What I want to see in the business coaching industry in 2023
This could be an unpopular opinion, but I can no longer stay silent. What a lot of people are surprised to know about me when we meet, chat and work together is that I have 15 years of strategy consulting experience.
I went to one of the best business schools in France. I didn't start my business as a business coach based on my own business success. I started based on the years of knowledge, training, education and experience from working with hundreds of startups.
To be honest, when I started my business as a business coach I didn't want to label myself as a coach. That is why I call myself a Soul + Biz Doula. The business coaching industry didn't align with me.
Why? Because it is more than just changing an Instagram handle and using the same strategy over and over again. The process goes against everything I learnt in my years of education and experience.
Business strategy isn't about using a formula that worked for one person who decided to become a coach. It works by using different strategies and formulas in a unique way for a business.
To me it feels like this. You self medicate yourself and it works, so you tell everyone else to use the same medicine you did, to help them. You label yourself a Dr... While this sounds extreme. It feels the same. If you wouldn't hire a non-trained Dr, would you do the same for the health of your business (and your livelihood)?
I am not saying people can't become business coaches and that everyone has to go to the top schools in the world to do it. But because there is no regulation in this industry, there are a lot of people who get burnt by business coaches who don't have the right training or experience.
My advice? Hire someone you feel energetically aligned to but also those who have the right skill set. REMEMBER - you need the right foundations and strategy to create a sustainable business. The "blueprints" and formulas don't work for everyone. It isn't a rinse-and-repeat process.
Business coaching requires more than just the success from ONE strategy and formula taught to many. Now let’s go into what instead of this, I think we should see in 2023 in the business coaching industry!
1. Ethics
While there are a lot of businesses out there who work very ethically, there are some that don’t. But the problem here is, a lot of them don’t realise what they do is unethical. Why? Because they follow the same ways as many other coaches online without realising this can be harmful to those they teach.
My question to a lot of these business owners is: “if you worked for a big brand (knowing the risks etc) would you make claims like “I can get you to $10k in 15 days?”. We both know the answer. We don’t see big brands making these claims.
While it is important to always explain the transformation process to your potential clients, making wild accusations like “I will get you to this money amount in a small time”, in my eyes, is not ethical as it is not possible.
There is a question you can always ask yourself when it comes to business decisions: “is this aligned with my values?”. The answer is served to you here.
2. Assets
We want to see the assets. The things a business coach has done to get to the point where they can serve entrepreneurs. The expertise, work, life experience, insights, professional training and degrees, accomplishments, networks, IP - all of this.
If you were looking for a Dr, you wouldn’t go to someone who has been self medicating and believes their “formula” works. It works the same as our business.
I want to see business coaches with the experience. The progress they have seen with other businesses, not just their own.
3. Frameworks over formulas
There is no blueprint or secret formula in business. Each business (and person) has a different goal, energy, vision. We are all unique. A business coach cannot give you a formula that will work for your business.
Frameworks are what we want to work with. Why? Because they are tailored. They work to be moulded and adjusted to the needs of each business.
4. NO “you should” mindset
The final thing I would like to see in the business coaching industry in 2023 is the mindset shift. No business coach should have a “should” attitude.
“If you want to make millions of dollars in business you should go evergreen”. No more of this. Even the fact that a business coach should standardise a client to wanting a certain level of success should not be assumed.
A business coach holds space for a client to work with their own unique business, their own unique ideas and values to create something truly innovative for them.
It is like a kit home. No one wants to buy the same house as everyone else, we want a unique house. The same applies in business.
Final thoughts
Before you go, ask yourself “what would I like to buy and experience in a brand?”. Think about this for a second. This is the type of business you want to build. Not what everyone else is trying to build. Let’s remove the ego of wanting to work to 6 figures and beyond and let’s go back to the real vision and reason we started our business.
Is what you are doing right now aligned to that? Start reflecting.
Resources
What is intuition in business?