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Local Business  » On the Path: Life Coaching for Small Business Owners

On the Path: Life Coaching for Small Business Owners

One of the distinctions that sets coaching apart from

other types of consulting is that coaching specifically

addresses the client's sense of who they are in the world, and

helps the client make life choices that are aligned with their

personal values. In my opinion, there tends to be a split in the

psyche of America between personal and career development. If

you look in the index of your local telephone company's Yellow

Pages ™ you can easily find "Business Services" and "Counseling

Services." In my local directory, I notice that the business

advertisements use a lot of words like, "strategies,"

"leadership," and "business planning." The counseling listings

include, "addictions," "crisis," and "mental health." All of

those services are valuable, but where does the over-worked

owner of an independent business, who is getting burnt out, and

rarely gets time with loved ones, go for support? What about the

sole-proprietor in a specialized service industry, like an

alternative health practitioner, who is just starting to grow

their business and wants to do so in a way that honors their

belief system? What kind of support is going to best suit them?

It seems that many of the business consultants are

geared towards the needs of larger, more corporate companies. In

general, consultants are the resource one might use to learn how

to set up and run a business or to delegate specific tasks to,

such as webmasters, accountants, and the like. Counselors on the

other hand, are the resource one might use for changing

behaviors and healing personal issues. The small business owner

may not need help managing a large executive staff, nor have

terribly difficult personal problems for which they need to

receive therapy. But that doesn't mean that they don't need

personal support as they go about making the changes necessary

to have a successful and profitable business. One of the

beautiful things about coaching is that it addresses the client

as whole and complete person. Life coaching may include the

development of practical business skills, but it also includes

the development of the person who is creating the business.

Coaching is not just concerned with what a person does, but

coaching enhances who a person is being while they're going

about the tasks of daily life. It's personal empowerment in

action.

According to the Small Business Bureau's report, Small

Business Economic Indicators for 2002 "Small firms represent

about 99 percent of employers, employ about half of the private

sector workforce and are responsible for about two thirds to

three quarters of the net new jobs." They are the creative pulse

of America. Ignited by the spark of wanting to make a difference

in the world, and the desire to live a life of freedom,

entrepreneurs start off passionately. However, the creativity

that motivates a small business owner to go into business in the

first place often gets dampened as the daily administration of

the business takes over. There is so much to do: formulating the

business, structuring the business plan, implementing the plan,

and still trying to maintain a life. What started as a quest for

freedom and the ability to control one's destiny, has now become

a chore of monotonous practicalities and financial struggle,

leaving the business owner with even less freedom then before

they started. At what point does the business fail? Maybe the

business owner just finally gives up and quits. Is it that the

owner didn't have a viable idea? Did they not try hard enough?

Tough times? It would be presumptuous to second guess why so

many new businesses close, but the small business owner would be

wise to gather as much personal support as they can to keep

themselves energized and on-target. The American Dream is

possible, but it doesn't come easy.

As a coach, I love to work with entrepreneurs. There is

a special magic in the creativity that inspires someone to begin

their own business. A business can truly become a "calling," as

the owner walks a path that leads to spiritual growth and

provides benefit to the community. I admire people who create

meaningful lives, and are willing to face the challenges that

come with following their inspiration. Some challenges however,

can intensify to the level that they become "spiritual wake-up

calls." When a business has gone flat, profits are non-existent,

and the business owner's personal life has diminished, I believe

it's time to stop and revaluate before the business goes into a

fatal downward spiral. At this point I think it's imperative to

work with the business owner directly. If the owner isn't happy,

if their energy is low, they're not going to be in a creative

solution-oriented state of mind. This is going to have a

negative effect on everyone around them, both at work and at

home. Albert Einstein said that solutions to problems cannot be

found at the same level of energy that created them. Simply

"trying harder," or "doing more" may not only be impossible, it

may be ineffective as well. For the most positive results, it is

essential for the business owner to revitalize their health,

relationships, and to feel inspired again.

Inspiration, "in spirit," is the revitalizing flow of

new energy, awareness, and ideas. Like a breath of fresh air,

inspiration allows us to feel alive. When I am coaching a

client, I inquire deeply into what is most inspiring to them.

Through a process of questions, self-inquiry, and sometimes

professional assessments, my clients begin to remember who they

really are and to get their priorities back in order. We might

discuss their values, life purpose, or simply what it is that

they want to create. What I find is that people respond more

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creatively and productively in business when they are first

taking care of themselves. Inspiration and motivation go hand in

hand. There is a natural tendency to want to take action when

one has the rush of creative renewal. That is the perfect time

to set business and personal goals, especially within the

context of the client's stated priorities, and who they want to

be in the world, beyond any experience of what they have done

(or not done) thus far.

Having a renewed sense of purpose and commitment is

vital to moving forward again, but that does not mean it will go

unchallenged. Here is where coaching is especially valuable. For

new results to occur there has to be a well-conceived plan and

follow-through on implementing the plan. There is a natural

tendency to repeat old patterns. Change does not usually come

from insight alone. In my opinion, that's why a lot of self-help

techniques and seminars don't work. Lasting change is an

internal process that results from direct experience, and really

"getting it" for one's self. There are slow and fast ways to

integrate transformative learning, but the change must be

internalized for it to work. As a coach, I walk my clients

through the process of implementing the changes they want to

make. And although it doesn't make challenges any less likely to

occur, coaching increases the self-mastery of the client and

helps them align their decisions and actions to their stated

goals. Over time, things get smoother. Choices become clearer.

The small business owner is supported and empowered to make

professionally savvy decisions, sourced from an intuitive

knowing about what is right for them, instead of acting and

reacting unconsciously to circumstances. Immediately, the client

is living from their values on a daily basis, resulting in

personal satisfaction at the end of the day. The split between

personal and career development begins to mend.

Since I'm a coach, I will end with a question: What

would the world be like if everyone felt personally fulfilled in

their work, satisfied from being recognized for their gifts and

talents, and also had abundant quality time with their loved

ones? Do you think the world would be different? Would your life

be different? If anyone has the power to create a paradigm shift

in the balance between personal life and work, it's America's

small business owners--and that change needs to begin with the

owners themselves. A professional coach can help you keep your

sense of self while you journey on the path that leads to your

success.

About the author:

Jaya Schillinger "The Turnaround Queen" at www.InspirationInc.com

is a certified life coach & small business consultant with over

20 years of business ownership & management experience in the

fields of personal development, health, and beauty.