Business Coach Vs Life Coach: Which One Do You Need?

More often than not, my clients are looking for help with their small businesses and to deal with life’s complexities. This is why I offer Business Coaching and Life Coaching in one program. Time and again, business owners realize their work/life balance is out of whack or issues in their personal life are affecting how they show up to run their business. Many of my clients who are starting out, want to make sure their business idea aligns with their desired lifestyle and how they want to live. It’s important to look at the whole picture, as work and life do not happen in isolation of one another. 

Most coaches have a specific area of expertise. Most of their experience may be dealing with business matters as a Business Coach or they may have specific knowledge within the realm of Life Coaching such as a Relationship Coach. It’s important to understand the coaching niches to make a decision to pursue the right Coach for you.

What does a Business Coach do?
A Business Coach helps you come up with an action plan to reach your business goals, motivates you and holds you accountable as you move forward with your goals. A Business Coach will also help you overcome fears, self-sabotaging tendencies, reframe experiences and break free of limiting beliefs that may be holding you back from success. Business Coaches are experts in the coaching process, but most also have experience creating a business themselves. They have knowledge and training on business topics and know what it takes to start and grow a business. In this way, the Business Coach brings new ideas and shares their knowledge in brainstorming sessions, helping you come up with an action plan that makes sense.

What does a Life Coach do?
A Life Coach may not have a speciality in the life coaching realm and instead works with clients that need help in more than one area of life. Common areas people want coaching include relationships, career or business, spirituality, family/parenting, personal development, finances, fun & enjoyment and health. 

There are coaches within the Life Coaching realm that are very niche, and may mostly focus on career coaching or relationship coaching for example. If your main focus is working on your relationship, you are better off seeking a Relationship Counsellor or Relationship Coach than a general Life Coach. Working with a Life Coach is great if you have multiple life goals to tackle and all your goals don’t fall into one category. For instance, maybe you want to get in shape, find your ideal partner, be a better parent and find work you are passionate about. In this case, a Life Coach would be well suited.

A Life Coach can help you with the different aspects of your life that you want to improve and as well as your overall quality of life. A Life Coach is an expert in the coaching process and will help you overcome limiting beliefs, challenges and hold you accountable to your life goals. Life Coaches also have a plethora of life experience, have endured the highs and lows of life, and can help guide you to make good decisions and sustainable changes in your life.

Which one do you need?
If you're not a business owner, you probably need a Life Coach. If you only have one goal, a more specialized coach such as a Career Coach may be a better fit. If you're a business owner, you may need both a Life and Business Coach to succeed. You could hire a Life Coach and a Business Coach, separately, but the most effective way is to hire someone who doubles as a Business and Life Coach; someone who understands all the intricacies of your life and business, and how they intertwine. This is why I offer the hybrid of Business Coaching and Life Coaching to my clients. 

If you're ready to be in the driver seat of your life, grow your business, and design your ideal life then send me a message to inquire about private 1-on-1 coaching.

Farewell, I look forward to hearing from you.

Ash Enns