It seems like January is a tough month in business.  If you ended 2009 on a high note, January starts everything fresh.  If you didn’t have a great 2009, January is a time to reflect on how you can make 2010 better.

Do you know what your goals are for 2010?  Do you know how you will attain the success you dream of in your business?  Have you taken the first step to having a great year this year?  Do you know what the first step is?

One of the challenges business owners in all forms of business face is the feeling of stuckness.  You have the way you have always done things and the clients that you have had as long as you can remember and think this is what you will always have.  The reality is that you can start changing how your business operates at any time.  Just because you have always done things a certain way or had clients “forever” doesn’t mean that you can’t change how you do things or get new clients that know the new way you do business.

The best benefit of being a business owner is that it is yours to decide and create.  If your dream has faded a little since you started, it might be time to take out some paper and pen and refresh your vision.  That how it starts.  Once you remind yourself what your passion for what you do felt like, you are halfway to breathing life back into your business.  As the dream comes alive on paper, new ideas about ways to reenergize will start to emerge.

There is nothing like the dreary and cold month of January to kick start your business.  Spring is around the corner and the work you do now can make it so that spring isn’t just a season but how you walk and feel!

Regards,

Allison

Allison Herstein Moran

a.hmoran@thegrowthcoach.com

(301) 346-2859

www.thegrowthcoach.com/a.hersteinmoran

Do you take time every year to develop a plan for the year?

Many business owners don’t have a plan and that can get in the way of their success.  Business owners who have a plan and review it regularly see better results throughout the year.

If you want better results this year, then it might be time to find a professional who can help you develop a strategy and goals that you can implement throughout the year.  A coach is someone who can keep you on track with your goals and accountable for working your plan.  Often the reason people fail to implement their plans is because they have no accountability.

Take time this month to write out your plan for 2010 and find someone who can keep you on track throughout the year!

Regards,

Allison

Allison Herstein Moran

a.hmoran@thegrowthcoach.com

(301) 346-2859

www.thegrowthcoach.com/a.hersteinmoran

Happy New Year!  And, welcome 2010. 

This year, I welcomed the year by explaining the difference between consulting and coaching.  My intent was to have a lovely evening with family and friends and I did.  Little did I know that you must always be ready to help people understand what you do.

When I casually mentioned to someone that I own my own business, he said, “oh, what do you do?”  When I told him I was a business coach, he told me that he has a friend who recently became a coach.  And, after several conversations he still didn’t really know what his friend does now.  And, how is coaching different than consulting.  He also mentioned that consultant has a negative connotation for some business owners.

I felt like this was a great way for me to start my new year.  Having an honest conversation where because there was no fear that I was going to try to convince him that I could help him and his business, I was able to address his real questions and doubts.  I thought that this might be a great opportunity to help more business owners understand what a coach does and how they are different from consultants.

First, a consultant gets paid to provide an opinion or recommendation on some aspect of a business where they profess to be a knowledge leader.  Coaches are not the experts in your business or in most of the businesses they coach (unless they coach in a specific industry only).  A coach provides an outside perspective that gives the business owner insight that they may not be able to find themselves because they are too busy working in their business.

Second, a consultant makes recommendations on changes the business owner or manager should  make based on industry best practices.   They get paid whether the business owner/manager implements the recommendations or not.  Coaches ask questions of the business owner/manager to help them determine their own best course of action and the path they want to take to make changes in their business.   A coach helps keep the business owner on track with their goals and plans using various means of accountability.  Coaches come in and work with the business owners while they are implementing changes or strategies and give the needed support and challenge that help the business owners reach their goals.

Third, consultants give guidance to business owners based on their knowledge of an industry.  Coaches, much like athletic coaches, are on the sidelines helping business owners see how they are doing and help them improve their skills by practice.  A coach will listen to a business owner’s perspective about a particular challenge or issue and provide feedback or questions to help the individual really work through a strategy to solve the issue.  It is about getting results and holding people accountable for working towards their goals with consistency and commitment.

Finally, many people worry that having a coach means that they are not doing their job effectively.  What people don’t realize is that many of the top executives at Fortune 500 companies all have executive coaches.  They have coaches to keep them at the top of their game or elevate their game even more.  Business owners usually hire accountants to help with their books and business planning and attorneys to help them when it is time to sign a contract.  Well, if you want to be a business owner who stands out in your industry, then a coach is a great way to get there.  Everyone doesn’t need a coach, but everyone deserves a coach.

Regards,

Allison

Allison Herstein Moran

a.hmoran@thegrowthcoach.com

(301) 346-2859

www.thegrowthcoach.com/a.hersteinmoran

Business owners in many industries noticed improvement, not a downturn this year.  Accounting services and insurance business owners saw an uptick in their business.  Is that because in an economic downturn many individuals who have lost their job become business owners.  They decide they want to be the master of their fate and take control of their economic future.

When people become business owners they realize that if they want to become successful they will get the "right" people on their team.  A good advisory team for a business owner includes an accountant, an attorney, a banker, an insurance agent and a business coach.  The best way to keep the financials in the proper order is to get guidance from an accountant.  To ensure that you have your legal entity is set up correctly and that you have the proper contracts to do business it is important to develop a relationship with a commercial attorney.

Additionally, business owners should make sure they have a relationship with a commercial banker before they want or need to borrow money.  Having relationships solidly formed prior to having a "need" for these professional services can help either prevent issues or improve circumstances more easily when issues occur.

Business owners who have the proper insurance avoid unnecessary financial challenges since in everything, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Business Coaches can provide a different kind of insurance.  By working with a coach throughout your business you have someone to keep you accountable for staying on track with your plans for your business.  You get an outside perspective to help make sure you don't make decisions in a vacuum.  You have someone to talk through things that may take you off your plan.  A business coach helps a business owner keep their focus when the many distractions that come with business ownership get in the way.

Research shows that business executives in the top companies have coaches.  Small business owners that find success early in their business often have someone that helps keep them on track with their business plan.  If you want your business to have its best year in 2010, find a coach who can keep you on track with your plan!