Certification as a business coach typically means that you have completed a course of study focused on learning and developing skills in coaching and in business topics, and have been mentored by a Master Coach for a period of time to verify proficiency. There are several certifying groups out there, the most common being the International Coach Federation (ICF). ActionCOACH has its own certification program, developed and enhanced over 28 years, including approximately 300 hours of online training guided by a facilitator plus 60-100 hours of in-person training from a Certified Trainer or Master Coach. Newly certified ActionCOACHes are then assigned a Master Coach as a mentor for a minimum of 90 days post training.

Many clients literally see results in the first coaching session, and most clients should expect to begin seeing financial results in the first 3 months. Depending on the unique situation of each business and business owner, and what the goals are, the definition of “results” can vary quite widely.

At ActionCOACH we have a 17 Week Guarantee for our one-to-one coaching programs that we will “Find our Fee” in the first 17 weeks of coaching, meaning we will have identified opportunities for our client that will more than pay for their coaching if the client does the work to implement the agreed upon strategies. One these are implemented, your coaching is completely paid for by your growth for the remainder of our coaching relationship.

Before you worry too much about how much it costs, just know that one of our coaches will spend a couple hours with you determining if your business is even coachable, meaning can your business get you a 3-7x return on a coaching investment. If it can’t, then it doesn’t make sense to even consider a program. If your business can generate this level of ROI, then your coaching is essentially free after the first 3-4 months.

Once we know that your business is coachable, our primary goal is that it doesn’t cost you anything, that it becomes an investment with an ROI as quickly as possible, typically within the first 3 months.

As far as your investment, group programs range from $300-$900/month and One-to-One Coaching ranges from $1500 to $5,000, which is based on company size, with the majority of programs falling between $1,750 to $3,500 per month.

The only difference between the programs is how fast you go – the coaching is the same, just at a different pace. You and your coach will determine which type of program is the best fit to enroll in. All of our programs are month to month agreements, no long term contracts, and our One-to-One programs come with a 17 week Guarantee.

Selecting a coach is both a personal and a business decision. You need a coach that you are confident you can comfortably work with – you will need to be open, honest and vulnerable with your coach to get maximum value. You also need a coach with business knowledge, training, and systems for you to use in your business. There are many good coaches and coaching systems out there, so do your research, review testimonials, look at their social media content, watch any training videos or webinars they have produced. Ask if they have a guarantee for their services and be careful of agreeing to long term contracts – the best coaches work month-to-month, earning the right to be your coach every session.

1-2-1 Coaching consists of weekly or bi-monthly meetings, of up to an hour, with you and your coach.

During your coaching session, you will share and review the results you achieved for the Actions you agreed to complete in your previous session. Your coach will help you through any challenges you had completing the work and provide feedback. You will also review your biggest wins and challenges since the last session and work on the challenges if they remain barriers to success. Coaching sessions are primarily geared towards helping you achieve your goals faster and more profitably than you could achieve them by yourself.

Group Coaching consists of weekly meetings, of up to an hour, with up to 4 business owners and your coach. You and the other group members are essentially time-sharing the hour of coaching, and each member will be coached on their business for 12-15 minutes while the others listen and learn. So each member gets personal coaching on where they are in their business and an additional 45 minutes of learning while listening to the other group members getting coached. There is also plenty of sharing of best practices that goes on in the group as well.

During your coaching session, you will share and review the results you achieved for the Actions you agreed to complete in your previous session. Your coach will help you through any challenges you had completing the work and provide feedback. You will also review your biggest wins and challenges since the last session and work on the challenges if they remain barriers to success. Coaching sessions are primarily geared towards helping you achieve your goals faster and more profitably than you could achieve them by yourself.

Coaching starts with an initial session to set goals for the business and owner, then continues with weekly or bi-monthly sessions.

Whether your chosen program is an individual one-on-one program or a small group program, your coaching is customized to your specific needs and goals. We will meet weekly or bi-monthly for an hour to set goals, review progress against your goals, identify and knock down barriers, and continually raise the bar for you and your business.

Your coach will not only help you grow your business, your program will also grow you as a business owner, as your business can only sustainably be as good as you are.

Depending on your industry that can range from a lot to a little, to nothing at all. The good news is that it doesn’t really matter, as 85-90% of growing a business is independent of the industry you are in. The fundamental are the fundamentals, and you the owner need to be the expert in your industry if deep expertise is required. One of the biggest advantages of working with an ActionCOACH is that we have a network of over 1000 coaches in 80+ countries to pull in as resources for industry-specific challenges if you and your coach can’t work through them together.

No. Coaching is not about telling you how to run your business, it is about helping you get better results; however, you choose to define results for you and your business. We help owners and their teams be more effective implementing their strategies and plans, and make sure you are focusing on all 6 foundational areas of the business. Your coach will bring both new and old ideas, and will brainstorm with you to choose the most appropriate ones and identify efficient ways to implement strategies you may have always known about. We find that most clients fundamentally know what they should be doing, they just don’t do it consistently enough or with enough focus to get results. Your coach will help you identify and overcome the barriers and obstacles to the results you seek, to achieve success the way you define it.

There are six foundational areas of business that you and your coach will evaluate for opportunities: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Products/Services and Team. In addition, there will likely be work on you, the business owner, as your business can only be as big/great as its leadership. Additional topics that will be covered over time as required include Self Management, Prioritization, Decision Making, Leadership, Management, Business/Strategic Planning, and Transition Planning.

If your business partner and/or key employee(s) are vital to the successful growth and results of your business, then we highly recommend they are involved. When selecting the best program to enroll in, you and your coach can discuss the level of involvement of other stakeholders. Programs are built by default to accommodate 2 business leaders per business, and can be tailored to work for as many key team members as necessary to achieve the results you desire.

Your Business Coach will help you to build your business so that it supports the life you desire and deserve. We will help you to get your business to a place where it works without you, allowing you time for other pursuits. A life coach typically can help you to realize what your passions are, to identify your talents, and how to best use them.

A business consultant is paid to work on a specific problem in your business. They are focused on their specific area of expertise and are hired to complete a project.

A business coach helps you work harder, smarter, and achieve your goals faster than you would on your own. They look at the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve with your business, help you strategize, and hold you accountable to take the steps needed to achieve your goals.

Consultants do the work for you, so if you need the work done again you have to hire them again. Their value is in their expertise which they do not transfer.

Coaches teach their clients and hold their clients accountable to do the work. Their value is in transferring knowledge and support.