How to Hire the Right Coach

It’s really easy to hire the wrong coach or to hire the right coach at the wrong time. I should know; I’ve done it. When you’re picking someone who will help you map out your future, you want to make sure it’s the right fit.

Here’s a cheat sheet for you of everything I wish I’d known when I first started my business so you can avoid the heartache of a bad investment:

1. Do you and the coach share the same values?

If you’re in business because you want to make your siblings lives better, find a coach who is driven by the same thing. Your coach doesn’t need to share 100% of your values, but having some overlap will ensure they know exactly where you’re coming from and won’t dismiss the things that are genuinely important to you.

2. Check their free content

If you can find something valuable you can apply to your business in their free content, it’s a sign of a good coach. As coaches, it’s our job to get you to your goals, and that includes even before you sign on to work with us.

If you find their free content useful and effective, their paid content will be the same.

3. They give insight on the specific results that you want.

Anyone can show you a boat load of testimonials, but it none of them actually pertain to the results you’re looking, keep shopping. This point is doubly true for new coaches. I can usually identify which coaches will be a success simply by looking at whether they can offer a specific game plan to their potential clients. A new coach who can outline exactly how they’ll get you from point A to point B is worth investing in. If they’re just giving you general answers, avoid working with them.

4. They’re on board with your end goal.

If a coach is trying to talk you out of your end goal without giving you specific reasons as to why your end goal is unrealistic, don’t hire them. It’s absolutely our job to make sure your goals are attainable, but if you find yourself trying to justify why you want their help being able to take 4 vacations a year, that’s a sign to move on.

Keep in mind that this doesn’t include coaches who work with you to make your goals more attainable. If a coach tells you something like your timeline is unrealistic, for example, that is a sign that they know what they’re doing.

5. Ask them if their package aligns with where you are in your business right now.

This is the mistake I made when I hired my first coach. The coach was, and still is amazing. The problem was that I wasn’t advanced enough to be in the specific program I’d signed up for. I don’t blame her for this at all, especially because she warned me I wasn’t quite at the point I needed to be at and I’d be playing catch up. It ended up being a bad investment for me because of where I was, not because of what she was doing.

I’m also the kind of person who chose to overload my schedule with a language class in college, so it’s no surprise that I ignored her warning and signed on anyhow. It was totally a case of right coach, wrong time. It would have been better for me to pick another program or work with a different coach before joining the program I did.

6. You need to genuinely like them as a person.

If your coach’s personality irks you, don’t hire them. This should go without saying, but I’ve seen so many people hire someone for the results they get only to HATE working with them because they don’t actually get along. If working with a coach is going to turn in to pulling teeth, don’t do it. It will just add extra stress to the process of starting a business, which is about the worst thing you could add more stress to.

7. You trust that the coach actually cares about you.

If you get the feeling that this coach couldn’t care less about your success, don’t hire them. If the coach is getting excited with you over your business that’s a great sign they’re invested in your happiness and would be a good person to bring in to your business journey. If they’re flippant or disconnected, don’t hire them.

If the coach you’re looking at hiring meets all of these points, congratulations! You’ve found your coach. If they meet most of these points, have a conversation with them to talk more about what working together would look like. Bring up any misgiving your have directly. If you still are on the fence, keep moving. It may be a case of right coach, wrong time. It’s important to go with your gut.

Lastly, no matter what you do, you need to make sure you can actually afford the investment. If hiring a coach will put you in financial distress and you’d be worrying about paying your rent, you shouldn’t be buying that package. Reach out to the coach and explain your situation. Ask if they have any appropriate programs within your budget coming up. If it’s a less established coach, they may even be able to tailor something to fit your needs. It never hurts to ask.

Let me know in the comments if there is anything else you’ve found to be a great indicator of the perfect coach for you!