Small Business Coach vs. Consultant – What’s the Difference?

I strongly believe you need both a small business coach and a small business consultant to help you with your business. It’s optimal if you can find both skill sets in one person.

Here’s why.

First, I’ll outline the purpose of using a small business coach (below). In the next section, I compare that to working with a small business consultant, so that you can choose the right approach for you and your business needs.

Essentially, coaching works on YOU as the business owner: planning, time management, alignment of goals with values, and where you might have blinders on.

Consulting works with you on the business aspects of your business: operations, marketing, sales, team-building, designing offers, pricing, and profitability.

Working with a small business coach

Like a sports coach, a small business coach works on tapping into your highest potential — the best that’s already inside you. In small business coaching, we focus on the “bigger picture” of what you want to create for your business (and your lifestyle). This includes discussions about what keeps you motivated to move forward on your dreams, goals and tasks.

We pay attention to what’s holding you back and find ways to tap into your inner strengths.

Together, we focus on developing YOU to your highest potential, as well as developing your business. I encourage you, support you, applaud you, and empathize with you. I help you to discover honest insights into where things are working … and where they aren’t working. I help you tap the “wisdom within.”

What do you work on with a small business coach?

The net result of small business coaching is that you create a fool-proof plan for moving forward and then I partner with you as you actualize that plan in your self-employed business.

Working with a small business consultant

As a small business consultant, I come to the partnership as an expert and advisor, whether it’s in small business marketing or business model design, all focused on business growth. I advise you on big-picture items like creating efficient systems and SOPs, or improving your online marketing techniques. 

We also discuss the details: making sure your copywriting and core message are on the brand, setting your prices to hit your revenue goals, and designing an offer that your customers want to buy.

After careful discussion and analysis of your goals, we create a plan of action for you to move forward on your projects, and solve problems along the way. The focus of consulting is to get the right projects and tasks done that will yield provable ROI.

What do you work on with a small business consultant?

This analogy will shed some light

There is a good analogy that illustrates the difference between a small business coach and a consultant:

• A business coach will help you understand how and why you ride a bicycle, help you to determine what’s holding you back from riding it properly, and jog along next to you as YOU ride.
• A business consultant will explain why one bike is superior to another and teach you how to ride the bike. Some consultant will ride the bike for you! 

Which one is best for you? You need both.

Which one is best for you is based on your needs, values, goals, and time constraints.

I work in “hybrid” mode, as a coach-consultant. This means that I offer you the best of both professions: I give advice and expertise when you need it, offer motivation and brainstorming when you’re stuck, and share insights to build you and your business to your highest potential.

Here’s how I help you:

• Small Business Development & Strategy Consulting – If you need to think through your business idea and map out a solid action plan.
• Marketing Strategy Consulting – The only way to grow your business is through marketing.