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Many owners and founders find themselves in a position looking for help with their business, but are not sure how to select a small business coach or consultant. On top of all the stress associated with running the business, they often choose to put it off, wait for another day, and continue their day-to-day struggle.

Running a successful business can be difficult. After all, our job is solving problems…and sometimes you could just use a day without any problems…am I right? Well, the truth is that the one choice you’ve been delaying regarding finding the right business coach for your business doesn’t have to add more stress and anxiety. Here are six questions to ask of yourself and your potential coach or consultant before taking the dive!

What is the problem you are trying to solve.

Even if you hire the best plumber in town, they probably won’t do a great job of helping you figure out what you want from your business. That’s a question only you can answer. Once you have the answer to that question (even if it is incomplete or imperfect…I see that a lot), your business coach can apply their perspective to help you clarify the goal, their experience to help you create the roadmap to your outcome, and provide accountability to keep you moving through the tough parts.

A good coach will tell you about their experience and try to relate it to your problem. A GREAT business coach will tell you when there is a bad fit and work to connect you with a better resource!

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Watch the 27-minute webinar on How To Choose A Business Coach

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What is their actual, real-world experience solving that problem.

Even the best plumber on the planet will do a less than stellar job painting your living room. They are leveraging decades of experience to fix a problem in your pipes. Now, can you fix that problem yourself after reading a book or watching a few YouTube videos? Maybe…but will it be as good or reliable as the solution you get from the planet’s best plumber? Probably not. Unfortunately the coaching industry has far too many people that hold themselves out to be “coaches” and “experts” when all their experience comes from a book, a course, or a video series. Ask your prospective coach about specific examples from their background where they tackled a problem or a desired outcome just like yours. How did they address it? What was the result? How can they apply that to your situation?

A good coach will not hesitate to answer. A GREAT business coach will volunteer the answers!

What do their current and past clients say about their work.

You know what they say…word of mouth sells. Almost every social media platform today has the capacity to allow you to ask for recommendations or to read reviews. Ask your prospective business coach to connect you with some past clients. Of course, you can expect most to give glowing reviews…that why the coach will connect you with them. But you will also have the chance to ask anything you want. Talk to several and compile their results. You may be surprised at the outcome.

A good coach will show you referrals from past clients. A GREAT business coach will connect you with past clients so you can ask them anything you want!

Do they “click” with you.

Clicking is another word for rapport building, and if you don’t feel like the relationship is clicking, then the business coach is doing a bad job of rapport building. While it is true that you’re not interviewing for a new best friend, you will be spending quite a bit of time with this person and you will be opening up your business and yourself to their insights. If the business coach cannot build rapport during the sales portion of the engagement, don’t expect it to get better after you start paying them.

A good coach will listen and help you feel comfortable, even in difficult conversations. A GREAT business coach will have you anticipating the difficult conversation and encourage you to lean-in to the problem solving…and you’ll feel safe and comfortable doing so!

Did you have an “a-ha” moment during your initial consultation.

From a business coach perspective, I try to make every engagement with a client, be that face to face, email, text, whatever…I want every engagement to produce at least one a-ha moment. If you are not getting a-ha or note-worthy input from your prospective coach during the evaluation phase, again…it’s not going to get better. Personally, I’m more than happy to give away some insights because it’s not the insights that are going to make the difference as much as your execution. If a prospective business coach is holding back and keeping the “framework” a secret, then the framework is all they have to offer. You should expect much more!

A good coach will give you insights into how they work and show you that they can create results. A GREAT business coach will strive to create a-ha moments in every exchange…and you won’t have to ask!

Are the fees proportional to the result?

Ah the fees…the REALLY challenging part. Here’s the deal: Your business coach’s fees should be proportional to the value of the result they create…and guess what…VALUE is in the eye of the buyer! There is no industry-standard for business coaching fees so ask you coach how they came up with the fee. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. If you want to add $100k to your revenue next year, a $25,000 fee would be disproportionate. (25% is WAY too much, somewhere between 5% and 10% is more like it). If your prospective coach cannot explain how their proposed fee relates DIRECTLY to the result they will help you achieve…run!

A good coach will be able to explain it clearly and succinctly. A GREAT business coach will have already explained it so you don’t have to ask!

Engaging with a business coach will be a significant investment time, emotion, and capital. You need to feel clearly and confidently that you are stepping out on the right path and that this person will help you achieve your goals. Your coach will challenge you, and the road may be filled with some self-discovery, but with the right small business coach the journey will help you grow as a person, a leader, and a business owner.

Hiring a great business coach can be a challenge so I hope these six questions will help you on your quest to find the right resource to help you achieve your desired outcomes.

If you still have questions, I know you will want to join me for my unique 27-minute webinar on How To Choose A Business Coach. Click the button below to register for the next live version of the webinar or to watch a replay of a past webinar. In either case you will get the unvarnished truth about what you need to do to find a great business coach for you and your business!

Are you struggling to ‘have it all’, trying to figure out how to balance the demands of your work with the rest of your life? If you are, you’re doing it wrong…and today’s post will help you fix that! Read on…

I’ll be honest, I market A LOT to the phrase or pain point of ‘work life balance’ because, frankly, so many people are looking for THE answer…how? The problem is not how but why?

Why do you feel as though you need to separate your work from the rest of your life?

Your work should help you achieve your dreams. YOU are uniquely gifted and talented and placed to do work that matters and have an abundant life while you’re doing it. Just like a piece in a puzzle, you fit perfectly into that spot and you already have, or have access to, everything you need to do that ‘thing.’ And just like the empty spot in the puzzle craves the only piece in the box that will fill it…so to is your abundant life and work that matters calling to you!

So your work should constantly move you closer and closer to that abundant life…but you’ve compromised! Instead of doing work that matters, you’re doing work that pays the bills. You’re frustrated with some or all of it…but it’s a “good” job, so you keep showing up. Now you just want to find a way to segment it off and store it away from the rest of your ‘life’ so you can enjoy said life.

And herein lies the problem – you’re treating work and life like two separate things when in reality, work is just part of your life. Think about it, the only way you can balance two things is if they are, well, two different things!

Now for the scary part…how do you change? How do you find the work that feeds your abundant life…work that energizes you, activates your gifts and talents, and challenges you to be better every day?

The answer is simple but not easy.

First, you have to stop and listen. This is especially difficult during the holidays (but then again, maybe you have some time off coming!). Listen for what calls to you. What can you work on all day and still feel pumped up about when you finish? It may be a hobby, or volunteer work, or just a dream…but it’s there…listen.

Second, begin moving toward your abundant life. Maybe you need to start a side-hustle, maybe you need to sell off some excess crap, maybe you need to read a book or watch some videos (like mine?)…begin making baby steps in that direction. The first few steps are always the hardest because you’re changing momentum…but as you begin to take those steps, all of a sudden you will find momentum shifting into a new direction.

Finally, commit. Don’t say ‘someday’ or ‘next year.’ Do you realize that when the clock rolls over midnight at the end of this month that it is not only the end of the year but the end of the decade? Are you where you wanted to be by the end of the 2010’s?

If this message is resonating with you and you’re unsure where to go or what to do next, don’t worry. Many people have had the same question, including me. This has been a lifetime journey for me! And that thing that energizes me, that abundance that calls to me…is helping people find THEIR freedom and fulfillment!

So when you get stuck on where to go next, reach out. I’m more than happy to hop on the phone or video call, no-cost & no-obligation, to help you find the clarity and confidence you need to live the life and lifestyle you crave!

https://www.ThomRigsby.com/30min

What is faith?

This is a question I’ve been working on for a while now, part of a bigger project to really examine the words we use a lot and maybe don’t “KNOW” what they mean. So I’ll ask again, what is faith…

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.”

Helen Keller

Today’s quote from Helen Keller takes a stab at answering the question and defines faith as optimism that leads to achievement. But I’ve come to understand it differently.

See, optimism still leaves room for it to not work out. I can be optimistic about an outcome that never happens. Faith, however, means it IS going to happen, just as certainly as something already written in history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVmDgdW74rM

So what does all this mean to the business owner? To the entrepreneur? As we are nearing the end of 2019 and finishing up our plans for 2020…are you optimistic or do you have faith?

If you haven’t started on a plan for 2020 or you’re unsure about any aspect of it, I’d love to help you get started with a no-cost, no-obligation phone call. Just go to www.ThomRigsby.com/discovery to find out more and schedule your one-on-one call.

Are you setting goals for 2020? Then I have a video for you! (If you're not setting goals…your video is coming!)https://t.co/HVLWOOd4R4

— Thom Rigsby, The Unashamed Non-Conformist (@ThomRigsby) December 17, 2019

For a lot of businesses just like yours, 2019 was a break-out year. The economy is red-hot, money is flowing, and people are talking about your business. But just like every wise business owner, you have some questions…How long will this last? What can I do to keep customers flowing? Will my business be able to survive?

According to Nicola Tesla, the secrets of the universe lie in energy, frequency, and vibration. In my personal experience owning and operating more than a dozen businesses and as a coach working with hundreds of client business owners and leaders I can attest that the secrets of business also lie in energy, frequency, and vibration!

So if old Nick was still alive today, how would HE suggest you grow your business in 2020? Let’s take a look.

What Is the Energy Source Driving Your Business

Have you ever been to the DMV? When you left, did you feel energized or drained? What about a concert or a play? Energized or drained? I remember going to the theater when the original Rocky came out (yeah, I call it ‘experienced’!)…in the parking lot after the movie everybody was jumping around with their arms in the air…just like Rocky. Why?

How do your clients feel after they interact with your business? Energized or drained? If 2019 was your break-out year there is a good chance they are feeling energized because you are still new and different? Maybe you’ve been in business for a while and your customers are loyal…but not energized.

What about your team? Are they energetic or just idling through their day? In either case, why?

Energy flows both ways, from the business to the client and from the client to the business. If your team is drained, they will suck the energy right out of the client (ever gone to a restaurant hyped and excited and left tired and frustrated?). But if the team is amped up, they will have excess to give to your clients…and they will leave that interaction feeling better, maybe not knowing why but definitely able to attribute it to doing business with YOU!

As the leader of the business, YOU set the standard for energy and a high energy level is the first key to growing your business in 2020. Keep your energy high and be observant of the energy in the room. If the energy level is low, call a time-out and TAKE ACTION to bring up the energy!

Can You Feel the Vibes

All the energy in the world applied to the wrong problem will still be a losing proposition! Think about Wyle E. Coyote applying dynamite to the wrong cliff. Plenty of energy applied in the wrong place. Could your business grow if it applied energy in a different place?

Many businesses that don’t last miss one of the key principles of business, solving problems for other people (more on that in a minute). Instead, the owners get too infatuated with what THEY want to do instead of what THE CUSTOMER wants (yes, wants…not needs!).

Listen and be on the lookout for the vibes of the customer, those requests that will tell you exactly what they are looking for…then give it to them! Sure, you can test new things and introduce more options, but the most successful businesses in 2020 will focus on finding out what works, and doing more of that!

And speaking of finding out what works…you should also take a look at what didn’t work. What did you try in 2019 that didn’t produce the results you expected? Seriously ask yourself whether this is something you want to do or your customer wants? If they don’t want it, prune it! Don’t allow anything to ruin that good vibe with your customer!

As the leader of your business, it is your job to pay attention to what is working and what isn’t. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t! To do that and grow your business in 2020, you have to be able to look up from the details of the business and stay connected with the market!

What Is Your Frequency

The energy in the business applied to solve the right problem for customers will create frequency in your market. This frequency shows up as one of the least understood and most underutilized resources available to business owners…what I call your Secret Salesforce…and they can be the difference between growing a business and shuttering a business!

It has long been accepted that word of mouth is the best form of advertising but businesses that are going to grow in 2020 will leverage it into much more. Your customers are your secret salesforce and they are always selling…either for or against you!

So, how do you activate your secret salesforce? Easy…in the words of Bonnie Raitt…you have to give them something to talk about! That one small pebble you drop in the pond (energy) creates ripples in the water (vibration) that can be heard far away on the shore (frequency). And all that occurs whether it is a good rock or a bad rock you drop in the pond.

Research tells us that, on average, a customer has to have upwards of seven positive experiences before they voluntarily share via social media (the new ‘word of mouth’). On the other hand, it takes less than three negative experiences before they’re tweeting about you.

As the leader of your business, you need to manage your customers’ expectations and ensure that your team is dedicated to making them positive! And when they’re not, get out in front of it and make the recovery a positive experience!

Making 2020 the Most Successful Year Ever

Reading all this is the easy part, now it’s time to put it into action… and that’s the hard part for this medium. The coaching and mentoring programs at Thom Rigsby Coaching are as unique as you, your goals, and your challenges. So if this strikes a chord with you, click on the link to book a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-minute Discovery Call. We’ll chat about where you are, where you want to go and start charting a course to get there!

May 2020 be your best year ever!