I frequently get a puzzling look when I tell people I'm a business coach. For many business owners, the term "business coach" is a foreign concept and usually brings an immediate serious of questions asking, "What does a business coach do," or "What makes you different than a consultant?" As mentioned in a previous editorial, there is an abundance of consultants for every type of business or personal challenge you can dream of. So what does a business coach have to offer?

To put things in perspective, most successful athletes have a coach. For example, Tiger Woods has a coach to improve his strategy, his swing, his stance and provide feedback and encouragement. Now of course, Tiger plays golf better than his coach and you'll never see his coach step up and putt for Tiger in a crucial playoff situation. But Tiger's coach is an integral part of his formula for success. It's doubtful he would have achieved the same level of success on his own.

Like a top athlete's coach, a business coach brings a similar value proposition to a business owner. A business coach can help to identify opportunities for you to be successful in your business - but it is your success. A business coach can be your partner - but cannot manage the business for you. A business coach can provide you with guidance and feedback on how to run a successful marketing campaign - but ultimately it's up to you to execute the "plays" selected.

A business coach is a trusted guide with whom you can share your hopes and aspirations in confidence. They move effortlessly between persistent motivator, stern taskmaster, and business strategy guru, propelling you toward your personal and business dreams.

A business coach is not a consultant specializing in marketing, sales, management, or human resources. Although business coaches may have certain backgrounds in one or more of these areas, they are typically "generalists" and can help teach you to improve in all aspects of your business and personal life.

A Business Coach will:

Hold you accountable. Exams held us accountable throughout school, but who is there now to hold you accountable as a business owner? It's too easy for business owners to neglect the management and marketing of their business through procrastination or poor time management. A business coach is there for as someone you must answer to.

Develop and refine your ideas. You have great ideas! Some you can put into practice easily. Others are raw and need refinement. A business coach has acquired a working knowledge of hundreds of marketing, sales, customer service, and teambuilding strategies and knows how to adapt them to your business.

Share a wealth of business growth strategies. When you've just "run out of ideas" on how to market and sell your products and services, a business coach will educate you in business growth principles you'll use for the rest of your business life. Regular contact with a Coach will keep you pressing on to the next level.

Provide you with the contacts you need. When you need contacts or resources for your business, such as expansion capital, investment advice, professional services, or resources to grow your personal library, a business coach has a network of business contacts and can help you find the information you need.

Give you perspective from the outside, looking in. Over time, it's easy as a business owner to develop "tunnel vision." It can be like living next to a busy road and not hearing the traffic. A business coach can provide a fresh look at you and your business on a weekly basis. They know what to look for and, most importantly, can see what your customers see.

There are many qualified & capable business coaches in the Pima County area that offer a wealth of experience and knowledge. The "game" of business today is a race for growth and efficiency. It's a race with few rules. Why try to forge your own path through the thick undergrowth of trial and error, traditional thinking, and lack of information - exhausting yourself far short of the finish line? You deserve a better ending.

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