Every business partnership sees its fair share of highs and lows, but sometimes, you need an impartial voice to help you both see the light. For many business owners, having a business coach does just that. That's why we asked 11 successful entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:
Q. What's one benefit my co-founder and I stand to gain by hiring a business coach?
1. They Make Sure You're on the Right Path
It's easy to run at a fast pace when you're working on your business, but a business coach will help make sure that you're running in the right direction. Even the smallest adjustment in your business's "compass" can lead to big differences in your end destination over a long period of time. —Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC
2. They're an Impartial Voice
Business coaches can be a great asset for co-founders because they represent an impartial, third-party voice who can help mediate conflict. The best ones are also excellent at identifying different communication styles and strengths to help both co-founders work better together. —Brittany Hodak, ZinePak
3. They Teach You a Lot About Yourself
As humans, we can convince ourselves of almost anything. A good business coach helps us deconstruct those false beliefs about ourselves and make sure they're built on a solid foundation. This includes our individual strengths and weaknesses in addition to how we can best work with our team. I have benefited tremendously from the honest feedback I've received from business coaches. —Douglas Hutchings, Picasolar
4. They Provide a Rational Perspective
We all get emotionally invested in our ideas and our work. Usually, that's great—it's what drives us. But if we get too invested, it can be hard to make level-headed decisions. A business coach can give experienced, impartial advice on the day-to-day emotional concerns of the business. You don't have to follow that advice, but it's often a useful input to have. —Vik Patel, Future Hosting
5. They've Been in Your Shoes
When hiring a business coach, make sure they have more experience than you in the area you're lacking. For example, if you struggle with sales, don't hire a coach who's an expert in operations. You'll have the unique advantage of learning from someone else's mistakes and gain the wisdom they've learned so that your road to success will be much smoother. —Travis Smith, V.I.P. Waste Services, LLC
6. They Point Out Your Strengths and Weaknesses
A business coach has no problem delineating your strengths and weaknesses and pointing out things that neither you nor your co-founder want to say or admit to. You'll get an honest opinion about each other's abilities and determine where you both might make improvements. —Zach Binder, RankLab
7. They Give You Self-Confidence
Most humans never truly know what they're capable of until they have someone with more experience pushing them outside of their comfort zone. A great business coach can help instill the confidence you need to strive further than your business goals while offering expert support and guidance along the way. —Anthony Pezzotti, Knowzo.com
8. They're Focused on You
Your investors, partners, and lenders want you to succeed, but they probably have their own goals and things they're pressuring you to do. A business coach, by contrast, wants what's best for you as a client. Their experienced advice and additional insights are in sync with your needs, not others. —Adam Steele, Loganix
9. They Take the Strain Off Other Relationships
I've found that when you have a business coach, it takes a big burden off the other people in your life. With a sounding board, mentor, and advisor by your side, there's less of a need to unload on everyone else. Naturally, this reduces the need for your business partners, investors, family, and friends to have to listen to you vent and provide counsel without judgment. —Robby Berthume, Bull & Beard
10. They Help You See the Bigger Picture
The biggest benefit of having a business coach is the consultation and continued mentorship, which allows you to be pulled away from the day-to-day in order to gain insights and perspective on the bigger picture. Working with a business coach opens you up and allows you to redirect your focus and energy on the items and actions that yield the highest benefits. —Andy Eastes, SkuVault
11. They Hold You Accountable
With a business coach, I'm forced to face things I'm sometimes scared to. For instance, my business coach forces me to have fierce and tough conversations with some of my team members who I’ve been putting off for a long time. My coach holds me accountable, and I feel guilty if I don't follow through on what I said I would do. —Daisy Jing, Banish
