Recommendation is best and it’s crucial that you trust and feel at ease with your Coach. However the fact is we don’t always get on with everyone we meet, so you may need to search before you find someone who works for you. Most Coaches are willing to meet up for an informal interview to establish fit before being engaged, so don’t be shy of asking to meet for an non-obligation cappuccino!

An effective coach will always have your best interests at heart and should be looking for new ways to stretch you. As such Coaches will ask lots of questions, after all that their job. But it’s also your time to think and talk about your issues, so beware of anyone who spends most of the time talking about their experiences and themselves!

Professional Coaches work hard to understand firstly what it is their services are required and why. Best practice expects that they provide a ‘terms of engagement’ contract or document, if they avoid this, then avoid them!

Three Top-Tips – Make sure you know exactly what you want from spending time with a Coach and seek to define the nature of the relationship. Lastly ensure you know what ‘measures of successes will look like so you can check that your investment is working for you and your business.

A key to being successful in business is asking the question, ‘what is the return on my investment?’ Whether time or money, (coaching is both), business owners need to be crystal clear about what they hope the coaching will help them achieve.

Coaches can help support growth and change, by helping business owners to think through their options. Return on investment is not always easy to express directly in monetary terms, however the value that it can add to anyone considering a new course of action is invaluable.

There are many reasons as to ‘why hire a coach’. The business owner may recognise that they need additional skills outside of their area of knowledge to grow. This is particularly important when it comes to stages of business maturity.

A fresh pair of eyes is a great way to spot what needs to change and often as the owner it’s hard to see things differently when it’s your own work you need to critique.

A Coach can help owners see things from a fresh perspective as long as they are willing and open to receive the feedback.

Finally it’s worth pointing out that being a business owner can be lonely at times. It’s important you behave as a leader and your workforce will want to see you as one. The question is who do YOU talk to when you are not sure of what you need to do next?

A Coach will provide a very welcome and safe sounding board for you to explore possibilities without having to commit to action before you are sure it’s a direction you want to travel in.