Business coaches for trades: what to ask before you pay

A business coach is worth paying if they can tell you, before you sign, what will change, by when, how you'll measure it and who does the work. Ask for references from trade firms your size and a contract you can leave. Before paying, check the cheaper routes: Help to Grow: Management costs £750 for 12 weeks with 10 hours of mentoring.

Are business coaches for trades worth it?

Some are, when the owner knows what problem they're paying to fix and the coach has fixed it before in firms like yours. Many trade owners come to coaching because they're the bottleneck: working on the tools all day and doing admin until late. A good coach helps you decide what to change. They don't do the quoting, the bills or the chasing for you.

That owner had paid a "systemise your business" consultant and came away calling him a spoof. His business still ran from one Excel sheet. The advice to systemise wasn't wrong. Nobody had worked out who would build and run the systems once the consultant left.

How much extra work does a coaching fee need to pay for itself?

More than most people think, because the fee comes out of profit, not turnover. Divide the fee by your margin to see how much extra work you need to win to cover it.

If the coach can't show how you'd find that extra work, or that much saved cost, within the contract term, the maths doesn't work yet.

What should you ask a coach before you pay?

Send these before a sales call, and ask for answers in writing. A good coach will be glad to answer them.

Hi coach name,

Before we talk, could you answer these in writing?

1. Which trade firms of about number staff and turnover have you worked with in the last two years? Can I speak to two of them?
2. What changed for them, in numbers, and how long did it take?
3. What exactly do I get each month: hours, calls, site visits, templates?
4. Who does the work between sessions: you, your team, or me?
5. What will I need to have in place (software, staff, time) to follow your advice, and what will that cost on top of your fee?
6. What's the full fee, including VAT, and how is it paid?
7. What's the minimum term, and how do I leave if it isn't working?
8. Do you earn commission from any software, finance or lead-generation firm you recommend?
9. What would you expect to have changed in my business after 90 days?

Thanks,
your name

Question 8 matters. Some coaching packages are bundled with marketing or software. That's fine if it's disclosed, and a reason to ask more if it isn't.

What are the warning signs?

Long contracts are a pattern across trade suppliers, not only coaches. Firms we've spoken to have been caught by 12-month software contracts and marketing agencies charging £300 to £750 a month for results they couldn't see. The same questions protect you in each case.

What can you try before paying a coach?

Start with the subsidised and free options, and with the problems you can name yourself.

1. Help to Grow: Management.

   A 12-week leadership course with about 50 hours of training and 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring, for UK firms with 5 to 249 employees trading for over a year. It costs £750; the government funds 90%.

2. A business mentor.

   GOV.UK points to Mentorsme for free and paid mentors, and to Business Wales mentoring in Wales.

3. Your local support service.

   Growth Hubs in England, Find Business Support in Scotland, Business Wales, and Invest NI's helpline in Northern Ireland.

4. Fix the admin you already know about.

   If the problem is evenings on quotes and bills, a system fixes it faster than advice about it. See owner as the bottleneck and growing without an office manager.

If the goal is selling the business one day, a coach can help with the plan, but the records have to come from you; see the records a buyer wants.

Common questions