There’s no need to tackle everything on your own — there’s always coaching, mentorship, and consulting options. To know which one you’ll need, you’ll need to know what they are and how they are different.

Are you an entrepreneur? A leader?

Whatever business path you’ve decided to follow, you’ve probably come to this realization: the responsibilities and logistics involved with being your own boss can get confusing.

What is Coaching?

There are various types of coaches. Some include life, performance, finance, marketing, operations, and business growth among others. Coaches are experts that guide you through certain areas of performance.

Let’s take business coaches, for example. A business coach can be an expert entrepreneur. They have the knowledge to help you tackle your roadblocks and share knowledge and processes to help you move the business forward. They’ll often use a structured training approach to give you advice on how to run a successful business.

Looking for expert advice? A coach’s criteria is to focus on performance, and it is usually task-related. For example, a coach can help you improve your sales, define your goals, revive your brand, or plan a strategy for growth.

If you’re looking for someone to be your business guide and help you advance your business, you want a coach.

What is Mentorship?

People often use the terms coaching and mentoring interchangeably, but there’s a distinct difference. While coaches focus on helping you with a task or performance, a mentor typically focuses on individual development. They have personal experience and have already been where you are.

Mentors can give you guidance, support, and even a level of personal connection as they take on the part of your business role model. Mentoring tends to be more informal in nature. As a mentee, you are responsible for driving the sessions forward and for being dedicated to your own development.

On the other hand, a mentor’s role is to listen to your situation, learn about what you need, and provide sound advice for your development. They’ll help point you in the right direction rather than tell you what to do.

Would you like a more long-term relationship-focused form of guidance? Mentoring may be just what you’re looking for.

What is Consulting?

If you’re paying for consulting, this is what you get: advice from an expert in a specific field. That sounds a bit like coaching and mentoring, doesn’t it? However, consultants don’t normally guide you in your professional development.

Consultants focus on helping you identify what is needed to accomplish an end goal. They’ll give you advice based on their niche experience and understanding of the industry. Depending on the gaps and what is required, they’ll work within the metrics and deliverables you provide.

What does that mean? Let’s take a look at a few common consulting methods:

• Advice: Consultants can be hired to create strategies to solve problems.
• Services: Some consultants have teams and will provide additional services.
• Training: Consultants can provide training to help you or your team meet specific objectives and milestones.

What Kind of Support Are You Looking For?

With the many options out there, it can be difficult to determine what kind of outside support you actually need. But, worry not, with a free consultation, we can get to the core of exactly what is best for you, your team, and your business. Reach out today to discover the next most effective actions for your business!