10 Reasons to Hire a Business Coach Now!

10 Reasons to Hire a Business Coach Now!

Focus. Perspective. Skills. And those are just a few of the benefits.

No matter what stage your business is at, a business coach can make you work harder and progress faster than you would on your own. From providing a much-needed ego check to helping expand your network, a business coach can give you both the tools and perspective you need to go from point A to point B.

Based on their own experiences, 10 successful founders from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) discuss some the benefits to hiring a business coach.

1. You'll go outside your comfort zone.  Especially for introverted entrepreneurs who run online businesses, like myself, it's easy to become enmeshed in my own business world. My business coach has helped give me the push to step outside my comfort zone, meet new people and try new things in my business. Even extroverted entrepreneurs can get caught in ruts -- a business coach will push you out of them.--Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com

2. You'll get personal attention from someone who knows your business inside and out. I've had a business coach for more than five years. The one aspect that a coach brings, that group sessions or mentors do not, is a keen awareness of your entire business and way of being. There are few times when someone is going to focus just on you for an entire hour, probing you about something that happened last quarter, an employee issue you had three weeks ago or your style of leadership.--Beck Bamberger, BAM Communications

3. You'll finally have someone who isn't afraid of correcting you. Every great team has a coach. Think of the best NFL and NBA teams, which all have coaches. A coach is someone who's not afraid to confront you and tell you when you're doing something incorrectly. They have a proven method to success and can help you take your business to the next level.--Marc Devisse, Tri-Town Construction

4. You'll learn how to make your ideas a reality. Business coaches have one goal: to make your ideas into a reality. Although you may have many brilliant ideas for your company, sometimes it's hard to know where to start and what to tackle first. Business coaches will evaluate your plans, assess if they are realistic or will be successful and set out a way that you can implement them correctly.--Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com

5. You'll gain a needed confidante. When you run your own company, it's often hard to talk to people about your true concerns. Life partners, employees, peers and friends don't get it for different reasons. At the same time, there's a lot of noise in your head and around you. A business coach can provide that confidential, quiet space to focus, be a soundboard and problem-solve the priorities and challenges you face.--Charlie Gilkey, Productive Flourishing

6. Your networking opportunities will skyrocket. The more you are involved with successful people, the more you will succeed. Aside from the other great points in this article, networking opportunities skyrocket when your business coach is out being an advocate for you. They know you and how you react in many situations. You will be top of mind in many cases when your coach is out meeting new people.--Drew Gurley, Redbird Advisors

7. You'll make more money. Simply, a good business coach will help you make more money. Every good coach, whether it is sports or business, has a process. Phil Jackson ran the Triangle Offense and won six NBA championships with Michael Jordan. Vince Lombardi won five Super Bowls creating what he called an Execution Strategy, combining spiritual and military discipline. Find your coach. Find your strategy. Then cash in.--Derek Hunter, William Roam

8. You'll develop self-confidence. The biggest "pro" is confidence. I attribute this to experience. My coach is 67 years old. He's lived quite a life, from owning and selling businesses to failed partnerships, lawsuits and billion-dollar acquisitions. You name it, he's done it. I leverage his failures and successes. He's helping me achieve my goals, but also making sure I'm prepared for any situation that comes my way.--Jon Tsourakis, Revital Agency, LLC

9. You'll be held accountable for what really matters. A business coach can do wonders for busy entrepreneurs. As you run a growing organization, everything gets complex; you get busy and sometimes push off things you know are important. This is where a business coach comes in. You can discuss the vital things you need to accomplish in order to achieve your goals, and your coach will hold you accountable. That alone will make you more effective.--Jeff Cayley, Worldwide Cyclery

10. You'll hear unbiased opinions.One great thing about having a business coach is that he or she knows more about you than your business and will likely have no biases without your industry or company. This provides a great forum for unbiased advice based on your concerns as a leader. Good business coaches can lead founders to "aha!" moments and uncover solutions that people close to the business may overlook.--Brittany Hodak, ZinePak

Achieve Your Full Potential! Book a complimentary session at http://www.denisedema.com  to get the support you need to excel in your professional and personal life.

Source:INC

How to Gain Respect and Live Responsibly

Whenever we start a new year we usually go through some review in our mind of the previous year and what we have accomplished or have yet to accomplish in our life. Setting goals, releasing negative feelings, forgiving and striving for some personal growth is always on people’s minds, no matter what they have experienced in life.

Many times, the thought of professional and financial attainment or lack of is what a new year brings, along with all the emotional feelings that follow. When you take the honorable approach throughout your life, it will always result in other gifts coming your way without intentionally seeking them. This is why I encourage people I coach to make the three R’s a reality in their lives. They are: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions. People’s intentions are often not the reality that they live. It’s not because they don’t want to, but because they just don’t have the discipline to be consistent without help from others. To change one's behavior and thought processes can challenge a person’s will. Most people alone are not strong-willed enough to stick with it throughout the time it takes to attain their goal. It’s never too late to start to live your life in a respectful and responsible way, so your daily interactions will be set on a positive path. So let’s start with some of the thoughts and activities that are associated with respect and responsibility.

Respect for Self is a feeling of confidence and pride in one’s owns abilities and worth. Having regard for one's character, and one's conduct with appreciation of one’s self elevates our awareness of who we are. Self- respect is the cornerstone on which many other attributes are built such as dignity, honesty, loyalty, confidence and integrity. Feeling good about yourself, thinking enough of yourself to make decisions that will be good for your long term emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health, will improve your character and self worth. Always surround yourself with people who have your best interests involved, who care about your thoughts and feelings, who share your passions and interests and who live healthy lifestyles. Conduct yourself on a daily basis with a happy heart, engage in physical activities that are health-oriented, be polite and pleasant to others and it will elevate your own self- respect. By walking the walk and talking the talk you can display the respect you have of yourself by honoring your body and mind. The person with self-respect simply likes themselves. It should not be contingent on success or a result of comparing ourselves with others. Self -respect is a given because of who we are and not because of what we can or cannot do. No one can take steps towards their goals, dreams and aspirations without liking the person they currently are.

In general character good or bad, is considered to be observable in one's conduct. Look at how you act each day, what you do to honor yourself and how you display those qualities that show self-respect. Those with self-respect are less prone to blame others, have guilt, live with regret, lie, have secrets and stress. Ask yourself if you display any of these traits and start to acknowledge why you feel this way. Be thankful on a daily basis for the blessings you have now and at the same time examine the beliefs, biases, assumptions, and myths inherited from family, school, religion, and society. One by one, dismantle and discard those not in keeping with healthy, honorable and virtuous living, and cherish those that are. Part of our personal development is the view we have of our self, and respecting yourself will play a big role in your chosen path in life. Have fun as you develop friendships, interests, purposes and passions. Enjoy the journey of learning to respect yourself as a unique individual who has something to offer in this world. When you act with integrity, your words and actions will match, which gives you self respect and a peaceful heart. Respect for ourselves feeds our respect for others.

“Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners”. –Laurence Sterne

Respect for Others is to have unbiased consideration and regard for the rights, values, beliefs and property of all people. To hold in special regard someone's opinions, talents and/or abilities, reflects your own values and standards. It also shares what you believe in, and in part, what you see or would like to see in yourself. By respecting others, you show the attitude of friendliness and comfort towards them. Listening to other people’s thoughts, feelings and desires without judgment, allows you to respect them for who they are, and not what you want them to be. Very often, we impose our own ideas on others without being able to respect other people's inherent differences. Everyone you encounter has a unique moral fiber that has created who they are and how they think. Being able to allow others to express themselves in their own way will open your mind to different theories and information that might not be part of your mindset. Respecting other people in your personal and professional environments will encourage the same respect be given to you, in return. We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. Always treat people the way you would want to be treated: with civility and dignity. Ask yourself if at any time during your day: Did my verbiage or actions ridicule, embarrass or hurt other people? Become aware of how you treat people, so you can improve your behavior. Being fair minded, truthful and polite will reflect the virtues of respect and bring back to you the same positive energy that you put out to others.

“Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves”. -Ulysses S. Grant

Responsibility means to accept accountability for your actions. When you make a mistake, you accept it, correct it, and offer amends, instead of making excuses. Responsibility is the ability to respond and make smart choices for yourself. Being responsible for your actions allows you to accept that everything along the way that happens to you, good and bad, has been determined by the choices you have made. You are in control of those decisions and blaming others for your situation is avoiding your responsibility. You can pretty much choose almost everything in your life; your career, your spouse, where you live, who your friends are, your social activities with the one exception of the parents you were born to. You need to make sure that you acknowledge the responsibility that follows those decisions because they are your own and not anyone else’s. Personal growth develops when we are accountable because we accept the choices that we made and learn and grow from them.

People who take complete responsibility for their lives experience inner joy and control of circumstances. They are able to make better choices because they understand that they are responsible for those decisions. Take a review of yourself to see how often you take responsibility or place blame on others. Listen to your verbiage to see if you often point fingers of blame at your friends, spouse, co workers and family. Are you making excuses and shifting responsibility to others for the things that don’t always go right? How many times have you said: "He/she did this to me?" You can change these negative behavior patterns by first understanding that you made choices that ultimately created these results. Taking responsibility is the first step in acknowledging that you have the control to make better choices in the future. Become proactive, not reactive, to your situations and be accountable. Acknowledge that your life is your responsibility. No one can live your life for you. You are in charge. No matter how hard you try to blame others for the events of your life, each event is the result of choices you made and are making. By breaking the blame-game patterns in your life and accepting responsibility, you will see your circumstances change for the better.

“The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs” –Joan Didion

When you put into practice the three R’s on a daily basis you will start to see your life change with positive experiences. Lessons are learned and spiritual growth becomes prevalent. Don’t allow the past to dictate the present, unless it honors you and your life. Start to modify your behavior to reflect actions that display respect for yourself, respect for others and take responsibility for all your actions. It’s never too late to get support so you can be on a better path in your life. You do have the power to change your circumstances and the change starts the day you commit to live an honorable life.

Denise Dema is a Business and Life Management Coach with over 20 years experience empowering individuals, entrepreneurs and business owners to attain self-defined success in their professional and personal lives. To learn more about the author and her practice please visit http://www.denisedema.com/