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11 min read

Become A Business Coach

by Matthew Pollard
by Matthew Pollard | 
13 min read
 | Apr 29, 2015
  1. Home
  2. Business Coach
  3. Become A Business Coach

Do you feel as if you’re destined for something greater?

Table of Contents

Would you like to earn hundreds of dollars an hour, in an industry voted as “the most personally satisfying?”

Discover from Better Business Coach, Matthew Pollard, why business coaching is the right choice for you and your future.

Why Business Coach Training?

Business coaching is the second biggest growth industry[1] – BRW

For years, business coaching has paved its way across the globe, which raises the question – “why is business coaching booming?”

Two reasons:

1. It is a profession that reaps financial results, work satisfaction, and flexibility – beating most income earning alternatives.

On average, business coaches charge $200 to $700 per hour, although one well-known business coach earns $5,000 per hour.  A recent Forbes.com article suggests that 20 percent of the 10,000 registered coaches surveyed earn six-figure incomes.[2]

Quite often, business coaches also offer other supporting services, including marketing, consulting, and other business support activities.

2. There is almost an infinite demand by small businesses who are overworked, overwhelmed, or not profitable looking for help to survive or to grow.  Wherever you go, there are small business owners running underperforming businesses.

“…business coaching is likely to become the most sought after skill in the U.K. this decade”

In a survey of 339 U.K. firms Clegg, Rhodes, and Kornberger[3] state “in recent years, business coaching has received increasing attention as a means for facilitating organizational change.”  Research by the Industrial Society (1999) in the United Kingdom, found that business coaching was likely to become the most sought-after skill in the U.K. this decade.

In this survey, the most frequently cited benefit of business coaching was that it delivered:

  • Fuller use of individual talent and potential (79%).
  • Demonstration of commitment to individual development (69%).
  • Improved business performance and productivity (69%).
  • Increased creativity, learning, and knowledge management (63%).
  • Enhanced motivation (57%).

“The most personally satisfying profession,” said a recent survey of 200 business coach professionals.

Discover new flexibility

  • Coaching can be delivered by one-on-one sessions or by group workshops, in person, or over the phone.
  • Business coaching as a complete service or as a supplementary line to what you already offer.
  • Work the hours that suit you and handpick the clients you connect with most.
  • Set your own packages and prices for your clients.

Why wait? This opportunity is on the tipping point of massive return, so get in now, while the returns are at their peak. 

This is a secure, proven, results-driven new business category (that’s guaranteed).  You will love the satisfaction you get from turning around the lives of business people as they re-engineer their business under your coaching.  You will love the freedom of working your own hours from wherever you choose.  Save yourself now from an exhausting career climbing the corporate ladder.  Be happier, healthier, and make more money helping others.

How to Become a Business Coach

So how does one get started in such a rewarding and exciting profession?

Option 1 – Do it yourself.

This is a common path for many, and the one Matthew Pollard himself undertook. The benefits of going down the coaching path yourself is that you can decide the type of coach you want to be, how you want to go to market, and exactly how you want to charge. The con, however, is the mountain of work you must do with no guidance and no support. Matthew still remembers the late nights he spent creating templates for client sessions, reading everything he could get his hands on to ensure he could answer his clients’ widely ranging questions, and then always worrying if the session he planned out would help the client move forward – after all, when you try something for the first time, there is always that fear that a client is going to say “this just isn’t worth the money.” To top all this off, you also need to figure out how to network for clients, build credibility, gain interest, and eventually sell coaching. It is a huge endeavor, and you must set aside time for a lot of trial and error, but at the end of the day, it will all be worth it.

Option 2 – Franchise.

Many people don’t have the time or want to develop their own coaching business; they just want to fork out some money and have the full system handed to them. There is nothing wrong with this choice. After all, what is wrong with having a tried and tested coaching system, marketing you know will work, and a proven sales system for converting clients? If you decide to go this route, you are following in the path of many who have gone on to earn six-figure incomes, and hopefully you will too. However, there are some things you should know first:

  1. Fees – This is self-explanatory—clearly, any type of coaching franchise will have initial buy-in fees and may also have monthly commitments based on revenue or support requirements.
  2. How old is the system – Of course, there are many franchise options out there, and highlighting the good from the bad is easier said than done. After all, everyone is different and making the right choice is really about picking the right franchise option for you. One question you might want to ask though, is how old the system is and if people are successfully using it today. Too many times, Matthew has seen people buy a franchise based on testimonials and case studies from many years ago. Don’t fall victim to buying a franchise from an organization that has moved away from coaching and now just sells the training. Technology, business environments, laws, and, well, everything is continuously changing, and you need to know the franchise you are buying still works today.
  3. What are the restrictions – Know what you are getting yourself into, and know what you’re giving up. Many franchises say it’s their way or the highway—this can be to protect them from being sued or to protect you from failure. I’m sure you have had a favorite restaurant where a new owner has come in and changed the menu. Soon, you stop going, and so do many other customers—eventually, the business dies. The new owner didn’t purchase a dud—they just failed to follow the systems set out by the old owner. Just like this business owner should have opened his own restaurant, or stuck with the menu of the established one, you should rule out many types of business coaching franchises if you want to create a business coaching business of your own.

Option 3 – The Better Business Coach Podcast.

Matthew saw that many people had a great deal to offer the world and wanted to offer it with their own brand of coaching.  Unfortunately, they also didn’t have the time to just figure it all out. That is why Matthew created the now highly successful, Better Business Coach Podcast. The Better Business Coach Podcast will provide you with all the tools you need to find clients, generate referrals, close sales and deliver a flexible program according to the specific needs of the business. It will also give you access to actionable worksheets that Matthew has spent over a decade creating and perfecting, all downloadable for immediate use with your clients. The Better Business Coach Podcast provides you with all the learning, worksheets and sales training you would expect from an expensive franchise—best of all it’s 100 percent free! Click here to start listening today.

Option 4 – Become a Better Business Coach.

Yes, the Better Business Coach Podcast makes it easy to become a coach all by yourself, but why would you want to? How would you like Matthew to hold your hand and guide you through the entire process? For selected clients, Matthew offers a unique service through which he provides intensive training with workbooks, learner’s manuals, and access to his library of over 155 business coaching templates; all without the restrictions of a franchise. This allows business coaches to start with a proven model, and then later, make it their own. Matthew also understands that you will have questions as you proceed to grow your own brand of coaching business, so he offers full mentorship and support. That’s right, there is no arm’s length customer service here; you get access to Matthew and his incredible wealth of experience.

“Matthew is a great listener, provides beneficial feedback and is knowledgeable in a wide range of topics and industries. His enthusiasm is contagious. Matt tells you what you need to know – not just what you want to hear.” – Beth Carls – OneSeventeen Media

In a business endeavor, where the most common problem cited by new and experienced professionals is getting clients, it’s nice to know you have the Rapid Growth Guy on your side.

“Matthew is, perhaps, the best sales coach and mentor I have worked with. His energy, enthusiasm, and attitude affects the people around him. He has had a tremendous impact on my business life. So if you get the opportunity to work with Matthew, do it!”Jeppe Langfeldt – Terminalen Bilcenter Fyn A/S

With this level of coaching, training, mentoring and support, you will have a coaching business wherein you can achieve a solid income stream and still have the ability to grow it into something you can call your own.

Want to know more? 

If you think you may qualify to work with Matthew and are interested to learn more (without any commitment or obligation):

Become a business coach:

Business coaching is about helping people access what they know (their tacit knowledge) with appropriate questioning, encouragement and support.  Coaching can be applied to learning new skills, increasing performance, team building, remedying behaviors, organizational change, business systems, and strategic and business planning. It is suggested that potential business coaches take at least 100 hours of coaching before they feel comfortable as a coach, so realize this is a transition and transition is always easier with the correct knowledge.

The role of a business coach:

Many aspiring business coaches come from training or consulting backgrounds, so it is important to realize what the differences are.  The key and obvious difference in the coach’s role is that the coach’s role is much less as the content expert (and presenter) and much more as the supporter of learning (or facilitator).

Many of the basic tasks, of course, remain the same – so they draw on all your previous experience:

  • Motivating learners and building their self-confidence.
  • Contributing real-world context and experience.
  • Identifying problems and early warning signs.
  • Answering content queries.
  • Helping clients work through difficulties.
  • Helping clients identify goals and action steps to achieve those goals.

What are the values of a business coach?

Client focus – A business coach encourages their clients to create their own definition of success and happiness, and gives them the support, tools and structure to make that success and happiness a reality.

Honesty – A business coach is honest about what they say can be achieved.

Excellent listening skills – A business coach seeks to understand what their clients are saying – together with the feelings behind the words.

Proactive, not reactive – A business coach strives to understand what their clients want to achieve and then proactively keeps them on track, so they are achieving their goals and not merely reacting to the stresses and demands in life and business.

Results-focused – A business coach focuses on achieving and doing what they say they will.

Continuous improvement – A business coach seeks to be continually innovative in the coaching and training they offer their clients and strives to be up-to-date with current best practice, management systems, and team development.

What are the qualities of a business coach?

  • Interested in people.
  • Active listening skills.
  • Understands people.
  • Understands what motivates their team.
  • Recognizes that everyone is different and has different abilities and weaknesses.
  • Emotionally intelligent.
  • Ability to communicate the vision and the goals.
  • Helps people to identify weak areas, highlight strengths, and develop goals and action plans.
  • Ability to diagnose problems.
  • Belief that people have the ability to solve their own problem.
  • Encourages learning.
  • Good questioning skills.
  • Gives feedback.
  • Ability to set key performance indicators for measurement.
  • Ability to create an action plan for a goal which prioritizes and has measures for successful performance.
  • Encourages people to be open and honest.
  • Encourages people to be creative.
  • Encourages people to solve problems, rather than answering problems.
  • Solution-focused, rather than problem-focused.
  • Focuses people on their past achievements.
  • Understands that a person’s reality depends on their perception.

What challenges will you face as a business coach?

  • Clients act as though they know all the answers or are negative.
  • You can see large gaps in your client’s operations – but can only work on one gap at a time.
  • Clients have small budgets for coaching.
  • Managing the time for a session.
  • Turnaround times in responding to messages, particularly email.
  • Finding ways to persuade your clients to interact and communicate.
  • Dealing with demanding clients.
  • Coping with low computer skill levels (your own, your client’s).
  • Sorting out costs, payments, and your working conditions.
  • Finding adequate support or mentoring.

[1] Ranked by BRW, Sept Issue 4, pg 47

[2] Van Riper, T., Surprising Six-Figure Jobs, Forbes.com

[3] Clegg, S., Rhodes, C., Kornberger, M., An Overview of the Business Coaching Industry in Australia, Oval Research Working Paper 03-11, The Australian Centre for Organisational, Vocational and Adult Learning,  P.4

About Matthew Pollard

About Matthew Pollard
Called the real deal by Forbes, Matthew is a small business advocate, introvert champion, Rapid Growth® Coach, and keynote speaker. Responsible for five multimillion-dollar success stories before the age of 30, today Matthew is an internationally recognized sales and networking expert, author of the bestselling Introvert’s Edge series, and host of two top-ranked podcasts. His work has transformed over 3500 struggling businesses to date.

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