So, what’s the difference between a coach, mentor, consultant or a business advisor?
If you have your own business it’s highly likely that you’ll want to hire business support. This might be a coach, a mentor, consultant or a business advisor.
You may have had experience of working with one or more. Was it a good experience? Did you hire the wrong one, for example a coach rather than an advisor?
Getting the right business support depends on your needs and the type of person you are.
Today, I’m going to explain the differences between the four, so you can decide which is best suited to you and your business.
- The coach
When you work with a business coach it’s all about you and what you want out of your business. They‘ll help you to bring out the best in you and help you make the right decisions that‘ll keep you motivated and take your company forward.
The areas they work on include:
- Accountability, time-management, motivation and focus
- Self-sabotage and limiting beliefs
- Fear and distraction
- Clarity
A coach helps you create a vision and work on a plan with you to turn that vision into reality.
There’s no requirement for a coach to have business experience. They may have studied psychology, or Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and usually have a coaching accreditation. Most don’t go to your business premises; you’ll need to go to their office.
Coaches work best with people who are self-motivated and driven.
2. The mentor
These are usually people who have run their own successful business and want to give their time to helping others. Mentoring can be free for businesses.
A mentor can give advice and guidance to a business owner with less experience.
Just like the coach, the mentor isn’t a ‘doer’. You benefit from their knowledge and experience, but you’ll have to do the work yourself.
3. The consultant
These are specialists for example in HR, IT or marketing. These range from those who offer strategic advice and planning support, to those who carry out the specialist work.
4. The business advisor
Business advisors, such as myself, work with you and your team to make your business succeed and increase profits. Typically I would examine your business – as a whole and its different parts – to make sure it’s working as efficiently and productively as possible.
Business advisors nearly always work at clients’ business premises. I always ensure that I find out how everything works and interacts: the people, the systems, finances and also the owner. Sometimes it’s the owner who’s inadvertently stopping the company from succeeding.
That is why business advisors nearly always get much faster results than a coach. They can quickly see the problem areas. And if it’s the owner, a business advisor can teach the staff how to best manage the situation.
Have you heard of Alex Polizzi? She’s the star of television series such as ‘The Hotel Inspector’ and ‘The Fixer’. And a classic example of the business advisor.
When working for clients, I explore ways to improve the whole business. I examine every area of the business including:
- Strategy and planning
- Products and services
- IT, finances and processes
- Premises, warehousing and logistics
- Marketing and sales
Business advisors help you to implement what’s needed either by doing the work themselves or by managing the project.
I have many years of real business experience, which I use to solve problems, helping companies to grow, streamline, and improve efficiencies.
This experience is key, as business advisors like me have dealt with problems the same or similar to yours. We know how to solve them fast and can turn businesses around.
If you need fast and effective results, and don’t have the skills to do the work yourself, a business advisor will be the best option for you.
So hopefully this has given you a clearer understanding of how coaches, mentors, consultants and business advisors can help you and your business.
If you need any further advice or information about how a business advisor could help you, please contact me.
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