When you run your own business, you naturally want it to succeed but sometimes in our role as Founders and CEOs, we become our own worst enemy... from procrastinating on the jobs you hate, through to not prioritising the work that moves you forward - even when you KNOW it should be done!  

For many people who have had previous jobs and a boss to hound them into submission, the freedom of being your own boss - and not being told what to do by anybody - can be a double edge sword... both amazing and a nightmare because if you don't get something done, what are the consequences really?  No one is going to "fire" you.  You are the boss! 

Step forward Accountability coaching - the secret behind many business owners ability to just "get stuff done". 

What is a business accountability coach?

A business accountability coach is someone holds business owners personally responsible, making them accountable - which means they make sure you take the specific action agreed to achieve your goals.  

They are usually external to your business, an independent advisor who not only understands the business journey and goals you are trying to achieve but is determined to hold you to your plan and see you execute it. 

Why are they worth investing in?

We know that you want to ensure that every moment of time, energy and money that relates to your business is invested wisely, but it can be hard to know what to prioritise first and what really needs your attention when everything is shouting at you as urgent! 

Accountability coaching helps entrepreneurs stay focused on their goals. Either through weekly or monthly accountability sessions, your coach will provide a fresh perspective and help increase your focus and productivity.

With a business accountability coach, you will get lots of other benefits (not just an ass kicking!)... that can prove to be hugely valuable to your business, including:

• 100% focus on results and your achievement of them.
• Challenge and review on your business performance each month - what's worked, what hasn't and why?
• Helping you to identify problem areas within your business
• Prioritising a list of actions for you to implement to fix those problems
• Checking in with you to ensure you are actually doing those actions! 
• Setting long term goals
• Creating action plans to move you forward towards those goals. 
• Sharing how you could improve your own productivity skillset
• Helping you get clear on your overall business growth and direction

What should you look for in a business accountability coach?

As with any professional business advisor that you can work with within your business, you will want to hire an accountability coach that you can trust. They should be experienced in what they do (i.e. keeping you on track, pushing you to meet the deadlines and making sure there is a VERY good reason if you don't meet your promises...) but also balancing this with offering plenty of practical business advice and guidance on the process.

You should feel comfortable receiving feedback or challenge on why you haven't achieved a certain task by the deadline agreed but also have an open enough relationship where you feel you can ask them questions and seek guidance 

A good business accountability coach will also be led by you, and what you need, rather than focusing on their standard one size fits all approach. They know that every business owner is different, which means that they will need to change up their approach to suit you and the business journey you are on.

How much do they cost?

Business accountability coaches vary greatly in cost because you do get what you pay for in terms of depth of experience and caliber of individual.  One on one accountability sessions are more expensive than group sessions, because they are personalised and tailored just to you. 

You should estimate that a private one-to-one accountability session will cost you anything from £400 to £1000+ each and every month, depending on who you hire as your coach and they type of results and level of accountability you want to be held to. 

Make It Happen In Your Business

If you are someone who knows that you procrastinate and / or avoid tasks in favour of the fun ones... and if you need a mechanism that will force you to stay on track, focused 100% on results, then having a regular business accountability session in the diary each month with someone external to your business, someone that you need to show up to and justify your performance to, may well work wonders for you.

Next Steps:

• Consider if business accountability sessions on a regular basis would help you create a more results orientated way of working.  Would you show up differently as CEO if you knew you HAD to get the tasks on your list done this week?
• If you would like to talk to me about how I help my clients with accountability and review sessions each month, so that they achieve extraordinary results, then please schedule a call with me to find out more.