Good news, you’ve got your business license, a website and/or store, and some customers!

No one’s getting rich yet, but you’re paying bills, keeping the lights on, and maybe even padding your bank account each month.

So, what’s next?

As your business grows, you may have heard people talk about business coaching services.

Odds are you already have some ideas about what to work on next, but you also have a few questions…

What does a small business coach actually do? 

Does coaching really work? 

Is it worth it? 

Those are all great questions, and we’ve got some answers for you.

Below, we’ll break down what a business coach is (and isn’t), what kinds of options you have, and what to consider when choosing a coach.

But first, we’ve got some Big News:

We’re pleased to share that Ureeka is joining forces with Kevin O’Leary aka “Mr. Wonderful” to increase access for underrepresented entrepreneurs, starting with a brand new and completely online bootcamp available exclusively through the Ureeka community.

We’ve been training a special team of Mr. Wonderful certified coaches who will guide business owners from start to finish via a 12-month program built to help you craft a unique strategy and grow your business. Check out the bootcamp and stay tuned for more info as we kick off the partnership!

With that exciting news shared, let’s dig in…

Simply put, a business coach provides you with recommendations, feedback, and proven systems to help you craft strategy, strengthen your operations and make changes that lead to business growth.

It’s also important to note that a business coach is not a therapist or a life coach. While reflecting on mindset, motivations and feelings IS an important part of working with a coach, their focus should be to help you implement proven best practices, strategies and actions to grow your business.

If you’re thinking about working with a business coach (or already have one) make sure to keep checking in on this important question: will this help my business grow our customers, revenue, organizational culture? 

If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track!

It probably won’t surprise you to hear that coaches, like business owners, come with different backgrounds, experiences, and styles.

Choosing a small business coach is less about finding the “perfect one” and more about finding the right fit for you and your company.

Here’s a list of things to look for when selecting / working with a coach: 

• Compare coaching options. This can vary, but common options include 1:1 coaching, small group coaching and large, mostly online coaching groups. While 1:1 coaching tends to come with a higher cost, as your business grows it can be particularly helpful for long-term support and worth the investment as you are scaling your business.
• Business owners in the early stages of building a company often find small group coaching (at Ureeka we call these “coaching circles”) to be a good fit because they help you learn from and face challenges alongside business owners in your industry.
• Consider different coaching styles. Your own learning style can also impact what you get out of business coaching services. For example, you may find it easiest to listen, write, draw and/or experiment with new information in real-time.
• Business coaches will vary in how they work with clients, so you can ask potential coaches a question like “how do you usually work with clients?” or “what type of learning content do you find to be most effective?” to find one that fits your learning style(s).
• Connect with a coach who has a similar lived experience. Building a business is one of the hardest challenges you’ll ever encounter, and you may find it useful to seek out a coach with a story you can relate to.
• Black and Latinx business owners, for example, often face bias, discrimination and/or structural racism when growing and scaling their business, and having someone to provide insight on how they grew their company while also navigating those challenges can be helpful.
• Schedule an introductory session. Many coaches offer a low cost introductory session to help you both “test the waters” and see if there is a good potential working relationship.
• This can help you learn how they operate, and it also helps them be able to share their approach and make recommendations for another coach if they are not the right fit.
• Look for someone with complementary industry experience. While it’s not required that your business coach have built a company exactly like yours, relevant experience does matter. For example, if you are building a natural skincare brand and a licensing program for independent skincare consultants, look for someone who has done the same thing in a complementary industry.
• Check reviews and ask for references. You’ve likely already noticed there are a LOT of options for business coaching. A good coach will have a track record of proven success, and it never hurts to look at reviews online as well as asking for a reference that you can email or call. This often helps filter out scams, spam, or low-quality coaching.

No matter what type of coach you choose to work with, remember that it’s all about growing your business.

And if you’re still not sure about which business coaching services to select, feel free to ask for advice in the Ureeka community!