Why get a business coach?
There’s a strong sense of ‘it’s down to me’ when we’re starting a business journey. We give up the certainty of regular employment income for the freedom to call the shots.
So why is it that so many business owners end up on the same treadmill they were trying to avoid?
We talk to Strategic Coach David Braithwaite about what drives entrepreneurs down the road to exhaustion and what we can do to become more present in our lives. As someone who has no less than four irons in the fire, he has much to share on how to hit a healthy balance.
The burden of saying yes
‘In the beginning, it’s very hard to say no’ David says. “We’re nice people, we need the work and we never know where it will lead.’
Of course this is true. When we set out as entrepreneurs we become masters of our own destinies as it were but accept all the responsibility that comes with that. At the end of the day, the buck stops with us. Success rests on our shoulders and it’s a heavy weight to carry.
What’s the upshot of this? It’s easy to push ourselves too far and it’s not just us who suffer – our relationships can become strained as our lives fall out of balance.
‘We’re mavericks,’ David continues, ‘we love finding solutions to problems.’ The sky’s the limit as we decide what we want to earn and the direction we want to go in.
The pull of ambition combined with the pressure of keeping the revenue rolling in can take its toll.
Why we have to let go to grow
There comes a point in any entrepreneur’s journey where we hit a ceiling. To earn twice the money, for example, we feel like we need to work twice the hours. The danger is that as this takes over, the very reason we set up a business in the first place gets lost.
David recalls his own reality check. Playing golf with his dad and taking yet another call, he remembers his father shaking his head and looking down at the floor. He was clearly sad that precious time with his son was being lost and David realised that even though he was there he wasn’t present. Something had to change.
‘All progress starts with telling the truth.’ David says. His truth was that he had too much to deal with.
How to earn more and do less
So what did he do? He took on a PA. ‘The best hire I’ve ever made,’ he says ‘and she’s still working with me now’.
And then he went further. ‘If you had everything stripped away from you, what are the things that you would like to do all day long? The things that don’t seem like work to you.’ he continues. He explains that tasks can be delegated if you find yourself routinely putting them to one side.
These days David keeps his hand in his financial consultancy but also has two companies that he trusts to the care of his professional teams. Still the solution-finder, he reflects on the huge relief he felt when he took on a COO who was more than happy to take things off his desk.
‘I didn’t create another job, I created another business,’ he says. ‘There’s a difference’.
Why get a business coach? To set you free!
‘The sand timer is moving,’ he says, ‘how many summers do we have left with our children?’
This is true. Instead of earning time off for a holiday, spending time with our family, getting involved with community projects or reaching a fitness goal, we put these at the centre and build our business around it.
After all, this is what we had in mind when we set up shop.
How do we do this?
‘If you’re going to the gym, you’ll be better off and more motivated if you’ve got someone who’s a personal trainer saying do this or try that. You’ll see quicker and more measurable results than if you go it alone.’
A business coach who’s been there before you will not only help you to reassess your priorities, but they’ll also help you to build a strategy and then stay alongside you as you bring it to life. This is what we love doing for our clients. Let us know if you’d like a chat so we can see if we’re a good fit for you.
Listen to the whole discussion on the Sparks by Ignium podcast here or search Sparks by Ignium on your favourite podcast platform, or let’s talk.