Hiring a business coach is one of the most controversial investments you might make in your business—and the online business community doesn’t like to let you forget it.
In fact, if you headed to Threads and asked “should I invest in a business coach?” you’ll get two sets of responses:
But I’m neither AND both of those people—or rather, I’ve been on BOTH sides over the last year and after investing just under $10k into business coaching. And yes, I’m about to share all the ups and downs, what was great (and what was not so great), and the results.
And, to answer your question, you should invest in a business coach when and if it feels right to you. Not just “good vibes,” but that their style of coaching works for you, the results/journey they’re providing is what YOU need, and that you’re both willing to take accountability for your actions—and speak up for what you need and experience within the program.
Let’s get into in:
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A business coach is a professional mentor who supports, educates and motivates business owners (at least, that’s what they are according to LinkedIn). And it’s not a bad definition. The coaches I’ve had and met are essentially professional mentors—hands-on mentors, but mentors nonetheless.
Business coaches work in different capacities with their clients (mentees?), the usual being 1:1, group programs, and the occasional membership or one-off consult.
Most also have some type of specialty like systems, sales (who I’ve worked with), skills (based on the industry, like copywriting, operations, etc.), pricing… you get the picture.
Personally, I’ve mostly worked with coaches in group programs.
Remember when I said I’ve been both a “YAY! That’s my coach” person and a “Coaches are a no-go” person? It’s allll because of the experiences I’ve had.
First, let’s talk about October of 2024—coach no. 1, a sales coach I hired for a one-time VIP day ($750.00 for transparency) and hired to work within a group coaching program ($1,000/month for 3 months). Good person, okay program—but self-led, which wasn’t what I needed (at the time) and offered no curriculum.
This was a Voxer only with a 60-minute call once per month and a weekly group call or “office hours.”
Things I loved:
Things I didn’t:
On the downside, I lost a lot of trust in the coaching industry because of this experience—I’d always been a little skeptical ($$$ isn’t something that just ‘comes’ in my world) and investing $2,750 and not being able to get in touch with my coach 9/10 was rough.
My least favorite phrase became “you’re so coachable.” It’s what she told me 24/7, but I didn’t FEEL or see any changes.
I really thought I’d sworn off coaching—especially sales, which is what I wanted coaching in—but it wasn’t but a month later I connected with another coach. I didn’t invest right off the bat. In fact, it took me almost 3 months of building trust to invest.
First I joined her membership, designed to help you scale to $5K, but one week-ish in I was mid-launch Pod to Blog (my group program teaching podcasters how to get found on Google) and I was in over my head and decided to join her full program to get help.
While I’m writing this, it’s officially the start of the sixth month of the program ($1K/month) and I loveeee it. Honestly, her as a coach matched my pace and need for flexibility soooo much better.
Her program is hosted in Circle, offers one 45 minute 1:1 each month, and a group office hours once a week—plus the community.
What I’ve loved:
Things I didn’t:
Her name is Meghan Lamle, the program is Mission Income, and during the program I went from $5-6K months to averaging $10K months AND being just $50 short of my first $20K month!!
The moral of the story is that hiring and investing in a business coach is a bit of a personal decision—one that, like any other investment, has it’s own risks and possible payoffs. But, if you’re taking anything from this, let it be this:
Before I hired my first coach, I didn’t talk to anyone they’d worked with before and I truly think doing so would have given better insight into whether or not they were right for me. When I joined Mission Income, I DM’d a past student (or really, two) to get their honest thoughts and their own transformations in addition to chatting with the coach herself for a good long while.
Do you need a lot of accountability? Maybe you need a second brain? Maybe you just need some clarity on your next direction—or maybe you just wanna stop feelin’ fucking confused (same). Start thinking about what you need before joining, if your problem is x but the coach helps solve for y, it’s gonna feel like a bad fit even if the program is amazing.
This person is gonna be allll up in your business so putting on airs before you join the program is a bullshit start. Just be raw and honest in your conversations with the coach before investing. Tell ‘em what you hope to achieve, what your hesitations are, potential fears, etc. If they’re not willing to spend a few minutes in the DMs or your email talkin’ it out, they’re probably not the best fit.
^^also, a good coach will tell you if their program is actually right for you if you give them all the deets.
Like I said, I can’t make that decision for you, but if you think a business coach is what you need right now, I have soooo many recommendations (just shoot me a DM on Instagram 😉
I do kinda have a preference for Mission Income—but pick what fits you!! And if you have any questions, that’s what I’m here for!
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Mom of three, lover of all things blogging, and borderline obsessive coffee drinker — I also just happen to love making complicated things simple and accessible, especially when it comes to SEO. The blog is a collection of what I've learned from years of testing, trial and error, and working with amazing clients with impactful businesses (just like yours). Blogging and SEO doesn't have to be boring — and it definitely doesn't need to be difficult.