4 Things Entrepreneurs Do That Make Business Coaches Cringe

Here at Maui Mastermind, we have coached thousands of business owners over the past decade. We have seen small businesses blossom and grow into owner-independent companies, we have seen business owners scale their businesses and sell them for more money than they ever thought possible, and we have watched executives climb the ladder faster than they ever imagined. To the outsider, being a business coach looks like a pretty amazing gig.

But there are a few things that keep us awake at night.

“I’m too busy…”

I was working with the managing partner at a regional law firm in the southeast. One day he said to me, “David, I don’t have time to meet with you anymore because I need the time for billable work.” Now this attorney billed $600 per hour. But during the prior year we’d spent roughly 20 hours of one-to-one coaching sessions, during which the ideas I helped him implement increased his firm’s operating profit by over $750,000. If you do the math, that’s an effective hourly return of $41,000 per hour of one-to-one time. Yes that is distorted math because he and his team still had to implement the ideas we agreed on, but the you get my point.

I know you are busy. You have a thousand things on your plate, and currently, your business can’t run without you. I see that day in and day out with new coaching clients.

But here’s the thing– many of the things you’re so busy doing are just not that valuable. And if only you had the courage to say no to other people’s urgencies, and to the seductive call of your inbox, you could accomplish so much more.

If I were sitting there with you during your work day, would you really spend your time doing all the low value things that currently interrupt and eat into your day? Of course not. First, you’d be too embarrassed, but more than that you know you have higher and better uses for your time.

You are not too busy; you simply don’t have the habits, structure, and courage to say no to the lower value “stuff” that you’re drowning in.

You Lie To Yourself (And Your Coach)

When we meet up for our sessions, it’s human nature to want to put your best foot forward.