I often get asked how you’re supposed to choose your business coach. After all, there are a lot of them out there, so how on earth are you supposed to know which will be the right one for you? And the truth is, a lot of it is to do with personality. You’re going to work very closely with your coach, which means you need to be completely comfortable with who they are and the approach they have.

But Nell, I hear you ask, what does that mean? Well, it’s all about finding out what a coach is like, and if you think they’ll be the right fit for your business, your personality, and what you want to achieve with your business. For example, I might not be the right coach for you if…

You want someone to coddle you: At the end of the day, you don’t hire a business coach because you want someone to softly softly explain why maybe you might want to consider doing this differently. I’m straight talking, so I will always say what’s on my mind. It’s my job to support you, but also to challenge you to do better.

 You don’t want to be called out: I am not one to let things slide. If I think you’re giving me BS, I’m going to call you out on it. I might do it nicely, but I won’t let you get away with laziness or half-hearted work either. I call it the iron fist, velvet glove approach. I’m never too harsh or too mean, but I will tell you things you might not want (but very much need) to hear. So if you’re making an elephant out of a mouse, I’ll be the first to tell you that, and help you put things in perspective.

 You need calm: If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s a calm person. That doesn’t mean I get stressed easily – it just means I’m very high energy, and I bring that to my clients. I will always be upbeat and positive in everything I do, and I will happily grab the pom poms and be your cheerleader through the good and the bad. So if you need someone who is an ocean of calm to guide you, I’m probably not the one!

You want to focus just on nothing but your business: You run a business for a reason. Usually, that’s because you want to be in charge, and you want to build something that allows you to achieve your personal goals. Whether that’s earning lots of money or being able to work around the kids schedules. So when you work with me, we look at every element of your life and how we can improve your business to help you achieve your personal goals.

You Hate Fun: Honestly, running a business should be fun – and coaching should be fun. I want you to feel better leaving a session with me than you did coming in. So we will laugh, we will joke, and we will try to find the fun in every situation, even now. I run fun competitions with my clients all the time, and my group sessions are often full of laughter, usually at some inappropriate joke, or one of my ‘Nellyisms’.

You Have Your Barriers Up: Being someone’s business coach can sometimes be a very intimate experience. If things are going on in your life that are impacting your business, it’s not uncommon to bring them into a coaching session, even if all you want to do is unload in a safe place. I quite often have clients who end up in tears during a session – but always cathartic ones. And they always leave with a smile, and ready to take on the next steps.

And that’s just a few reasons! At the end of the day, you’re only going to know if a coach is right for you by talking to a few and figuring out which one you click with.

That’s why I’m happy to offer a Gifted Coaching session, or a coffee chat, before you commit to anything with me – so that we can decide if we’re the right fit for each other.

And if I’m not, don’t worry – I won’t be offended!