Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best Business Coach

Dan Sullivan

If you’re a business owner with goals, dreams, and a big vision for the future, a coach can help you get there. In fact, you could even benefit from more than one.

I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs for over 40 years, and even I have a number of coaches who encourage and foster my development. I know the importance of having an expert to support those areas of life where I want to grow.

Where to start looking for a business coach.

Even if you know that you need one, hiring a business coach can be a difficult task. It’s important to take a step back and look at the areas you want to develop and what you want to get out of the coaching experience.

When it comes to hiring a business coach, there are two primary types of experiences: group coaching and one-to-one coaching. Having done both types of coaching, I can provide some insight into the benefits of each.

One-to-one coaching:

1. Specific goals and results.
   In a one-to-one setting, you’ll focus on highly intentional goals aligned with your coach’s specialty. These tend to be short-term, specific targets with clear results attached.
2. Undivided personal attention.
   To help you achieve these goals, you’ll have the direct focus and attention of a topic expert—all to yourself. For a set and concentrated amount of time, your coach will mentor, guide, and encourage you. They’re readily available to provide assistance, answer questions, and keep you on track.
3. Tactical breakthroughs.
   Your dedicated time with your business coach allows you to create a plan and action steps together to reach your results. Together, you’ll think about your specific desired breakthrough and determine the steps you’ll need to take to get there. Your thinking won’t often stray far beyond the topic at hand, but you’ll have a tactical blueprint to work from.

You may already be searching for a business coach. There’s no better way to find out if The Strategic Coach Programme is a good fit for you and your business than to have a scheduled call and get your questions answered. Take 30 minutes to have what could be a breakthrough conversation about the future you visualise for yourself and your business.

Group coaching:

1. Strategic thinking.
   Group coaching tends to be less focused on one specific goal and more focused on overall strategy, vision, and the big picture. At Strategic Coach, for example, we focus on new ideas and bigger thinking, using thinking tools and strategies you can apply to multiple areas of your business. Your past, present, and future achievements, as well as your business and personal life, are taken into account in this strategic approach.
2. Positive peer pressure.
   In a group environment, you have not only the support of the head business coach, but also the encouragement of the other business owners in the room who are rooting for your success. If you connect with the group, feel it’s a safe zone for growth, and tell the truth about what you want, you’ll have a group of accountability partners along the way. We call it “positive peer pressure”—the additional sense of responsibility that comes from your peers asking whether you’ve reached a goal or done what you’ve said you’ll do.
3. Community and collective intelligence.
   Being in a group setting gives you the opportunity to compare notes, benefit from new ideas, and build relationships with like-minded people. Each of the participants brings a new dimension to the conversation and can provide useful and objective insights. Since most business owners are outliers in some way, they often feel motivated and encouraged by having a community of people who relate to them. They get you and exactly what you’re going through.

In our experience of working with thousands of top business owners, the best ones have many coaches to see them through. Remember, when it comes to one-to-one and group coaching, don’t think ‘either/or’; instead, think ‘both/and’.