Do You Need a Business Coach?
There are legendary coaches—Vince Lombardi, Bill Belichick, and Phil Jackson, to name just a few. And then there’s coaches that may not bask in the light of fame and fortune, but they deliver a punch in the way of motivation and sound guidance just the same. These may be your kid’s dedicated baseball coach, a fitness trainer coaching you all the way to your first Boston Marathon, or maybe a coach like mine—a business coach.
Running a business can be overwhelming, and it’s nearly impossible not to get emotionally involved—which can affect your decision-making. A business coach can prove to be a secure, unbiased sounding board to help you make the best decisions for you and your business.
So, if you’ve been thinking about hiring a business coach, you’re in good company. But deciding to do so doesn’t come easy to everyone. It didn’t for me. Here’s why and what changed.
WHY SOME SHY AWAY FROM HIRING A BUSINESS COACH
I remember thinking to myself: ‘What do I need a coach for? I already know what I’m doing. And I don’t want someone telling me to do things differently.’ There’s that feeling of not wanting to be accountable to someone else for your decisions. You’ve gotten the business this far and are doing well. So why introduce a new voice? One that may disagree with you?
But as I thought about it more deeply, I realized I was thinking short-term. It’s an ego-driven mindset where we automatically reject the notion that someone else could possibly know our situation and offer better advice than we could come up with. I’m not saying that I thought I was the smartest guy in the room or that I knew everything there was to know about starting and running a successful business. I knew I had limitations. But it was just hard at first to consider “sharing the reins”—trusting someone else’s guidance.
BEHIND EVERY AMAZING ATHLETE IS AN EQUALLY AMAZING COACH
Here’s what helped changed my mindset: Think about pro athletes. They’ve got natural talent and drive that makes them a great athlete. But they become an even better athlete when teamed up with a great coach or multiple coaches for different aspects of the sport.
When I realized that I truly love what I do—building homes and relationships, the construction aspects, and the business side of things—then it only made sense to work with someone who can make me better at what I do. Having a business coach not only holds me accountable for what I do, but also helps me achieve my long-term goals—looking at the big picture. And branch out in my understanding of how things work in the business world.
START THE JOURNEY
When you team up with a business coach, it’s like taking a hike together—the journey may include easy stretches and more challenging terrain, and along the way they’ll point out landmarks you should take note of and keep you focused on the right path to end up at your goal.
For example, let’s say you are ready to move from small renovations to custom high-end new builds. And you set a goal for yourself: In two years, you want to be building $5 million homes. Your business coach is going to help you develop a plan to get there. They can lay out the steps to take, when and what milestones you need to hit, and be there to bounce ideas off from. They will honestly communicate what’s working and what’s not, and point out how particular decisions will impact your business.
When you realize that a business coach is not taking away your decision-making or control of your company, then you will start to reap many benefits (financial and otherwise).
My decision to hire a business coach has served me well—I’ve been able to constantly refine who I am, who NS Builders is, and elevate my business at a much faster pace than I could have achieved on my own.
It’s time to discover what NS Builders can intentionally craft for you! Contact us today to get started on your custom dream home. Together, we can make it happen.
—Nick Schiffer