Business Coach: real deal or real rip off

I have had some INCREDIBLY talented business coaches over the last 4 years and I have also at the same time been exposed to some INCREDIBLE non-sense.

As you begin to step into your purpose related to business this year I want to share some things I wish I had known BEFORE spending $30,000 on business coaching.

1. Digging into the claims the coach makes about her ability to grow your business

First of all the coach should have testimonials, but let’s assume they do. You need to ask yourself do these business testimonials look like MY business.
For example let’s say the business coach claims to have taken Beyonce’s brand from $20 Million to $80 Million in a short period of time. Doing the math the coach could in integrity claim she grew Beyonce’s sales by 400% (100% of $20 Million increased 4 times). Coach claims completely accurate HOWEVER when you compare YOUR AUDIENCE OF FOLLOWERS to BEYONCE’S AUDIENCE of followers are they on the same scale?

If you are an emerging entrepreneur and the testimonials of the business coach are from people who had ESTABLISHED PLATFORMS OF VISIBILITY PRIOR to her coaching then you need to dig deeper.

REAL TALK question to ask: Does she have testimonials from people who have a SIMILAR PLATFORM CURRENTLY to YOUR PLATFORM?

2. Repeat business

Ask the coach if you can speak to someone who has repeatedly returned for coaching. Some business coaches are INCREDIBLE marketers with NO SUBSTANCE behind it, so on social media at any given time they can APPEAR to have SO MANY CLIENTS and in that snapshot of time they do HOWEVER because they have great marketing but poor fulfillment they don’t have repeat customers.

REAL TALK question to ask: Can I speak to someone who took this program before about their results?

3. Do they talk about being “trapped” between a job and a dream?

Because your heart is so open and you are so ready to pursue this newly found purpose you are also VERY vulnerable at this stage. Vulnerable because you may currently have a job that bothers you and you have visions of leaving that job and having flexibility to spend more time with your children, husband, friends and family. You may be working long hours and now you have visions of owning your own time. ALL OF THAT IS GOOD to dream about however be CAREFUL with how some business coaches will use that vision to create such a strong sense of urgency to leave your job that you fall into a trap of dreading your day job and living the dream in your mind. This is a trap because it can cause serious fatigue emotionally AND threaten your creativity. What we hate we recreate. What I mean by that is that even if you don’t like your current job it IS the job that is helping to put food on your table, pay your bills, and more. If you allow yourself to shift from gratitude to hatred it will filter into your ability to create that great business you’re dreaming about. Talking about leaving your job to pursue your dream in and of itself isn’t bad however when it becomes the focus more than the STRATEGY to do it being the focus…PROBLEM!

REAL TALK question to ask: I want to create a systematic exit strategy from my current investor(a much more empowering way to look at and to refer to your current job) to my purpose. Have you done this in the past and can I speak to someone who followed your system?

4. Alignment of values

There isn’t anything wrong with wanting to be successful financially HOWEVER as a believer in Christ HOW we do things matters. So with that being said, you want to know that the coach has more than a bank account your admire. Does she have VALUES that align with your values. This is CRITICAL for the believer because first of all our priorities are dictated by KINGDOM values and not the worlds. The greatest mandate for us is to love. You want to know how the coach handles conflict. Does her customer service have a tone of love or a tone of “I’m right and you’re wrong”? Does she do what she says and if she doesn’t how is her attitude about correcting it?
Make sure you go beyond what she SAYS she values to what you can SEE that she values.

REAL TALK question to ask: What would you say you value the most and can you give me an example of how you do that consistently?