Do you need a coach, consultant, mentor, or other?
Because at different stages of business, you need different kinds of support.
Yet everything is mish-mashed together in program names, or called “masterminds”, or otherwise simply marketed as a mystery offer.
There’s often a wild disconnect around pricing for some of these programs from celeb entrepreneurs - between the expectations of what you actually need versus what you’re getting.
And I will say I have had unmet expectations of programs that don’t match their marketing.
So, here’s my point of view about the types of support you may need at different stages of your business - and what’s frequently missing.
Coaching
Coaching is, as defined by the ICF, “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” It’s unearthing the beliefs and stories in your own mind and body through deep inquiry and creating those new narratives that serve you.
What is coaching NOT? Receiving a canned answer based on their own journey or knowledge without understanding you and without partnership. That’s teaching or advice giving.
Consulting
Consulting is defined as “the activity or business of giving expert advice about a particular subject.”
Do you need an outside perspective and a more concrete roadmap? Sometimes what you need really IS a strategy and next steps tailored to you. And other times the roadmap is internal and should be discovered through coaching.
Teaching
Teaching helps close a skill or knowledge gap. When you need to be taught HOW to do something, teaching is the appropriate modality.
Do you need more skills in marketing and sales fundamentals? That’s teaching. Do you need partnership in overcoming your visibility fears? Not teaching.
Mentorship
Mentorship is “where the mentor shares their knowledge, experiences, and skills to help the mentee gain insights, achieve development goals, and overcome barriers to their professional and personal development.”
Where is consulting different than mentorship? Often times, mentors simply share their experiences and knowledge, while consultants assess YOUR unique situation and use their skillsets to design strategies for you.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is defined as someone using their power and access to speak your name in rooms you aren’t in. To speak up for you and vouch for you.
And if you don’t have sponsors, you are missing out on one of, if not the most, impactful ways to grow your business. The other modalities CAN be sponsors, but it’s important to know if your guide has the desire or capacity to serve in that role.
And finally, Hands-On Service-Provider or Partnership
You may not need any of these above. You may not need financial literacy coaching… you may need a bookkeeper. You might not need marketing consulting… you may need someone to repurpose videos that you are already making.
What often goes wrong when their marketing and your expectations aren’t aligned?
You join a program called “coaching” for personal support and you don’t get any level of deep inquiry.
Or you hire a coach where you really need teaching and skill-building.
You join a mentorship program, where what’s really required at your stage of experience is not more knowledge - it’s more external connections through sponsorship.
You hire a consultant to help you fix problems in your business, but you may not need more advice. You may actually need someone to help you implement solutions.
And we may expect more from our leaders from their marketing messages than is in their capacity, expertise, or desire to give.
Right now, I’m invested in a Mentorship relationship that was clearly laid out - and priced - as a mentorship and community model.
For this time frame of my business, I'm implementing and integrating what I learned last year. I don’t need a ton more strategy (Consulting), have built many of the skills I need for my current stage of business (Teaching), and I don’t have the capacity for deep coaching. I’m not expecting her to connect me with opportunities (Sponsorship), and it’s priced to match that investment level.
Be honest with yourself. What do you need in your stage of business?
More strategies and next steps?
More skill-building on areas that are keeping you from growth?
More community witnessing?
More connections and someone to use their resources to connect you to other humans and opportunities?
More deep partnership to excavate your gifts, your message, and help you navigate your own personal journey?