he means William Bridges’ Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes (also awesome on audible) which is a book I have read over and over.
  - cotey
    
    Thanks Michelle,
    I’m gonna have to check it out.
    Cheers :)
- Chase Reeves
  
  I’ve been looking around for that book, Cotey and I can’t find it! I also can’t find what I remember the cover to be like anywhere online. So, when I unpack the books I’ll see if I can find it.
  
  In the mean time, Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak may be relevant as well.
  - cotey
    
    Thanks Chase.
    I’m putting it on the list.
digitiser

This is my first visit to your blog, your post made productive reading, thank you.Online Software Training
Greg Faxon

Well done you three. After reading some of the comments, I decided to do a massive write-up about why and how to find a good coach (with lots of little distinctions sprinkled in). Check it out here: http://www.gregfaxon.com/blog/how-to-find-a-business-coach

Clarify your target market.

How to Find, Evaluate and Work With a Business Coach (FS112)

The Top 10 Mistakes in Online Business