Question

Topic: Career/Training

In Search Of...business Coach

Posted by Anonymous on 1/3/2007 at 3:50 PM ET 100 Points
What I am looking for is somebody to help me with my small service business. I have a good grip on marketing, but managing and growing and pulling my head out of my as.....ahem, well you get it.

I am looking for a coach that calls it like they see it and sets objectives for me to achieve.

If you know of anyone who fits this description, I am all ears (you will find them just below my back pockets)

Paul
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  • Posted by telemoxie on 1/3/2007 at 4:31 PM Accepted
    Paul, good luck to you. The business coaches I have talked with are quite expensive by the hour. I have no doubt that an experienced, professional business coach will pay dividends, and will be your best option if you can afford it. Some on this forum provide coaching services, others may be able to refer you to coaches.

    Two quick less expensive options you might consider: consider contacting SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives) possibly thru your local SBA office. Some of these folks are available at no charge.

    When I had worked with a coach briefly in the past, the most valuable part for me was to be sure that I had all my materials prepared for our weekly meeting, so that we could look at the numbers, and so that I had someone to be accountable to. Thinking out of the box a bit, a second option that I have considered is to hire a math tutor. These folk are much less expensive than professional business coaches, they are skilled at modeling real-life situations in mathmatical terms, and they will travel to your office.
  • Posted on 1/3/2007 at 7:23 PM Member
    Paul,

    Don't be discouraged about the $250 per hour lady. As a coach (I specialize in sales and marketing, which you don't need so don't take it that I'm trying to solicit your business), I can assure you that there are very good coaches out there in the $300-$500 per month range. The lady you talked to would be about two to three times the standard fee for most good coaches.

    On the other hand, it depends on how you structure your relationship. My hourly fee is $250, but on a quarterly or annual contract that goes down to 350-450 per month (about $100 per hour telephone time and unlimited email correspondence). Might she have been talking about a one-time hour consultation?

    For a general business coach you might try a guy named Alan Weiss. I think his basic fee is $500 per month--although if you want the Mercedes treatment he has a program that is several times that also. You can find him at www.alanweiss.com. But be aware I haven't seen Alan's fee schedule in quite some time, so I could very well be way out of date on his fees.
  • Posted on 1/4/2007 at 12:43 PM Member
    Paul -

    A coach can be a very good investment, in spite of the costs. I have found that investing my money makes me pay more attention and means I participate in a different way.

    Try Jean Bruno - she works with business owners of all sizes and has some great expereince and empathy. She can be contacted at: jeanbruno@sbcglobal.net or 630-834-0898.

    Good luck!
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