Business Coach vs Business Consultant

It is always rare when we can find one thing in life to support all of our specific needs so why do we expect this in our businesses.

Why is it that we are expecting to hire one type of service provider for all areas of our business? As I get older I continue to become wiser in life, as most of us do, and over the years I have come to realize that a all in one model is not usually the best option for me and the purpose I am needing an item to serve. I am not sure how or why I expect something to be fit for all areas of my life but I do and personally it doesn't make sense. Maybe it is a financial reason or subconsciously I am trying to justify the cost of a particular item by believing that it will be the cure for multiple things.

So why am I expecting a business coach to be the magic wand my business is needing when there are so many other areas that are a hot mess too. I should not expect my business coach to set up my sales funnel anymore than I should be expecting my VA to help me through my business struggles. The reason I shouldn't expect these things from these 2 experts is because they are each simply that…. Experts! But they are experts in their specific field and even though my business coach can set up my sales funnel and my VA can give me support and focus during a particular struggle, the information will not be the same or even as valuable because they are limited on the amount of knowledge they have in that area.

Now that we have covered some of my thoughts on all in one products or multi purpose services I think it is time to move into the primary reason for this post…. Difference between a business coach and a business consultant.

Did you know that there is a difference in a business coach and a business consultant??

Well for those of us that didn't know let's check out the differences.

What is a business coach?

-- A business coach is someone that works on bringing out the best that's already inside you. A business coach is meant to focus on the bigger picture of what you want to create for your business and type of lifestyle you are striving for from your business. You will work with your coach on various parts of life and what will keep you motivated in moving forward with your dreams, goals, and task.

The results you get from a business coach should be a fool proof plan that you create for moving forward as your coach partners to support you in completing this plan in your business.

What is a business consultant?

-- A business consultant is someone you hire as an expert partnership in various areas of business. Whether they are experts in marketing, strategic planning, business growth, etc. They are there to teach you various skills, how to create better systems, implement your systems, and online marketing techniques. Your business consultant will collaborate with you on the results you’re looking to get and then creates a plan of action with you on moving forward.

The results you would expect to get from a consultant is focusing on getting a project and task done in order to enhance your business.

Ideally you would want to have your business coach to help you create the plan but a business consultant to help you with the steps of that plan.

For instance…..

If one of the things on the plan you created with your coach is to start building an email list, which is needed to accomplish the other steps on your list but you don’t know where to start, this is where your business consultant would come into the picture. Your business consultant would be able to provide you with a step by step action plan to help you complete this task. To take this a step further…. If you were looking for someone to help you put these steps into action like setting up the email sequences or sales funnels for this project you would want to outsource this task to a VA (virtual assistant). Your virtual assistant would be able to get this completed for you.

Ideally you would want to have a whole team of support available to you that has their own specific area of expertise but that is not always possible. I mean let's get real…. As great as amazing as it would be to have a whole team of support around you as you build and grow your business the reality of it is that financially it may not be possible. Hell if I could afford a support team I don't think that my first thought would be a business team I would probably start with a personal team. LOL You know like a housekeeper, chef, personal driver, etc. then I would have time to always be working my business. LOL Of course my second choice would be a business support team. But since I am forced to live in reality and financially I am not able to have a full support team right now, for personal or business, it is important that I chose to invest in the expert that I feel will be able to get me the most results. You should choose to invest in the expert that can help you get enough growth to hire on that next expert.

How do you know which expert is the best option to invest in first?

For me I have 2 methods I use when I have to make these types of decisions…. Research & My Gut! ----> Always go with your gut! Allow your gut feeling be the deciding factor.

These 2 methods may not work for you but hopefully you get the point that you must go with what feels right to you. Logically the research method is one of the most reliable options but yet it can be totally overwhelming so I wanted to help you out a little bit. I have listed a few of the things that a business coach can work with you on and a few of the things a business consultant can work with you on that way you have a good starting point for your research.

Business Coach:

**Please remember that these are just a few of the things that a coach can offer**

*Accountability

*Motivation

*Clarity

*Purpose

*Focus

*Vision

*Brainstorming & Action Planning

Business Consultant:

**Please remember that these are just a few of the things that a consultant can offer**

*Business planning & strategy

*Service/Product offerings & pricing

*Systems for running your business

*Delegation/Dealing with staff & subcontractors

*Internet marketing planning

*Social media marketing

*Project planning

Starting a business is one of the scariest yet one of the most rewarding decisions you can make in your life. All of us sacrifice so much to start our businesses and deciding on whether or not to invest in our business is not something we will ever do lightly. That’s why being 100% confident in our investment options should be a complete no brainer. You never want to have regret or buyers remorse after an invest especially not when it comes to your support team. Make sure that you are fully informed and have done your research when deciding on a coach or consultant.

**FINAL THOUGHTS**

Remember that each person has their own expertise in their industry and it is important to find the right expert for you. As a little side note…. You may find or currently have a coach that is able to help you in various areas as you are growing your business but try to remember that they are experts in their specific area and you should not expect them to be an expert in all the areas you need support.

I would love to hear you thoughts on the difference between these two services and your thought on having multiple experts as part of your support team. Click here to share your comments, questions, and tips over on my Facebook Page.