Business coaches - Anna and Chloe

You’ve probably heard the term ‘business coach’. You might even know someone who is one, or at the very least you might have come across one at a networking event. But have you ever asked yourself what does a business coach do? And how can they help you to grow your business? And what should you expect when you choose to work with one?

In this blog, we explain further, and also introduce you to business coaching with Anna and Chloe, the Tabono way.

What does a business coach do?

Before we get into the details of what a business coach does, let’s think first about what they are. In researching and writing this blog, we came across the following definition from The Alternative Board:

Business coaching is a process used to take a business from where it is now to where the business owner wants it to be. 

The Alternative Board

This is a great starting point. Put simply, business coaching exists to take a business from one point to another. To level-up. To elevate it to the next stage in its development. And while this is an absolutely valid definition, and one that certainly makes sense, a good business coach should deliver more than just taking a business from A to B. So, to really understand the benefits of business coaching, we need to dig a little deeper and consider – what does a business coach actually do?

Where are you… and where you want to be.

This is where your business coaching journey starts. A good business coach will take the time to understand you and your business, and if you haven’t already, help you to capture your goals, your ideas and your vision for the future. And it’s worth noting at this point that it’s so important to choose a business coach who really understands you and who you feel you can trust and work with comfortably and confidently. There’s little point, for example, choosing to work with a very ‘corporate’ coach if you and your values are not on the same wavelength.

In our view, this stage shouldn’t be just about where you are on a particular scale either, financially or otherwise. Every business is different, and this should always be acknowledged. And nor is it about ‘just’ your business. We firmly believe that a business and its owner go hand in hand, and to truly look after one, you also have to take care of the other. So defining success for each person and supporting their mindset should be considered equally as important as commercial and financial goals. For example, success for someone creating a business that fits around family life may be very different for someone who needs their business to be a success so that bills can be paid.

It’s all in the goals.

The next step is that the business coach will support the client to set goals for their journey. These could be ‘big’ goals (eg. to achieve a certain level of revenue within a certain time frame) or smaller ones (eg. to do more live videos on Facebook). Equally, they could be a combination of the two. But either way, the business coach will work with the client to set goals, and then work out the steps required to achieve them.

Once these goals have been identified, the coach should work with the client to prioritise, and then diarise them. Both of these steps are really important – partly because we are all prone to varying levels of procrastination, but also because human nature often draws us towards what we want to do, rather than what we should do. For example, attending networking events may be the highlight of your week, but would you delay a meeting with a lucrative potential client to attend one? And when it comes to diarising our tasks, did you know that doing so, and planning in detail, makes it far more likely we’ll make progress? You can read more about the science behind the To Do List here.

Accountability is king

So, you have the big dreams, the vision and the desire and mindset to deliver. You have the goals and the tasks mapped out and diarised, all of which make success more likely. But are you actually going to get things done? Are you going to commit to making the progress you’re looking for? Or are you going to get distracted, and put things off?

Another key thing that a business coach does is to hold you accountable. Check in with you to make sure you’re getting things done by the deadlines you set yourself. Question and challenge you when you’re not moving forward in the way that you planned. A business coach can be your colleague, your sounding board, and your critical friend. All of which are vital when you run a business on your own.

Business coaching: The Tabono way

The unique thing about choosing Tabono as a business coach is that Chloe and Anna work with clients together. You get everything that a good business coach does, but you get two of us. Two very different perspectives, but two perspectives that, when brought together, provide a truly holistic approach. Chloe approaches business coaching from the perspective of a life coach. She supports clients with their mindset, their values and their self-belief, as well as embedding strong goal-setting theory and practice in the relationship. Anna focuses more on the practical business tasks including planning, business development and growth projections as well as finance and social media.

We work with both men and women in our business coaching practice, and clients come to us for many reasons. Some need support with ‘leveling-up’ their business across the board, but others come to us with a particular challenge or objective.

So whatever your reason for needing to work with a business coach, contact us for a free discovery call so we can discuss further!