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Small Business Coach

Written by: Stewart Gordan

Article Overview: As entrepreneurs, we usually love what we do, but often times, the business side of things can get us down. Maybe you own a graphic design studio. You love the graphic design part of things and could work on your computer until the wee hours of the morning with no problem. But running the studio side of things isn’t quite your cup of tea. You’re willing to give it a shot because you want to call your own shots, but it’s more challenging than you ever imagined. Enter your small business coach.

Small Business Coach

As entrepreneurs, we usually love what we do, but often times, the business side of things can get us down. Maybe you own a graphic design studio. You love the graphic design part of things and could work on your computer until the wee hours of the morning with no problem. But running the studio side of things isn’t quite your cup of tea. You’re willing to give it a shot because you want to call your own shots, but it’s more challenging than you ever imagined. Enter your small business coach.

Often times, most entrepreneurs fail for one of three reasons: they lack the skills they need to adequately run the business; they don’t know where to begin their planning for growth; or, they lack the motivation and time to do all that they need to do. Even if you’ve got most of those areas covered, if you’re weak in one, you’ll undoubtedly be struggling more than you need to be. And, the more you struggle, the less you’ll enjoy what you’re doing and want to keep going.

Coaches can help you identify what’s stopping you from reaching the next level and achieving your goals, and provide you with the guidance or tools you need to get there. But it’s not just as simple as giving you a secret formula for success. “Here you go, Bob. Now go make your millions.” Sorry, but that’s just not the way it works.

In order for a small business coach to be effective, you need to be an active participant in the process. They will ask you some difficult questions and you need to be willing to fess up to some often times difficult answers. They can help provide you with strategies and techniques for success, but only if they know what success means to you, and how determined you are to achieve it.

From learning new marketing and business skills to boosting your clarity and focus, a good coach will not only increase your motivation, but provide accountability. If you don’t do what you said you would do, they’ll be there to hold it in your face. A good coach will also help you improve your time management skills and create a more solid business plan to get ahead.

Coaches aren’t just for solopreneurs, those entrepreneurs that run their business as a one person show, and who have few others to turn to support for. Coaches can be for anyone in business no matter where in your career you may be. Maybe you have a staff of 20 people and need help establishing an effective communication plan for everyone. Or, maybe your company is changing its focus and you need help making sure everyone is on board with you.

A small business coach – a good one, at least – will have a solid understand of not only business, but also psychology, and will have a good mix of academic training and practical experience from which to speak and guide you on your way.

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Article Tags: business plan, business skills, coach, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, graphic design studio, small business



Related Forum Posts
Re: Business Coaching Resources - You're fortunate when you can find a Business Coach who has experience beyond where you've been and even where you are going. When your budget is slim and even after, it's good to have a mentor. Several of various backgrounds are very useful. They can be teachers, professors, pastors, business people, family members, bosses and former bosses. You have to be clear on what you want and what you desire to achieve, be able to convey it as simply as possible. Stop and listen and don't over tax their time. You should always expect results whether from a Business Coach or Mentors. If you're not gtting results, you're either not focused or you need to upgrade the quality of your mentors/coaches. Always surround yourself by people smarter than you.
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Business Coaching Internship Review - I joined in during the first phase of the internship and at this point we are committed to doing research and development of RSC Business Group operating in Toronto. RSC Business Group already has products and services in Coaching Small businesses in Los Angeles but we didn't want to assume that the same products were wanted and needed in the Toronto market. Our goal at this point is to commit to interviewing 1000 business owners to capture this data. Through the teleconference internship I've been involved in we've been focusing on Communication Skills and on active listening which are practiced when we conduct our interviews and Coach our clients when they come on board. This is a lot harder than it sounds! Part of the internship is also creating the Toronto RSC Business Group's departments, job descriptions, Marketing and Communication plans etc that a business owner would create for their own company. This trains us in the way we would coach a company as well. The internship is phased in two parts and there is compensation plan involved as well for the clients you personally bring in. These clients are coached directly by Robert Chun as you begin but you are given a chance to learn his techniques. I haven't gone through this experience yet though. It's hard to explain Robert Chun's method of Coaching as it happens at a psychological level in his ability to listen and question the person being coached into the next steps they need to take. The Teleconferences are 2 hours long but it's very interactive. If you have a desire to explore this area of Business I'd recommend contacting Vwodek listed above and get invited to a Coaching Conference call. You can decided then if it's for you. Note: it is a commitment but the skills you walk away with whether you plan on working with RSC Business Group or not is invaluable.
These maybe the coldest franchises out there: - Here are the worst 15 performing franchises in regards to having the highest Small Business Administration (SBA) loan failure rates. The list is dotted with sub sandwich shops, fitness centers and car shops. WORST FRANCHISE LOAN FAILURES Failure % 1 OBEE'S SOUP SALAD SUBS 55.56% 2 LADY OF AMERICA 41.94% 3 COUNTRY CLUTTER (BED & BREAKFAST) 41.18% 4 COPY CLUB 36.36% 5 ALL TUNE AND LUBE 35.71% 6 PICKERMAN'S 35.71% 7 PHILLY CONNECTION 35.59% 8 ROLY POLY ROLLED SANDWICHES 34.78% 9 COTTMAN TRANSMISSION 34.48% 10 HAIR COLOR EXPRESS 33.33% 11 LEE MYLES AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSIONS 33.33% 12 GODFATHER'S PIZZA 33.33% 13 SMOOTHIE FACTORY 33.33% 14 BLIMPIE 31.39% 15 GOLF U.S.A. (RETAIL GOLF EQUIP.) 30.77% Source: Small Business Administration, SBA Loan Performance Within Franchise Code for the Period of FY 2001 - 2005
Exclusive: Interview with Results - Hi Forum Members, I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles). As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business. This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business. I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months. At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews. I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum. If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM. Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.


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