Experience in entrepreneurship and business development is priceless. Unfortunately, this kind of experience takes time to acquire. Don’t despair, there is a solution: a business coach or mentor. Here are several things to consider when determining which business coach or mentor to pursue:
- Does this coach have the experience in the field that I’m interested in?
- Will this coach help me increase my capacity to do some critical thinking with regards to my business development?
- Will this coach serve as a separate set of eyes that will allow me to focus on things that I wasn’t seeing or didn’t understand at the time?
A business coach enlarges your capacity to think critically with regards to your idea or your product development. We all have a limited skillset, and most of the time those skills are based on experience.
If we haven’t had extensive experience with a particular idea or concept that we’re trying to develop, we go through the trial-and-error period. When business concepts, ideas, and money (putting capital at risk) are involved, we try to avoid excessive trial and error.
A business coach or mentor helps you forego that trial-and-error process by putting you on the fast-track to implementing your ideas. You need a coach or mentor who will help bring your idea to market and move your project forward at an accelerated pace, in comparison to you going at it alone. You need someone to show you unknown available resources, known only to this person because of his or her experience.
There is, of course, an initial investment with a business coach. You are paying for their expertise. You are paying for access to invaluable information from someone who has been there, done that. This person has gathered precious insight over time and a series of events because he or she went through it, worked through problems, made mistakes, and made corrections. The experience and knowledge from his or her past will pay dividends to them in their future – that’s what you’re getting with a business coach.
A business coach serves as a second set of (seasoned) eyes due to his or her vast experience and background. He or she can offer great business hacks that are available in the industry, which will save you time and money. Time-to market is critical for your success. You can spend money, do something wrong, then put your capital at risk because you’re trying to do it on your own having never been there.
Or you can hire a business coach who will help you eliminate that risk. Invest in a business coach who will help you get to market, create ideas, source it, and find ways to save you money and time down the road.
This is what I specialize in as a business coach. I have created product from conceptualization all the way through to marketing. I have manufactured that product overseas, imported it to the United States, and then sold it. My experience spans over 27 years of growth, learning from mistakes, correcting those mistakes to mitigate or reduce the risk to my capital, to my time, and the overall success of my projects.
A business coach enables you to get from Point A to Point B quicker, with less problems, decreased risk to your capital, and a greater chance of succeeding at what you do. He or she will literally hold your hand along the way to help you avoid the pitfalls that come with starting your own business.
A lot of us believe that we know everything – we’ve got it all figured out. When we go through the process with this mindset, sometimes we are unaware of what we lack or are missing out on. We realize that if we had received help along the way, we could have reduced some of the risk that was involved.
My credentials, background, and online course are key elements of my role as a business coach/mentor. I do free consultations in which we peel the onion and look at what you’re interested in. We get you started, kind of set you in motion, then we figure out how I can help you to get where you want to be even faster. Remember, success is never an accident!
(By the way, the image above is of my wife, Susie and myself, being honored as Entrepreneur of the Year 2019. It was a great honor for us!)
