Starting your own business is intimidating. You’re taking a huge risk going out on your own, and there are no guarantees that you’ll do well.
With a life coach by your side, however, you’ll have the support you need to try and reach your career goals.
According to recent statistics, there are nearly 16,000 life coaches in the United States, and on average, they charge $214 per session. The career is attractive to men and women of all ages from a variety of backgrounds. Whatever personality type you have or goal you wish to achieve, you can find someone with comparable experience to help guide you there.
If you’ve debated hiring a life coach, or you’re curious about what one can do for you and your business, take the following four benefits into consideration.
1. You Can Conquer Your Fears.
You need guts in order to make it very far as a solopreneur. So, if you’re fearful in any way, you’re going to hold yourself back.
Mira Joleigh, a life coach in Los Angeles, assists women who are experiencing quarter life crises and want to switch up their careers. In order to help them get to where they want to go, she says she will, “push them out of their comfort zones and let them see that the only thing holding them back is that they’re afraid.”
Joleigh learned firsthand about the power of conquering your fears. In the past, she walked across 30 feet of hot coals and skydived, all in the name of challenging herself to step outside of her comfort zone. “Whenever I conquer a fear, the things I was once scared of aren’t as scary anymore,” she says.
By targeting what’s scary, it will have a ripple effect on everything, including your career. “I ask my clients where their fear lies,” says Joleigh. “It might seem completely unrelated to business, but when you conquer a fear in one part of your life, it gives you confidence in another part.”
2. You Can Hear an Outside Opinion.
When you’re running your business, you’re likely working either alone or with a partner. Often, the only opinions you hear are your own or those of your friends, coworkers, employees, and family. Unlike the people who are close to you, a life coach is more of an objective outsider who can help you keep perspective.
One thing a good life coach isn’t hesitant to do is to tell you the truth. “When looking for a life coach, you should find someone who is honest,” says Rusty Bergen, a life coach based in New York City. “You shouldn’t look for one who just tells you what you want to hear.”
3. You Can Connect with Someone in Your Niche.
Many times, life coaches will have great experience in a particular industry. According to Joleigh, when taking on a life coach, you should seek out someone who has achieved goals that are similar to your own.
If you do this, your life coach will know what you’re going through, can give you resources to help you along, possibly connect with you other people in your industry, and help you avoid mistakes that they might have made. When you choose a life coach that’s well-aligned with your business goals, you’ll find the relationship benefits many areas of your life.
4. You Can Focus on Your Tasks at Hand.
When you have a regular 9 to 5 job, your boss is there to tell you what to do and keep you on task. If you’re a solopreneur, you don’t have that person looking over your shoulder. Fortunately, a life coach is a good substitute.
“It gives you someone to hold you accountable for the things you want to do in your life,” says Bergen. “It’s much easier to have someone to help you get there instead of going in circles. Life coaches don’t fix your life, but they can help you manage it.”
What to keep in mind when looking for a life coach
In order to have a truly beneficial relationship with your life coach, you have to do your research. Before bringing on a life coach, you must:
• Reach out to friends for recommendations, look at website testimonials, and check Yelp reviews.
• Look for a life coach who is certified by the International Coach Foundation. That way, you know you won’t be signing up with someone who calls him or herself a coach, but doesn’t have any special training.
• Ask how long coaching will take, and set up a timeline. Joleigh says that she works with clients for three, six, and 12 months at a time. You need to have your objectives in mind, and work out points along the way with your coach in order to reach them. You shouldn’t do just one or two sessions, as it won’t be effective, but you don’t want to go forever with no end in sight, either.
If you’re in need of reprioritizing some things in your life or at work, then check out The Art of Less Doing with Ari Miesel and learn how to be more productive by doing less (and only what matters most).
