You could benefit from business coaching or business consulting if you feel -

• that you could be doing better but don’t know why or how to get past the plateau
• overworked and see no end in sight
• like an employee working for your own company as opposed to the owner working on the company
• profits and owner discretionary cash flow is lacking or decreasing
• external factors are hurting your business, i.e., competition, government regulation, mother nature, etc.
• you need improved systems to make things more effective and efficient
• working capital is too low or non-existent
• new products are failing or existing products no longer have the same sales impact
• expansion is not possible or too complicated
• mergers and acquisitions are the only means to grow your company
• employees cause you immense stress

Every business owner knows that customer service is job number one and that there are many other things that must be addressed every day, such as:

• Marketing and keeping customers
• Sales and customer management
• Generating and maximizing profit
• Managing finances and taxes
• Finding and retaining quality employees
• Dealing with employee issues
• Developing and implementing systems
• Planning for the next business cycle
• Time management – you have to get everything done at some point, right?

So whose job is it to deal with all of the above and more?  Well, the buck stops with the business owner.  However, smart business owners recognize that they often need help to accomplish business requirements, meet goals and solve challenges.  And, this is precisely where coaches and consultants can be called upon to fortify the owner and the organization. 

Often, after successful broad-based coaching engagements, owners are able to increase profitability, duplicate themselves, be absent from their business with no downside, and even sell their business for comparatively huge premiums.  Business consulting engagements can also lead to similar success in many of these areas too; however, it uses a different methodology to get there, may be substantially more costly, and may not be as repeatable.

So, what is the difference between business coaching and business consulting – in layman’s terms please? 

I believe the simple answer lies in the age old expression “give a man a fish, he eats for the day; teach him to fish and he feeds himself for life”.  Essentially, a coach teaches business owners how to do something, find an answer, educate themselves, and rise to challenges which empowers the business owner now and in the future which builds knowledge, decision making and leadership skills, and confidence.  On the other hand, a consultant will complete an assigned task and report their results when complete.

The difference in a bit more detail…

A business coach will focus on the big picture of what you want or need and attempt to keep your energy level high so you can follow through on your tasks, goals and, ultimately, your dreams.  Deliberate suggestions, analogies, hypotheticals, applause, empathy, honest insights, and constructive criticism are used to help you develop your own conclusions and successfully implement your findings.  A favorite suggestion/challenge requires a client to meet with at least three well known successful business people in their field and find out how they think they ultimately became successful and what mistakes they made along the way, obtaining at least three descriptions of each.

A business consultant typically arrives as the expert in a given area who probes for the problem to solve or tries to understand the task at hand.  Then, they do their research, analysis, testing, and solution development absent from the business owner.  Finally, they deliver the results of the project.

Then there is the hybrid approach – the best of both worlds? 

A consultant may be the right resource for one thing while a coach is the proper solution for another.  Thus, there is room and reason for both.  In many situations, a hybrid approach, which includes the best of both worlds, is often used by a professional to maximize success.

If you'd like to learn more about our Business Coaching and Business Consulting Services please complete this form to get a Free Consultation.  Remember, it is best to work on challenges before they become problems.