But for many of us (raise your hands now if you are feeling lost, stressed, upset, depressed) that is exactly what we need. I’m sure there is an insane amount of psychology out there on the dynamics of having a Coach, but I’m not going to get into all that (you can google that on your own). However I am going to share a few of my experiences and thoughts on the matter – because I am a blogger now and from what I know about blogging, I get to do that. [superemotions file="icon_wink.gif" title="Wink"]

Top Signs You Need to Consider Hiring A Coach

When it’s time to start working, you would rather be doing the dishes/laundry/cleaning the toilet. (extra points if you actually clean the toilet rather then working)

When the person you talk to most has that glazed over look in their eyes when you talk about your business, cause you keep saying/complaining about the same things over and over. (my husband can attest to that)

When you sit down to work at the computer and you start your day by surfing the net for anything and everything NOT related to your biz. (stupid amazon.com gets me every time)

When people start emailing you wondering if you’ve fallen off the face of the earth cause you have not been twittering/facebooking/blogging like normal. (and it’s not b/c you’ve been on vacation or something)

When your actual vacation is approaching and you are filled with dread rather then excitement because you feel like your business will fall apart if you leave.

When you get a new lead or prospect and you react with a “oh, crap! not another one!” (believe me, it happens)

When you feel like you are  (or actually are) working non-stop but still can’t afford to buy yourself a morning latte (or in my case, red bull)

When you decide to take on a client who does not mesh well with you, knowing it’s only gonna be trouble, just to have a client.

And here’s #1 for me — the day you decide “I’m going to go back and get a ‘real’ job – it’s gotta be better then this”.

I know there are more signs, and for each person and type of business I’m sure the signs vary. I’m guessing if you take a step back and look at the low points of your business you will be able to recognize your own personal signs (so next time, you can nip it in the bud).

If one (or more!) of those signs hits home with you, I recommend looking into hiring a coach, even if it’s just for an hour. I can attest to the fact that even just an hour can make the biggest difference in the world. And here’s my personal opinion why:

What a Coach Can Do For You

Validate You. Speaking from a female perspective (cause, um, I’m a girl) there is little in this world that is better then having someone tell you what you feel/think is right/ok. As women, I think we question ourselves way too much when it comes to non-traditional female stuff (don’t be offended at this, please). For me, when someone questions my decisions/feelings as a mother I can say “screw you!” but when it comes to my business I feel timid and shy about my feelings, plans and ambitions. Having someone else (especially a peer) tell you what you think/feel is right is empowering.

Enlighten You. Many many times, even if you think you have it figured out – you don’t. A good Coach will open doors for you that you had never even thought of before. Maybe you know you need to do X, but the key to making that happen is to realize why you are not doing X already. A Coach can help you pin point what the real problems are (for example, point out some conditioned behavior that you never thought you had). When you can finally see what’s really standing in your way, you can knock it out -or off- a lot easier.

Motivate You. It’s true that you may already know exactly what you should be doing to solve whatever problem that you are having. If that’s the case, then why haven’t you started doing it yet? It could be partly because you need to be sure you are right (see “Validate You”) and it could be partly because no one is there to answer to. When you are only answering to yourself, it can be hard (sometimes impossible) to motivate to get that going.

I realized that when my family is gone, and I am alone in the house, I eat A LOT of cookies and potato chips. But when my family is here, I am eating things like bandanna and granola bars. Why? Because I can get away with the junk food when no one is hear looking over my shoulder (and it’s almost like it never happened). I think the same thing plays out in my business. Since no one is here looking over my shoulder, I can be as sloppy and unorganized as possible and then blame my problems on anything and everything else.

When you work with  a coach, more then likely they will be giving you challenges, checking in with you and keeping tabs on your work. Knowing that you are handing $$ to this person and they are watching you can really motivate you to make those changes needed to get you back into the swing of things.

Push You. After motivation there  is pushing. I call it pushing because I think there is a step past motivation that is uncomfortable and difficult – and that is going outside your comfort zone and accomplishing things you had written off, don’t want to do or had never even considered.

Empower You. This is my #1 reason for hiring a Coach. When you work with someone who knows what they are doing, who is confident and knowledgeable and strong – their attitude and strength carries over to you. When someone you respect tells you that you are worth it, that you are good at what you do, you have an easier time believing in yourself. And ladies, I know many of you can agree that lacking confidence is one of the biggest setbacks in our entrepreneurial game. When you walk away from a coaching session knowing what you need to do and how you are going to do it AND  feeling like you can do it, it stays with you.

So…how do you find this magical solution to your problems? I know there are a lot of Coaches out there. There are Coaches for everything, too. It can get confusing as to who is right for the job, who knows what they are talking about and who would fit well with you. Especially when it comes to paying for it, because if you are like me  you don’t have a money tree in your backyard and every dime counts. My first suggestion is to not look at their fees. Don’t hire one coach over the other because they are cheaper. While a low-fee coach may be the best person for you, that should not be your deciding factor. Make the decision  up front that you are going to part with whatever amount of money it takes to hire the coach that fits with you. And make it happen — start with one hour and see how you feel after that. When it comes to hiring a Coach, you have to consider the big picture — a few hundred dollars now (while it may hurt and you may be eating pb&j’s for a while) can equal increased profits out the wazoo down the road (and then you can celebrate with an expensive steak dinner).

Searching for your Coach.

Since I work with (and know) a lot of coaches, I know it’s hard to find the right one right away. My best tip for finding that match is to do your homework. Look for some Coaches (get references and search the web) and read their stuff – subscribe to their newsletters, read their blogs, download their freebies, follow them on twitter. Find a Coach that writes in a voice similar to yours. Find a Coach who’s topics make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You’ll know. Once you have found that one (or a few) that you feel connected to, ask for a free consultation. If you leave that call feeling like you’ve found a new friend – then they are the one for you.

Need Somewhere to Start?

Here are a few coaches who make the hair on the back of my neck stand up when they write. I invite you to follow them on twitter, subscribe to their newsletters and see what they have to say. While my opinions are just that – my opinions- I can attest that reading their freebies and newsletters alone have changed my business and my attitude. (You may notice some of these are my own clients – no, I have not struck a deal with them or anything, but since I spent a lot of time reading their materials while I worked, I got to know them and fell in love with what they are about)

Elizabeth Genco Purvis: The Marketing Goddess. This lady is top notch when it comes to empowerment. If you feel your business -and income- is sliding off into oblivion, she has the right tools to pull you back up and get your business moving again. [also twitter.com/elizabethgenco]

Michele Woodward. If you are feeling lost in what you are doing right now, whether you are still at a crappy corporate job, running a less-then-successful home business or in between work, she will show you why you are where you are at and how to change it. She also makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside about yourself. [also twitter.com/michelewoodward]

Elizabeth Potts Weinstein. Despite the fact that she is my sister (and typically I do not listen to my sister) I have gained immense knowledge about “the biz” from her. She’s been there, done that. She can show you what things you should stop doing, where you need to bulk up the efforts and how to piece together a financially successful business from scratch. [also twitter.com/elizabethpw]

Laurie Foley. I akin Laurie to Apollo Creed in Rocky III. She’s that Coach that’s right there training you for the big fight, and is on the sideline when you’re in the ring, pushing you to get back in there for the knock out. She brings out the championship fighter in you. [also twitter.com/intuitioneer]

Have you had an awesome experience with a life or business Coach? Please share your experiences by adding a comment below or email me with your thoughts – I would love to add some more names to my list of recommended Coaches!! Or just let me know your theories or thoughts on hiring a Coach – I’d love the insights!! [superemotions file="icon_biggrin.gif" title="Big Grin"]

~Victoria Potts Keale is a newbie blogger, website designer, entrepreneur extraordinaire, mom, wife, daughter, sister… well, you get the gist. She lives in her hometown of St. Louis, MO in an old haunted farmhouse with her 2 kids and drummer hubby. She has 15 tattoos and wants more. She loves 80′s music. She thinks writing bios in the 3rd person is wacky. You should email her and tell her what else to put in her bio – victoria@lynnraedesigns.com – but don’t spam her, cause she’ll get angry.

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