Being in business can be risky, especially if you have no prior experience running a business, enterprise, or any kind of entity or organisation of your own.

Working under somebody else in a private or corporate firm is an entirely different ball game from owning, running and managing your own business. This is when a business coach might come in handy.

What Is A Business Coach?

A business coach is a person, a company or an entity that specialises in helping start-up businesses and newbies to the world of running and managing a business successfully. Basically, someone you can turn to for advice and guidance to move forward.

Pros And Cons Of Having A Business Coach

So, if you’re planning on starting your business enterprise, having a business coach has its pros and cons; let’s take a look at some of them –

Pros

1. A business coach can help you get out of a rut: Starting a new business comes with its share of uncertainties and precarious situations. Having an experienced and knowledgeable business coach to help get you out of those ruts can be invaluable.
2. They can view your business from the point of view of the consumer: Being a professional on how to run a business, your coach will be able to predict and preempt consumer’s feedback, opinions, likes and dislikes which can help you make the necessary changes to your business to attract more consumers and reap more profits.
3. Evaluate your goals and assess what is achievable and realistic: As your business coach, they will know exactly how to identify and visualise your business’s goals and objectives and which of these are achievable within a certain period and which aren’t.
4. Motivation: Having a business coach can really motivate and encourage you to work harder and aim for the stars. He will remove any signs of fear or doubt that you may have in your mind as a novice and give you the strength and boldness to aim high.
5. Push you out of your comfort zone: Your business coach will open your mind to new and innovative ideas and make you think outside the box and out of your comfort zone.

Cons

1. They can be Costly: Like it or not, a business coach comes with a high bill since they are rendering you their expertise services on a subject you do no know about. Be prepared to spend when it comes to appointing a business coach.
2. Not sure what you’re getting: Since there’s really no trial period to test the services of your business coach before hiring them there is a huge unknown factor about how good or bad his services are.
3. Expecting too much and possibly being let down: There is the slight possibility that you might expect too much from your business coach and the harsh realisation that he might not be good enough at kick starting your business. Be prepared for letdowns when it comes to hiring someone new and unknown.
4. Clash of personalities: Working with someone new may not always end in smiles and laughs. You might have to get used to your new business coach and understand his personality to avoid ego clashes.

Could a business coach help you break through the fog?
How could a second opinion help you with your project?