Are Business Coaches Worth It? 

It’s hard to stand out as a business in today’s hyper-competitive environment. Your peers may look like they have it all together. They may look more profitable, more organized, or more creative than you. 

But running a small team or operating a business solo has its consequences — not only because your time and energy are finite, but because we’re not really designed to be all parts of a business all of the time.

If you’re wearing the hat of CEO, team cheerleader, marketer, sales associate, recruiter, interviewer, tax manager, accountant, and more… know that we weren’t really supposed to do it on our own. And that’s why you might be considering enlisting the help of an often overlooked resource: a business coach. 

As an executive coach, I love providing fresh insights, objective advice, and strategies to boost company performance. But I’m not the right fit for every company — or every leader.

Here’s my take on how to figure out if a business coach is worth it for you.
 

What is a business executive coach?

Much like how your high school basketball coach built your team's skills and strategies to win a game, as an executive coach, I help navigate a business leader through challenges. The goal? New understandings and levels of both growth and success. From my point of view, my role as a coach extends beyond providing advice — it’s a partnership that challenges your potential and supports your development. 

Even knowing that executive coaches can bring profound structural and personal transformations to individuals and the organizations they work for, you might still be wondering, “but how can a business coach help me?” 

In short: It depends. It depends primarily on how you show up. Do you have a clear objective? Are you ready to reach the grizzly edges of your comfort zone? Are you ready to face some uncomfortable truths about how you show up not only in the workplace, but likely in several areas of your life?

Ideally, the skills and expertise of your specific executive coach will align with the specific skills and expertise you’d like to develop. General areas of focus include: 

• Setting and achieving professional goals. 

• Providing guidance and support in leadership development. 

• Offering personalized strategies for enhancing performance and productivity.

• Leadership change management and transition support.

• Conflict resolution and team building.

Here are some more specific target areas that I particularly love supporting businesses through:

• Turning complaints or demands into requests (and why that matters as a leader).

• Creating clarity in the workplace so that agreements are more likely to be upheld.

• How to have difficult conversations and give candid, healthy feedback that supports two-way growth.

• Stress management techniques, including how to spot and how to look out for red flags and impractical coping mechanisms.
   

7 key benefits of hiring an executive coach

I know you’re proud of what you’ve built so far. I’m not here as an executive coach to point out what’s wrong with your business or “fix” any weaknesses in your organization. In contrast, I hope to create an environment that fosters growth, enhances current skills, and unlocks the hidden potential in you as a leader, which should in turn increase productivity and organizational success. 

Just some of the benefits of hiring an executive coach include:
 

1. Enhanced self-awareness and leadership skills

Executive coaching helps in identifying and understanding your strengths and areas of opportunity. Through tailored coaching sessions, we’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll dig deep. We’ll develop the skills you want to work on. In Jonny’s 360 Leadership training program, we’ll even solicit feedback from colleagues to help you see yourself more clearly through the eyes of your coworkers.

2. Improved communication and interpersonal skills

We can’t stress enough the importance of effective communication for executive success; coaching helps in honing these interpersonal skills to improve company morale and productivity, and help you show up in your integrity in each and every conversation.

This often looks like deep breaths, better listening skills, and owning your feelings. I’ll help you practice these key competencies so that your collaborations feel better because they ARE better.
 

3. Stronger decision-making abilities

As a coach, one of my chief aims is to help you feel more confident in your decision making and problem solving skills, and strengthen your critical thinking. This has myriad benefits — from helping you design your next great product launch and writing Instagram captions to better planning your annual revenue forecasts and more.
 

4. Increased accountability and goal achievement

Sometimes it is fun and easy to set goals. The harder part is taking the actual steps to achieve them. That’s where I step in; through a caring environment of acceptance and challenge, we get you closer and closer to the version of a leader you want to be.
 

5. More seamless stress management and work-life balance

If you’re like many people, showing up as your best self under looming deadlines, mounting workloads, or competing priorities just doesn’t feel within reach. 

But this is a story you’re telling yourself. With my guidance, you’ll gain unbridled insights on how you perform under pressure, what coping mechanisms you rely on to manage stress, and how you can channel overwhelming demands into productivity — with a smile.
 

6. Customized, adjustable plans

While you can find many free business coaching tips online, these plans are never individualized to your unique needs. Plus, these are typically general pieces of advice that aren’t tied to a helpful timeline that works for your business. 

Instead, a business coach will give you a stronger framework for growth, and when sudden changes inevitably crop up that need to be tended to, your coach can help you modify your approach so as to not lose momentum.
 

7. Less guesswork

Are you stumped by why your business is plateauing, why you’re losing heart, or why your team seems to be in an endless cycle of turnover or low engagement? Are you feeling less challenged or fulfilled by the work ahead of you? Let me help with all of these areas and shorten the distance between your inklings of doubt and your rekindled passion for the work.
 

How much does an executive coach cost?

The cost of business coaches ranges significantly and is generally a big investment of time, energy and money.

The reality is that smart executive coaches won’t offer standard rates because they don’t offer standard packages. For instance, I customize every executive coaching package so that I can offer tailor-made solutions. This could mean three weeks of intensive collaborations or a multi-month approach. This could mean five one on one sessions or a dozen. It could be an in-person workshop or monthly group meetings.

What’s more, more expensive coaching does not automatically equal better business coaching. In the end, how much you pay is based on where the perceived value of the service’s impact intersects with your budget, plus how much time you want to invest in the service.

General factors that affect executive coaching prices include:

• Experience and expertise of the coach. This isn’t my first rodeo: I have nearly 10 years of experience bringing executive leaders’ dreams into reality.

• Reputation and track record of success. Reading testimonials and client results can help you better evaluate your options.

• Certification and credentials. Do you want someone with a master’s degree in psychology, or is a certification from the International Coaching Federation enough?

• Specific coaching methods or techniques used. Do you want in-person meetings or is Zoom okay? 

• Duration and intensity of coaching program. As a general rule of thumb, more time = more cost. 

There are additional costs to consider, such as the use of assessments or personality tests, materials or resources provided by the coach, and travel expenses, if applicable.

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Do I need a business coach?

Are you doing enough? Can you handle this alone? Do you need more guidance to unleash your business’s full potential? These questions linger in the mind of many first time and serial entrepreneurs and business owners, leaving them on a seesaw of decision-making. 

An executive coach can bring the outside perspective and accountability you need for the next phase of your business. Benefits include enhanced leadership and interpersonal skills — the kind that can serve you both today and in the future. Costs range significantly, so it is important to first determine your personal objectives and then find a budget-appropriate coach that you click with.

If you’re prepared and strategic in your search, and follow through with the work required in your areas of development, a business coach is worth it. 

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Executive Coaching is Right For You