I will be the first to admit that business coaches are a dime a dozen. Poke your head into any business Facebook group or networking event and you are bound to find at least one. As soon as Google and Facebook figure out that you have a business, you’ll be constantly plagued with “buy my online program” popups. Not only are they everywhere, but coaches are also largely unregulated. Even certification programs are basically a rubber stamp that puts out cookie-cutter business advice out there (which clearly doesn’t work or there would be a much lower business failure rate). I have to admit to being highly skeptical of my own industry. So many of my clients and potential clients come to me with a bad coaching experience under their belts and leaving a bad taste in their mouths. One bad coaching experience can leave you with Bad Business Coach Baggage.
So many people walk through my doors craving the guidance, strategy, accountability and problem-solving that I can provide, but they are held back by the baggage they carry from previous coaching relationships. Just like a bad breakup can cause you to avoid anyone that reminds you of your ex, Bad Business Coach Baggage can cause you to put off or never receive the coaching that could truly help you. Bad Business Coaches come in many shapes and sizes, so here is a quick guide on the types of business coaches you should absolutely avoid.
The Pyramid Scheme-Style Coach
This isn’t someone trying to get you to join their MLM (though that can also cause baggage). This is the coach who sneakily (and sometimes accidentally) turns all their clients into coaches. Often they are working under a coach who taught them how to coach coaches. At some point in your conversation, they excitedly exclaim about what a great coach you would make. Before you know it your business looks EXACTLY LIKE THEIRS and they are teaching you how to be a coach for …..other coaches. It isn’t truly their fault, they just don’t know how to run any other kind of business and they have been sold on a lifestyle that requires them to be a coach for other coaches. See how it gets awful pyramid scheme-y? Keep in mind there is nothing wrong with a coach who works specifically with coaches, it’s when they turn other types of businesses into coaching businesses that there is an issue.
How to identify and avoid: Everyone they work with ends up Pivoting their business to some form of coaching. The cookie-cutter approach of these coaches will make all their clients into mini-me’s.
The Hot Mess
This person chose to become a coach because coaching helped them so much when their life was rough, and they want to pass it on. The issue? They are STILL in the thick of it, still going through a lot. This coach is the quintessential blind leading the blind. A business coach that claims to be able to help you build a strong business, but clearly has trouble managing their own is a huge red flag. The hot mess coach has bought into coaching as a way out of their own adversity and is still working out their own shit. If they don’t have their feet under them in life or business steer clear. Some people attract struggles through their carelessness, lack of skill, or poor integrity. They may try to tell you that their struggles are what make them a good coach, but that doesn’t apply if you haven’t actually overcome that adversity. To use an analogy, don’t trust a mechanic who drives a car that won’t pass inspection. (To be clear, someone who used to be in a bad position and overcame it is different. It’s the outcomes and the tools they used to overcome adversity that can make them a good coach.)
How to identify and avoid: Be wary of the overshare-y, hot mess, who has current struggles and is struggling with them. Look out for those that are in the process of a large life change like getting sued, divorced, fired, or major illness, those that rely on their stories of traumatic events to give them credibility (particularly when that is a current event), or those that bring chaotic, disorganized, or overwhelmed energy. The issue is that they are in the thick of it and haven’t yet figured their own shit out.
The Poor Fit
Some coaches can give you Bad Coach Baggage even when they are a perfectly good coach, simply because they were the wrong coach for you. Coaching is an exceptionally personal experience. You need to work with a coach who will meet your needs and speaks your language. The poor fit coach has committed only one “coaching sin” and that is in their messaging and sales they didn’t weed you out. The sales process needs to be deliberate about helping people to self-identify out when they are not going to be a good fit for your coaching style. An ill-fitting coach has most likely signed you on as a client despite the fact that they can’t give you what you need. Larger digital-program-based coaches often fall into this category because their business model relies on lots of people purchasing their course/program/membership and so they don’t effectively filter out the people who won’t benefit as much.
How to identify and avoid: One size fits all coaching is the issue here. Be sure any potential coach identifies your needs and can meet them and speaks your language. You should never feel you have to fit a mold defined by your coach, but that the coach you have chosen fits who you actually are.
The Fake Coach
Look at that picture of them flying off to the Caribbean on a private jet……just kidding they rented that for the photoshoot. These days much of coaching is sold in a “look at what I’ve achieved you can have it if you work with me fashion”. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it goes horribly wrong when people fake success to be more desirable as a coach. The fake coach is willing to fake success, fake clients, and even fake experiences to get you to buy-in. Besides the blatant lack of authenticity and integrity, the showmanship of the fake coach is the opportunity for baggage. If they base the whole coaching relationship on fake achievements, they have nothing to teach you except how to lie.
How to identify and avoid: Look for people who have been in “business” relatively short times with very rapid rises to prominence. These types of coaches are charlatans and they rarely last very long. Pay special attention when something looks too good to be true.
The Unqualified Coach
Some people are just lovely people and they mean well but they simply are not qualified to be business coaches. To be clear, I don’t give a rat’s ass about being a certified coach (many people come out of those programs with any value they could add being trained out of them so that they have the exact same perspective that every other coach brings). There are no standard qualifications for what makes someone a good coach but every good coach has their own unique set of qualifications. For some, it is the years of experience they have in a certain industry. Others bring unique perspectives from their upbringing. Still, others have educational qualifications. Most frequently it is a combination of education, experience, training, personality, and perspective. The important thing is not a fixed set of qualifications, but that a coach has some.
How to identify and avoid: Ask about what makes them a good coach. Every coach should have an answer. Longevity may indicate the quality of a coach, but a much better metric is their current clients. If you aren’t sure about someone’s qualification ask to talk to one of their clients. They should be happy to put you in touch.
The Mismatched Expectations
I see this a lot with people who are new to coaching. They tried one coach and the coach just didn’t measure up to their expectations. Maybe you thought the VIP package was going to get you way more access than it actually did, maybe you were expecting one or two sessions to solve a problem that you barely could scratch the surface on in that amount of time, or maybe you simply didn’t understand what coaching with them would look like (and feel like). Regardless, you walked away feeling like you wasted money on something that didn’t pan out. The fault of the coach is in a lack of communication. The first step in any good coaching relationship is to lay out really clear expectations, parameters, and boundaries. Just like the poor fit coach, this coach can be a great coach, they have just fallen short in this critical area and you walk away with a bad taste in your mouth.
How to identify and avoid: Look for clear communication from them in their sales copy, direct emails, onboarding, and initial coaching. Ask for clarification and clear parameters if you aren’t getting them. Run for the hills if they want to keep it vague.
The All-Prep-No-Action
Preparation is a valid and valuable part of starting and building your business, HOWEVER a coach who can ONLY offer you preparation and who never pushes you to action is bad news. Success in business (and life) can only happen when you actually DO THE THING. Often these coaches will keep you forever in prep so that they can sell you on revamping your branding, keep you preparing down to the tiniest detail, and continue making money off your indecision and analysis paralysis. A good coach works with you to overcome perfectionism and analysis paralysis (the two slimy secrets behind extended “preparation”). Too many clients come to me after months or even years of “being in business” and I find that, at the advice of a coach, they are still in prep mode. These coaches sell you preparation because it is the only thing they know, but ultimately you need more than that.
How to identify and avoid: Take a look at their current clients, how many are truly DOING IT out there in the world. A couple clients still in prep mode is totally normal (it is a part of the process), it is when they all are that it becomes a red flag. Beware the branding/rebranding packages. Again branding is super important, but seek out programs that include launching the brand, getting the brand in front of people, and actively carrying out brand strategy as opposed to programs that leave you stagnant or put obstacles between you and launching.
How to Get Rid of Your Bad Coach Baggage
Just like a bad breakup, working with a bad coach or a coach that was bad for you can leave you jaded or warry of the whole industry. While ice cream is probably not necessary, there are a couple of things you can do to recover, right yourself, and move on to much better coaching relationships. Start by identifying what didn’t work about the bad coach (using my handy list from above). Recognizing where you were ill-informed, misled, or straight-up gaslighted is the first step to moving on and making sure it doesn’t happen again. Identify what bothered you about your previous coaching experiences . It can be tempting to swear off the industry in general, but I recommend using this as an opportunity to learn more about how to pick a good coach for you. Using the red flags and recommendations from above begin to construct a list of questions to ask potential coaches. Take time to think about what you really need from a coach both in terms of bedside manner and area of expertise. The next time you seek a coach to help you build your business you will be equipped to thoroughly vet your potential new advisor.