3 Reasons Why Business Coaching Fails

By: Juan Ortega February 21, 2024 12:55 am

: 3 Minutes to Read

Hey there, everyone! It’s Coach Juan Ortega here, and today I want to dive into a topic that has been on my mind for quite some time. After over a decade of coaching business owners, I’ve come to realize that there are a lot of questions and misconceptions surrounding business coaching. So, let’s tackle one of the most frequent questions I get: When does business coaching not work?

To answer that, let’s start by thinking of business coaching as a treadmill. You know, that piece of equipment found in almost every gym and garage in America. It’s like a perfect machine designed to help you burn calories, but there’s one catch—it won’t work unless you use it.

Similarly, business coaching, over the course of the past 30 years, has developed numerous frameworks, processes, systems, and strategies that, when properly followed, can help business owners achieve faster results. But there are three main reasons why business coaching fails, and I want to share them with you today.

Reason #3: Lack of Trust in the Process

Remember the movie “The Karate Kid”? In that 1980s blockbuster, the young boy goes to an older, wiser man to learn karate. However, he finds himself doing all sorts of odd chores around the house, feeling frustrated because he doesn’t see the connection between the work he’s doing and the desired results.

I’ve encountered business owners who say they want to improve their businesses but then question the necessary work right from day one. Trusting the process is crucial for success.

Reason #2: Not Taking Action

Now, let’s talk about the second reason why business coaching fails—simply not doing the work. It’s like having a treadmill and not jumping on it to run. Trusting the process is the first step, but the next step is actually taking action. The most common excuse I hear is that people are too busy. And let’s face it, everyone is busy these days. That’s why we often start coaching by focusing on time management fundamentals. But even that requires a change in approach.

Reason #1: Mindset

Finally, we reach the number one reason why business coaching fails—mindset. As a business owner, you must take ownership of the results you’ve been getting. Blaming others or external factors won’t change anything. When I consider taking on a new client, one of the most important factors I look for is coachability. Are they willing to make the necessary identity shifts to bring about significant changes in their business? It won’t be easy, but with trust in the process and consistent effort, results will come.

In summary, business coaching absolutely works, just like a treadmill. However, when it doesn’t, it’s usually because the person is either not doing the work or not embodying the mindset required for success.

I hope this blog post has answered some of your questions and given you a few things to consider. Thanks for reading, and remember to continue taking massive action in your business. Stay tuned for more valuable content in the next post!