Five Reasons You Need A Coach
Recently I read Trillion Dollar Coach - The Leadership Playbook Of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle.
It's a good book, I recommend it!
In one striking story, Eric Schmidt reveals a very difficult time in his career at Google, and how he was going to resign in frustration. His coach, Bill Campbell, wisely counseled him through that difficult situation - and ultimately - it lead to Eric becoming Chairman of the Board and playing a huge part in the Google story. Coaches matter!
The thing that stood out to me the most as I listened to the audio version of the book, was simply the enthusiasm in Silicon Valley for business coaches. I assumed, wrongly, that because they are all super geniuses, that they'd scoff at the idea of having a coach.
Turns out, the opposite it true. The smartest online marketers in the world love having coaches.
I really believe every e-commerce entrepreneur needs a coach too. Why?
1. Focus. Entrepreneurs can be very scattered. They can love creating - and neglect the hard work of implementation. Especially when the implementation stretches and challenges their personal skillset. A coach speaks the truth in love - and holds the entrepreneur accountable to stay focused.
2. Accountability to do the hard things. One of the reasons entrepreneurs enjoy the creative process and avoid the more difficult implementation steps involved in scaling is because one is fun and one is hard. A good coach holds the entrepreneur accountable to do the hard things. The weekly check-ins become a helpful milestone that stretch the entrepreneurs capacity to implement.
3. Encourager. Entrepreneurship can be a lonely and frustrating career. Especially when you don't have a business partner. And if your spouse of family members aren't interested in brainstorming with you either - you have almost no one to discuss complex business options. No one to brainstorm ideas with - and no one to encourage you to make the hard choices. A good coach listens - and supports the mission and dream in the entrepreneur's heart.
4. Teacher. A good coach has real-world experience in a wide set of business areas. They teach and instruct with patients and skill. They expand the entrepreneurs trade skill by transferring knowledge methodically. Some things can't be taught in a one-hour webinar. Good coaches take the time to teach complex strategies methodically.
5. Networking. A good coach expands the social connections available to the entrepreneur. They make introduces for potential clients and partners that can expand the entrepreneurs business. They have trusted relationships with professional service providers that the entrepreneur can start using. They have connections that could assist in selling your company, financing your company, or adding new product lines.
If you need an e-commerce coach, let's talk. Feel free to apply to our coaching program and take us up on our offer to do a free 30 minute consultation.
If you'd like additional training and coaching to achieve your Shopify goals, consider applying for our coaching program today!
Grateful for the chance to be of help,
Jason & Kyle
