Life as an ecommerce business owner can be exhilarating, nerve-wracking, all-consuming, and sometimes a bit isolating. Even the most successful business owners have moments of doubt. Solopreneurs torn between two equally appealing growth strategies need trusted confidantes to bounce ideas off of.
What’s a leader to do when there’s no obvious mentor in sight? One option: Hire an experienced business coach—an expert who can provide feedback, recommendations, and overall support for business success.
What is business coaching?
Business coaching is a type of professional consulting in which a business owner hires an expert to help tackle business-related problems and achieve professional goals.
“A business coach is someone with specialized knowledge who collaborates with you to help improve your company,” says Kristi Soomer, a business coach who focuses on ecommerce. “A coach leverages their specialized knowledge to understand your business and its goals, provide recommendations, and guide you toward being an even better leader.”
Business coaching services can include collaborating on a startup’s business plan, reviewing financials, recommending growth strategies, setting goals, workshopping solutions to problems, and anything else your business requires. On a personal level, a professional business coach can also help business owners build new skills, set goals, and stay accountable as they work toward those objectives.
Benefits of business coaching
- Objective perspective
- Partner in strategic planning and goal-setting
- Increased accountability and motivation
- Actionable feedback and problem-solving
- Professional development
Although each coaching relationship and company is different, business coaching services generally provide a few key areas of support:
Objective perspective
Business coaches bring an outsider’s perspective to a company—the type of objectivity that’s difficult for an entrepreneur who’s wrapped up in their own business. Although a business coach can care about and support you, they can also take a dispassionate look at your company to offer a fresh point of view.
Partner in strategic planning and goal-setting
Aprofessional business coach understands where you want the business to go, and they can recommend specific strategies and tactics to achieve those business goals.
Increased accountability and motivation
A talented business coach motivates you to map out a plan for success—and stick to it. By acting as an accountability partner and regularly checking in, your business coach makes it less likely for you to procrastinate.
Actionable feedback and problem-solving
A great coach can identify challenges—perhaps ones you didn’t recognize—and help you create solutions. They can leverage their expertise and experience to suggest solutions to specific obstacles, while also offering action plans and feedback.
Professional development
Even successful business owners have opportunities for improvement. One leader may struggle with work-life balance, while other business owners seek guidance for managing a larger team after hiring employees. Effective business coaching can address these personal aspects of running a company.
How to find a good business coach
Each business owner must find the right coach for their specific needs, but there are a few universal tips to help your process:
Ask your network
Talk to trusted sources like former colleagues, friends, fellow small business owners, and anyone else in your circle who has worked with a business coach. When seeking recommendations, ask what they like and don’t like in a business coach. Dig into details about the person’s coaching style and the outcomes they’ve helped your contacts achieve.
“As with so much in business, one of the best methods is referrals from your network,” Kristi says. “It gives you a place to start, and there’s some degree of trust.”
Research online and local resources
Online resources can also help you develop a shortlist of potential candidates for your own business. Coaching associations such as the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches maintain databases of business coaching services, which you can narrow down using industry and location filters. Depending on your niche, industry or trade groups may also offer resources or have the ability to connect you with a business coach.
Local business groups and chambers of commerce also may be able to point you to a business coach directly or connect you with someone who can provide a few names. In-person networking events may glean similar connections.
Kristi recommends scrutinizing the websites of prospective business coaches. Read about their backgrounds, experiences, clients, and previous success—as well as any external articles the business coach was quoted in or wrote themselves. Podcasts are another excellent way to get a sense of a potential coach, says Kristi, who says several clients found her via her eCommerce Maven Podcast.
“Items that you find online can be a great way to get a sampling of a coach’s approach, their personality, and how they teach,” she says.
Set up introductory calls
Once you’ve compiled a shortlist of business coaches, set up introductory calls or meetings. Hiring a business coach requires an investment of time and money, so take your time finding the right one.
Many business coaches offer a 15- or 30-minute complimentary call because the coach also wants to determine fit. Use this time to get a sense of the coach. Do they understand your business needs? What’s their process and workflow as you work together? Which tools do they use? How often do they chat with clients? Do they prefer to stick to an agenda for each coaching session, or are they more spontaneous?
“For both the coach and the client, it’s super worthwhile to take time for an intro call,” Kristi says. “Beyond the specifics of their work, do the two of you generally have a good rapport? This is someone you’ll likely be talking to often, and you want to find the right person to help achieve your business goals.”
Go with your gut
Sometimes, a business coach who seems perfect on paper just doesn’t feel like the right fit for you. Maybe you didn’t love their communication style on the call. Perhaps they glossed over important details. Or maybe the two of you just didn’t click. It’s OK; you can keep looking to find someone who feels like a match.
“We’re not therapists, but there is a very emotional component,” Kristi says. “You need to click with someone for them to be a trusted partner. Sometimes their job might just be to sit with you on a bad day for the business, hear you out, and ultimately help you find a path forward. You need to feel comfortable sharing all of that.”
Business coaching FAQ
Is it worth getting a business coach?
For many entrepreneurs and small business owners, hiring a business coach is a valuable investment. The right business coach can help provide an unbiased view of your company, offer guidance, and lend support to help you overcome challenges and achieve goals.
What does business coaching do?
Business coaching is a collaborative, personalized process. A coach works directly with a business owner to determine goals and achieve them, solve challenges, and improve operations.
Who should hire a business coach?
Several types of people can benefit from business coaching services: entrepreneurs looking to start a new company, small business owners who want to grow their company, and business leaders seeking to improve their leadership skills.
Is it better to use an online or local business coach?
For a business owner outside of a major city, the ability to tap online business coaches from anywhere in the world may be a deciding factor. Other owners prefer face-to-face communication and a local business coach with insight into local markets. Ultimately, the goal is to find a business coach whose expertise and personality complement you and your company.