If your company is less than three years old, you may want to consider hiring a startup business coach to ensure you get your new endeavor off to the best possible start. This coach can provide assistance in a number of ways.
Role of the Startup Business Coach
A business coach helps a startup company get up and running by:
- Providing the owner with positive perspective - that it is possible to achieve success
- Being a source of support for the business owner without the same level of emotional involvement as a friend or family member
- Working with the owner to devise and execute a plan of action
Planning is Key
If you keep in mind that most small businesses fold during their first year of operation, a person wanting to realize their dream of successful self-employment can only benefit from having someone available to guide them through the initial stages of setting up a business.
Know Thyself
A business coach starts by having the business owner determined where his or her strengths lie. No one person can do everything well. but everyone has abilities in certain areas. Once these talents have been identified, the new entrepreneur can focus on tasks that complement his or her strong points and make a plan to hire people with skills to cover off areas where he or she is lacking in skills, education, or abilities.
Create a Vision
To know what you want to achieve, you must have a clear picture of your goal. A business coach can help you define what you want for your business. Armed with this vision, you can then develop a plan to make your vision a reality. Part of your planning will include setting goals. These must have a time frame attached to them and be measurable in a concrete fashion.
Make it Happen
Once you have set specific goals for your business, it's time to formulate a plan for achieving them. Once again, your startup business coach can help you determine, step-by-step how to break each goal down into smaller tasks that can be accomplished over a period of time. Regular contact with your coach (in the form of personal meetings, phone conversations, or e-mail) will help you stay on track.
A person is much more likely to stick to doing what is required to reach a goal if he or she has told someone else about it. The fact that the information has been shared with another person tends to make the individual more accountable.
Finding a Coach
If you are interested in working with a startup business coach, how can you find one? Here are some ideas:
- Ask other business owners whether they have worked with a coach and if they can recommend someone
- Conduct an online search (Type "business coach" into a search engine with the name of your city to find someone in your area.)
- Your local phone book/Yellow Pages may have listings for business coaches
Another option is to contact the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches to find out if one of their members serves business in your city or town.
If you are going to put forward the considerable effort and financial resources it takes to get your business up and running, you want to do everything in your power to make it a success. Part of the recipe for success includes hiring a startup business coach.
