Business coach.
Not everyone has the same reaction to those two words.
Some people are really excited about the possibility of being coached by someone with more experience than they have and are ready to get started right away.
Others are more hesitant. Maybe they’re worried that they’ll get scammed by someone who’s long on promises but short on delivery.
Maybe they think they need to reach a certain number of clients or level of income to work with a business coach.
Maybe they don’t want to invest their hard-earned money.
If you’re nervous about working with a business coach, I understand. I felt the same way before I worked with my first business coach in the summer of 2015.
At the time, I was still working full-time and side hustling hard on the side. I was excited about every penny I earned, whether it was a $300 Pinterest management gig or a 50-cent rebate from a grocery savings app.
Why I Hired a Business Coach
So how did I go from being excited about saving 50 cents to investing in a business coach?
I realized two things:
- I wanted to go from Goal A (working full-time for someone else) to Goal B (working full-time for myself) as quickly as possible.
- Because I hadn’t gone from Goal A to Goal B before, I would probably spend more time trying to figure it out myself than if I were guided by someone who had done it before.
That’s when I made the big, scary and exciting decision to hire a business coach!
I wanted help on how to ramp up my freelance career (while still working full time) and what steps I needed to land jobs. And honestly, I wanted to talk to someone who understood what I was going through during the process of pursuing my goals.
I ended up hiring a fellow blogger who had made the transition a few years prior.
Is a Business Coach Worth it?
Was it worth it?
YES! It was worth every penny.
My business coach:
- Helped me land lots of new freelance clients, including a client within a couple days of our first coaching session
- Taught me how to grow my online presence
- Taught me how to not just grow, but THRIVE, in my business
- Cheered me on
My coach became a confidant as I navigated through that nerve-wracking period of wanting to go out on my own and then actually doing it.
What Does a Business Coach Do?
As you can see, a business coach was a huge asset for my business! Here are a few ways a business coach can help you:
- They can guide you through a difficult time in your business – whether that’s a transition period, the start-up period or any other period of time where lots of changes are happening quickly.
- They can answer all of your questions, big and small.
- They can listen to you vent your frustrations. Starting and running a business isn’t always puppies and rainbows, so it’s nice to have the ear of someone who understands how you feel.
- They can give you actionable advice that propel your business – and your income – forward.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? (It is!)
If working with a coach is sounding like the right move for you, let’s start talking about how to make that happen.
Common Business Coaching Formats
Here are a few common business coaching formats:
- One-on-one coaching
- Small group coaching
- Large group coaching
- Large group coaching, but participants are assigned a business coach who works with a small coaching group out of the large coaching group
Which one(s) appeal to you?
Since I worked with my first business coach, I’ve invested in multiple other business coaches, but the format hasn’t been exactly the same each time.
When I worked with my first business coach, it was a one-on-one setup. I checked in with her once or twice monthly, usually on a call, but sometimes through email.
Since then, I have mainly worked with business coaches through group coaching programs as these types of programs allowed me to access business coaches who didn’t offer one-on-one coaching.
No matter the format, I always learn something new that helps push my business forward.
The Process of Finding a Business Coach
When starting the process of looking for a business coach, there are a few things you need to consider:
- Your coach’s achievements
- Your coach’s testimonials
- Your desired coaching format
- Your budget
Let’s review all of them.
Your coach’s achievements
The first thing you need to ask yourself is:
‘Do I want to work with someone who has achieved the exact goal I am trying to achieve?’
For me, that was really important. I wanted to work with someone who had transitioned from a full-time job plus side hustle scenario into working for themselves full-time.
I really wanted to work with someone who had been there, done that. Anything else would have felt like a waste of my money.
In some coaching instances, the exact goal is a little less important.
In a non-business coaching scenario, let’s say someone wants to learn how to eat healthier and lose 50 pounds. In that case, they’d probably be okay with working with a coach who had personally lost 20 pounds by eating healthier. In this example, the exact goal isn’t necessary.
And even in a business scenario, you may be okay with working with someone who achieved a different goal as long as it is somewhat aligned to your goal. It’s totally up to you!
Your coach’s testimonials
Anyone can make themselves sound like the best business coach out there, so make sure to do your due diligence before hiring a business coach.
Look for testimonials on the sales page or coaching website. If you don’t find them, connect with the business coach and ask them to provide a few testimonials.
Your desired coaching format
Once you have whether or not you want your business coach to have achieved your specific goal, now you need to think about your desired coaching format.
To repeat the list from above, are you interested in…
- One-on-one coaching?
- Small group coaching?
- Large group coaching?
- Large group coaching, but participants are assigned a business coach who works with a small group out of the large group?
One-on-one coaching means you will be working directly with your coach. This could be through Zoom, Voxer, email, text, phone or whatever method you and your coach decide on.
If you’re someone who struggles to stay on track and needs highly personalized feedback and attention, one-on-one coaching is a good fit for you.
Alternatively, if you’re like me and you’re more introverted, one-on-one coaching can be ideal because it’s private and doesn’t involve anyone else.
Small group coaching typically involves a group of 4-20 people. Small group coaching is nice because it’s a smaller investment than one-on-one coaching, but it still has an intimate feel.
Large group coaching typically involves groups of 20+ people. Because the group is larger, this type of coaching is a smaller investment than both one-on-one coaching and small group coaching.
While large group coaching isn’t quite as intimate as smaller coaching formats, this is made up for by the excitement of being in a large group of people with the same or similar goals. A lot of networking tends to happen in large group coaching.
Large group coaching with small-group breakouts is a hybrid of small group coaching and large group coaching. It involves a large group that is broken into smaller sub-groups, and participants have access to both the large group participants and the small group participants.
Your budget
Next, you will want to outline a budget range for your business coaching.
I am not a tax professional, but your business coaching expenses should be tax deductible. I highly recommend consulting with a CPA or tax professional to confirm this for your personal tax situation.
When I hired my first business coach, I invested about 10-25% of my income into business coaching those first few months. That seemed like a lot at the time, but it was 100% worth it.
Honestly? Looking back at it, I could have hired her when I was barely making a penny and her expertise would have propelled me forward even faster.
That said, you should never spend more money on a business coach than you’re comfortable with. If your budget is small, focus on large group coaching programs that are available with a smaller investment.
If you have a larger budget, consider one-on-one coaching or small group coaching. Or, if you find the ideal large group coaching program, go for it even if it’s under your budget.
How to Find a Business Coach for Your Pinterest VA Business
Now that you’ve nailed down some of the details, it’s time to start looking for the best business coach for your Pinterest VA business.
Here are a few places to look for a Pinterest VA business coach:
- The people you currently follow online – this could be through social media profiles, websites or email lists
- Google search
- People you know – reach out and ask them if they know of or have heard of someone
