Don’t Go It Alone in the New Year
We come from a culture that supports self-made women and that has an expectation that we will pull ourselves up by our bra-straps. Speaking from experience, I know this is based in fallacy and will lead you down a misguided path. You might be thinking, “Cynthia is in the business of supporting women entrepreneurs, so of course this would be her point of view!” Your thinking actually underlies the reason I do what I do, but I did not hang out my consultant shingle as a way to make money off the backs of women. My years of experience are grounded in the belief that my accomplishments are in large part due to my accepting that “I only knew what I knew”, which meant I had to find others who knew more. The many, many women and men who have coached, consulted, mentored, and befriended me over the years are in large part the reason I have been successful in every business venture I have tackled.
I could paint the picture of how one business experience led to another and how the help I received along the way translated into each business success. I am thinking that what would be more beneficial is to help you identify what type of assistance might move your business forward. Knowing whether you need coaching and/or consulting can be essential in taking the next step in your business. Some folks believe you need both. I am of the mind that identifying what you are looking for will define which type of support will prove to be most beneficial.
Here are some thoughts on the difference between a business coach and a business consultant:
Coaching explores the possibilities. Consulting provides the possibilities.
Coaching coaxes answers from the client, while consultants tell the client what to do.
Coaching is the building of capacity. Consulting helps the client resolve a particular business challenge.
When coaching, the focus is on the client. When consulting, the focus is on the problem.
Take a look at the two lists below and circle the words that most resonate with your needs. Don’t be shy; circle all the words that call to you. This will shed some light on where you are focused and whether coaching, consulting or a combination of both would be most beneficial for moving your business ahead in 2019.
Once you gain clarity on where you can use some assistance and identify where you need to focus, consider reaching out for help. This can take the form of a consultant and or coach, a mastermind group, an accountability partner, a mentor, an advisory board, a group of likeminded business women, or any additional other options you come up with. The best advice I can offer is to align what you need with your best guess at where you are likely to get the desired results. Celebrate the New Year by giving yourself the gift of partnership in building your business!
Business Coaching
Accountability
Blocks
Brainstorming
Clarity
Confidence
Creativity
Distraction
Encouragement
Fear
Focus
Guidance
Leadership
Limiting beliefs
Management style
Motivation
Overwhelm
Personal development
Purpose
Prioritizing
Processing
Resistance
Self Esteem
Structure
Time management
Business Consulting
Accountability
Action plan
Brainstorming
Business direction (growth plan)
Business planning
Service/product development and pricing
Delegation
Finance, banking, borrowing
Goal setting
Human resources
Implementation
Job descriptions
Management
Marketing (traditional, internet, and social)
Money management
Optimization
Processes
Profitability
Project planning and management
Problem solving
Resource allocation
Sales
Solutions
Strategy
Systems
Visioning