Sunday, February 22, 2009

Why People Hire Coaches

I used to make fun of coaches who worked with people outside of sports. I just found the whole idea ridiculous, like why would anyone hire a "life coach" or a "communication coach" or a "small business coach?"

Then I got serious about growing my business. And I hired a coach, someone with whom I had worked before and trusted.

To make this post shorter and to the point, here's a description of the people who should not consider hiring a coach.

If you fit into these categories, maybe you could even become a coach.

- You're independently wealthy and loving it.

- You are well compensated in your job; you both enjoy that job, and feel secure in it.

- You know someone who is successful in your business and that person is willing to be your mentor, for free.

- You are enjoying a blissful retirement.

- You're growing your own business, and sales are shooting through the roof, while costs are plummeting.

- You're growing your business but you're young and have unlimited investor support to get you through any kind of steep learning curve.

In my case, after six years of graduate studies, I'm in the habit of learning, and paying for that. I knew I wanted to start my business, but I wasn't sure how, and I didn't want to waste time learning from my own expensive mistakes. So, I hired a coach.

You'll get to see the web site she's helped me develop next month.