Join The Club: The Next Generation Of Business Coaching

If you’re like other progressive business owners, you’ve probably heard the term ‘business coaching’ at some point or other in your career. In fact, you might even have decided that 2010 will be the year you and your business enlists the support of a professional coach, to take things to the next level. But with so much information on the topic (Google returns over 56,900,000 results on the term ‘business coaching’!) where do you begin?

Well, while there are thousands of coaching providers around the world (between 43,000-44,000* at last count) and probably just as many ‘styles’ of delivery, there is, in essence, just two main ‘methods’ of business coaching – one-on-one and group coaching (often referred to as ‘Coaching Clubs’).

The latter is a more recently developed method of delivery, which is being met with huge success both here in Australia and overseas. In fact, it’s often called the ‘next generation’ of coaching, because it offers higher value and typically generates more powerful results for business owners than the traditional, one-on-one model.

So what is it?

Coaching Clubs are essentially a ‘meeting of minds’, where along with up to 7 other business owners from non-competing industries you discuss in a boardroom setting, the specific challenges you face, report on the goals you set at the last meeting and openly discuss ideas and share strategies for growth and success - all under the guidance of an experienced business coach. (N.B. The number of Coaching Club participants and frequency of meetings vary, depending on the coaching provider, but typically Coaching Clubs meet once a month).

So, while Coaching Clubs are structured and led by a highly trained business development coach, additional content and ‘how to’s’ are actually drawn from the collective expertise of leading industry experts from around the world (your Coaching Club peers). In theory, you can receive up to 8 times the number of insights, ideas and experience in a Coaching Club, than you could just meeting one-on-one with a coach. What really sets a Coaching Club apart however, is its unique method of leveraging the knowledge, support and momentum of a committed team of business owners working together, to fast-track results in their business and lives. This, combined with other key features (such as those listed below), are what make positions in Coaching Clubs (especially those at the executive level) so in-demand.

Structured Learning & Implementation

Instead of teaching you in an ‘ad hoc’ manner, a Coaching Club model provides a structured learning format. Through simulated boardroom meetings, a series of new strategies and key ‘insights’ are delivered in an order that allows for maximum workability and a logical progression your business. Coaching Clubs then make you accountable for implementing and reporting on these strategies and insights – so that your business sees immediate and measurable results on a month-by-month basis.

You are not alone ...

Many business owners express a sense of ‘being alone’ in their business and agree that while friends and family may be supportive, they simply don’t understand the pressures of being in business, nor the challenges of running a company for ongoing, long-term growth and profitability.

Sarah Richmond, owner of one of Dubbo’s leading promotional merchandisers joined a 10X Coaching Club in 2008 and says, “Although [Coaching Club members] are all from different industries, you feel like you’re in it together. There’s a really great group vibe in how we relate to each other – everyone’s open to sharing and receiving ideas. It’s also comforting to know that everyone has the same issues, they’re just in a different form. Being part of a 10X Coaching Club makes you feel more inspired and excited when you think about your business.”

Leverage your Knowledge Base

Depending on who your Coaching Club provider is, the group coaching model doesn’t necessarily have to rely on the experience or knowledge of just one business coach. For example, the system and IP available in the 10X Coaching Clubs have been developed by an international team of experts in the field and pooled into a national resource base. DVDs, Audio Seminars, Workbooks, Templates, Online Strategy Guides and much more are available for Coaching Club members in this model.

As Dubbo business owner, Sarah, remarked to her coach, “There’s just so much information available to download and access in your own time – it’s really to the point and relevant. We’re applying 10X sales concepts in our own business and marketing materials, for example, we’ve learnt to use language that describes the benefits that our customers receive instead of our old way of focussing on the features of our products.”

Real Accountability

While we all like the idea of accountability in theory, it’s not the strongest point of many business owners when it comes to practice. Imagine having a breakthrough in time management, with your Coaching Club team and Coach holding you to account for producing key results in your business each and every quarter, while you do the same for them. Unlike a singular coach or person in your life, being accountable to an entire Coaching Club makes your commitments almost impossible to avoid, cancel, or make excuses for (which, let’s face it – is a great thing for the long-term growth of your business!).

10X Coaching Club member since 2008, Monique Field, Managing Director of a furniture and homewares store says, “I’m the type of person that often knows what I should be doing, but easily get sidetracked and avoid all the important and often more difficult tasks. However, business coaching has made me more responsive to deadlines and actual implementation. Because I am now accountable to someone, I find the time to make it happen.”

Realise your True Vision

Regrettably, most business owners find that the reality of managing their business bears little relation to the reasons why they went into business in the first place - generating more income, having more freedom, better lifestyle etc. In fact, in most cases, the outcome is the opposite – increased workload, staffing issues, and constant dramas.

As one 10X Coaching Club member put it: “When you’re constantly fighting off crocodiles, it’s easy to forget that the objective is actually to drain the swamp!” A Coaching Club provides the analysis tools and a whole team of other business owners to help you identify your ‘crocodiles,’ so that you can focus on the actions required to achieve the objective – in other words, work out a schedule for draining that swamp!

Currently, there are around 4,300 business coaches operating in Australia*. In fact, Australasia has the highest density of coaches in the world (1 coach per 7,500 inhabitants) – this means about 10% of all business coaches in the world are based here. With so many business coaches to chose from, how do you make the right choice? 

Take the headache out of finding a business coach ... the easy solution is to join the growing number of business owners benefiting from the new Coaching Club model – that way you get a coach AND the coaching structure, team support and resources guaranteed to transform the results in your business. To find out more about 10X Coaching Club, call us now on 1300 855 109 and to arrange for your complimentary consultation.

*Frank Bresser Consulting, “The state of coaching across the globe - The results of the Global Coaching Survey 2008/2009.”