“I knew we needed to grow and change to keep pace with our markets. Working with John has provided us with the strategy, plan, tools and the accountibility to experience 46% growth in our first year working together. We are now expanding our services and creating new programs to serve both new and our existing customers. And at the same time we are also creating new opportunities to reward our employees.”
— Ken Doerbecker, President, Perfection Services, Inc., Wexford, PA

Why do I need a coach?

With coaching, business owners and executives have achieved significant growth in sales, revenue, business value, employee satisfaction and a tremendous improvement in their quality of life.

As the business markets have become more and more competitive, highly profitable corporations, highly effective executives, highly successful athletes, government officials, career seekers, and many others have found coaching to be their catalyst to achieving desired goals and attaining higher levels of performance. Business owners and executives are deploying the same secret weapon used by the mega organizations – business coaching.

Business coaches have been compared to personal trainers for your life, your champion, cheerleader, advocate, partner, mentor and sounding board. Coaches have helped untold numbers of individuals just like you get their businesses on track and live their passions.

Coaching is a rapidly growing profession with its roots in personal effectiveness. Business coaching is a much newer phenomenon. A good business coach:

  • Has a successful and dynamic business background
  • Has been extensively trained in all areas of business
  • Has an assortment of tools to help you with your business challenges, all in addition to the traditional coach training.

Business Coaching: Frequently Asked Questions

What results can I expect working with a ThistleSea executive or business coach? 
As a trusted advisor, your ThistleSea business coach stays with you to coach, advise and mentor you to reach your desired outcomes for your business. Your ThistleSea business coach is that trusted advisor to assist you to deliver positive results for your business and to improve your life.

Your ThistleSea coach will help you become the business owner or leader that you know you can be. Your ThistleSea coach understands the relationship between marketing, sales, customer service, leadership, human resources, systemization, controlling costs, and financial management so they can help you build a better business. A ThistleSea business coach has access to hundreds of tools that you will use to defeat all your challenges.

How much does coaching cost?
In most cases – nothing! In fact, you should be able to make more than enough in the growth of your company to pay for the coaching. And the results last for years after the coaching process has ended. It’s the greatest investment that you will ever make!

But if that’s not a good enough answer, we’ll tell you this: It would cost you more to hire a receptionist to answer your phones for a year than it will cost you to hire a coach. Think about that.

One important question business owners need to consider: Is the cost of not getting started more painful than making an investment for a far greater return?

What is expected of me as the business owner or executive? 
Business owners and executives qualify for coaching if they desire to make their business more successful, engage in an open and honest relationship with the business coach, are willing to put 4 to 6 hours of work each week working on their business, make all scheduled coaching meetings and put their action plan into play in their business.

How do I select a qualified coach?
A vast majority of coaches that you may meet are trained as personal coaches. While they may be fine personal coaches, this does not make them good business coaches.

Don’t be fooled. The typical response from a personal coach who is posing as a legitimate business coach is this: “All of your business problems are personal or emotional problems. If you just do what you know you should be doing, you will improve your business.” Unfortunately, that’s not true. Simply because you own a business does not mean that you are an expert on all aspects of marketing, sales, customer service, financial management, human resources, systems design, information technology, management and leadership. A real business coach will help you fill in the gaps. Simply making you, only, more personally effective won’t!

If you are interviewing coaches, simply ask them:

  • What resources are available to help me with my business challenges?
  • How will you help me in marketing?
  • How will you help me increase my sales successes?
  • How will you help me improve my customer service?
  • How will you help me hire and train my employees better?
  • How will you help me motivate my staff more effectively?
  • What programs do you have to help me systematize my business so that I can work less?
  • Where were you trained to be a business coach?
  • How often do you get additional business training?

What type of return on investment should I expect? 
An investment in a relationship with a ThistleSea business coach will provide you the opportunity for an unparalleled return. With the annual cost typically less than a clerical associate employee, in case study after case study, it has been proven that coaching provided ample return on investment. Studies show from 500% ROI to 1000% ROI for the executives and businesses that are being coached.

In addition, the coaching process requires the investment of time by the coachee, typically one hour a week meeting via phone or face-to-face with the ThistleSea business coach and 2 to 4 hours each week working on practical homework. This time spent working ON the business instead of IN the business pays huge dividends.