Not everyone who becomes an entrepreneur enters the field with a degree in business or accounting. Many who aspire to great heights in commerce are just dreamers with a goal and an idea. Your chances of achieving success, however, are greatly increased when you have the mentorship of a business coach.
A business coach can provide you with the insight you need to give your business a good headstart and to ensure its growth. They can provide objective wisdom and recommendations about your path, allowing you to see and exploit opportunities you otherwise may not have seen.
Before you get to all of that, however, you still need to choose the right business coach. To help you make this decision, have a look at this list of the most important considerations in choosing the right mentor for your enterprise:
1) Credentials and Experience
This is the first and arguably the most important factor in your selection process. Degrees from prestigious universities and schools can reflect their technical talent in the field of commerce. It’s even better if they graduated from those schools with honours and other awards.
In some cases, however, their body of work might be the proof you need. After all, not every awarded graduate succeeds in business, and not every successful entrepreneur had success in the academe. Their experience is just as important as their education; depending on the nature of your business, one might be more important than the other. It all boils down to what type of wisdom you think you need.
2) Past Collaborations and Partnerships
The right coach will also provide the history of their mentorship. This can give you insight into their capacity to tailor and provide wisdom to the unique needs of every business. Not only that, but they should provide you with verifiable evidence of their value as a mentor.
Most importantly, evidence of past working experience can tell you if they are likely to have success with a business like yours. If they’ve mentored similar businesses in the past, drill them about the collaboration. This can tell you if they have enough knowledge of your field to help you make the right decisions.
3) References
The right business coach will be more than happy to provide you with references. If you feel you don’t trust them at their word, perhaps the word of past customers and clients might convince you. After all, such businesses would have no incentive to speak highly of a mentor’s services if they did not feel grateful for it.
4) Communication Skills
A good mentor is a good communicator. Their presence should help you feel at ease as you strive to manage your business in better ways. The coach you choose should be able to break down complex concepts and help you understand them. After all, business is more than the numbers and figures; it’s about people and sending the right message as well.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the metrics by which you can measure the skill and value of a mentor. There are plenty more, but these should provide a good baseline as you journey to find the right professional. Just make sure to never let yourself be swayed by a sales pitch without making the right considerations and verifying the information.
If you do need some help from a business coach to grow your business, book your 30-minute strategy call with Mitch Cammidge. Our team can help increase productivity, improve your systems, and increase your revenue.