Just Do As I Say Don’t Do As I Do

June 9, 2008

God will take good care of you. Just do as I say don’t do as I do. Genesis 1991

Great song wasn’t it? And I bet the lyrics rang true for a lot of people. But you could apply them to lots of people, not just evangelists. One group that springs to mind are so called business advisors or coaches.

And yes, I have tried using business coaches before and I’m not saying they’re all bad. Just be careful if you’re going to employ the services of one. Here’s a few things to look out for and questions to ask:

1) Have they ever ran a business before, aside from their “business coaching” business?

2) What business – what was the name of it? Where were they based? How many people did they employ? (Important if you’re planning to employ people yourself)

3) Was it actually their business, or where they just the manager for someone else? This is important, as there’s a big difference.

4) Why did they give it up?

When you’re asking these questions, watch out for any evasiveness or plain bullshitting. You really don’t want to waste your money getting advice from someone who has no business experience at all. Anyone can set up a business coaching business, or any coaching business for that matter – just google “starting a coaching business” and you’ll see.

So what about franchises? There’s plenty of business coaching franchises out there.

Are they reputable? Well, I’ve had contact with a few and like most other franchises, the folks they recruit don’t generally need any business experience. But, their franchisees can help you to build your business using some cookie cutter formula.

Before you considered dropping thousands for the advice of one of these set-ups, try reading a couple of books instead. It’s far cheaper and you’ll get the same info.

Do I do business coaching? I’ve received a few emails asking this and I’m afraid I don’t and it’s not something I plan to do in the future. There is another Cath Lawson online who does offer business coaching. I don’t know anything about her and I’m sure she’s very nice – but she ain’t me.

So Does This Mean I Shouldn’t Bother Using A Coach? No, I’m sure there’s some great ones out there. And if you feel you would benefit – do consider using one. Just do your homework first.

Posted by cathlawson | Filed Under Misc

Comments

6 Responses to “Just Do As I Say Don’t Do As I Do”

Mrs. Micah on June 9th, 2008 1:20 am

I sometimes see people at the library checking out books (or printing info) on becoming life coaches. I always wonder what kind of qualifications one should look for in a life coach. Does a life coach need to have her life together? For business, I think at least some successful business experience is a must.

Many psychologists are in counseling, for instance, but they may still be quite helpful. My MIL is depressed but she’s been am amazing support for me in dealing with depression.
cathlawson on June 9th, 2008 2:45 am

Hi Mrs M – That is a good point. Mind you – psychologists have an awful lot of training. They should be pretty good at directing you towards making the right decision for you.

For life coaching – I’m not really sure. You know – I’m not even completely sure exactly what life coaches actually do.
Barbara Swafford on June 9th, 2008 6:48 am

For me, if I were to turn to a business coach, I would start with SCORE.org (available in the US). It’s a free service which has over 10,000 volunteers (a lot, I believe who are retired business people).

I can’t see paying for a service if a good one is available for free.

Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..It’s All About Me, It’s All About You
louise on June 9th, 2008 2:50 pm

so trrue! anyone can call themselves a life coach or a counselor with no qualifiactions at all. A psychologist has 6- 10 years specialised training in human behaviour, and many do life coaching, it’s just often called ’solution focused therapy’.
I inevested in business coaching when i initially set up my business, with an amercican guy who had a very successful business and was also a psychologist, it was worth every cent and helped me to become profitable fast. But defintiely check quals & experience first.

louise’s last blog post..Save Money with Financial Forums.
Hunter Nuttall on June 9th, 2008 3:02 pm

Mrs. Micah,

“I always wonder what kind of qualifications one should look for in a life coach. Does a life coach need to have her life together?”

I forget where I read it, but some blog commenter was saying they knew a life coach whose life was completely falling apart. They said that he needed to hire a life coach, not be one.

Being a life coach has a low barrier to entry–I think anyone can just call themselves a life coach. And in that situation, I think you get a wide range of people calling themselves a life coach, all the way from hopeless novice to super helpful professional. Referrals are usually a good way to find someone worth hiring.

Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..I’m In “The Last Lecture,” Page 184
cathlawson on June 12th, 2008 2:13 am

Hi Barbara – You have some brilliant services over there in the US. And it would definitely make sense to use a free service. The last thing a new business needs is to be wasting thousands on something that is of no use.

Hi Louise – Psychologist do an awful lot of training and I’d certainly rather spend my money on using one than just on any old Joe.

Hi Hunter – That is bad. I would think he would have been better off getting his own life sorted before he tried to help others and work out where he was going wrong. You’ve really got to know and understand yourself before you can begin to understand anyone else.