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Business coaching vs. business consulting: what’s the difference?

MANCHESTER, MARYLAND …

In the past several years, business coaching has gone beyond a luxury reserved for Corporate America’s executives but an invaluable tool for small business owners. Yet many small business owners are still unclear on the difference between a business coach and a business consultant.

“The difference is as simple as the old expression ‘give a man a fish, he eats for the day, teach him to fish and he feeds himself for life’,” said Karen Boyd, a master licensee for ActionCOACH, the top business coaching firm in the world.

Continued Boyd, “That’s not to say that business consultants do not perform a valuable service. Their expertise is used to complete tasks where the business owner is deficient or does not have the time to do themselves. A business coach teaches the business owner either how to do those tasks or how to find the resources to ensure that the task is completed both in the present and future.”

So what are the main differences between a business coach and business consultant? Here are a few of the chief differences:

  • Business coach transfers their knowledge to the business owner; the business consultant takes their knowledge when their mission is complete.
  • With business coach, plan is driven by client needs; with consultant, plan is driven by deliverable definition
  • Business coach works in 90-day planning cycles; business consultant’s schedule is based on deliverable milestones.
  • Business coach helps implement self-sustainable systems; business consultant sets up maintenance contracts for deliverables.
  • Business coach is a generalist; business consultant is a specialist.
  • Business coach paid by the program; business consultant paid by the hour.

“In its simplest form, a business coach is a teacher. The business consultant is a doer. Both have a place in the business world,” said Boyd. “When you own and operate your own business, you get used to calling all the shots, even if some of those shots might be off-target. A business coach not only will tell you why you’re off target, but shows you how to stay on target and that’s a service that has real value for the small business owner.”

About ActionCOACH

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the five states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

For information on ActionCOACH Founder Brad Sugars’ 2010 “Business is Booming” North American tour, please visit http://businessisboomingtour.com and use code KBM001. 

To learn more about working with an ActionCOACH or the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

Business coaching vs. business consulting: what’s the difference?Read More

ActionCOACH’s “Business is Booming” tour comes to DC on June 17.

ActionCOACH Founder Brad Sugars

WASHINGTON, DC …

Double-digit unemployment rates. Corporate bailouts. Foreclosures and slumping residential and commercial real estate markets.

So how can anyone truly say, “business is booming”?

Brad Sugars, founder and Chairman of ActionCOACH, the world’s number business coaching firm, says exactly that, and tells both why and how when his North American “Business is Booming” tour comes to the Washington Marriott on Thursday, June 17.

“History tells us that more money is made during economic downturns than during booms and that for every 10-month downturn is a 50-month boom,” said Karen Boyd, ActionCOACH master licensee in Washington, DC, Maryland and Delaware. “Brad’s message is that the companies can prepare for the next boom by cutting costs, developing good lead generation strategies and implementing effective marketing programs that deliver A- and B-level customers that will thrive in any economy.”

In addition to an explanation of why business is indeed booming, Sugars will also discuss 28 proven strategies to massively grow any type of business during his three-hour presentation.

Widely acclaimed as the world’s number one Business Coach, Sugars founded ActionCOACH in 1993 after successfully owning and or running more than 30 businesses in his native Australia. Today, ActionCOACH is ranked as the world’s leading international business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries.

A best-selling author of 14 highly acclaimed business books – including four international best-sellers – Sugars has taught nearly a half-million people worldwide how to create business, real estate and financial success.

“Brad Sugars is to business coaching what Tony Robbins has been to the personal development industry,” continued Boyd. “With his ‘Business is Booming’ tour, he’s literally giving away his years of successful business knowledge and expertise. It’s a message every small business owner in the Beltway should want to hear.”

To register for the June 17 event at the Washington Marriott (located at 1221 22nd Street NW, Washington DC), simply visit http://businessisboomingtour.com/ and use code KBM001.

There’s no charge to register, admission is free. The event will begin promptly at 6 p.m. with a 30-minute networking period prior to Sugars’ presentation.  

To find out additional dates and venues for the “Business is Booming” North American tour, please go to http://businessisboomingtour.com and use code KBM001.

About ActionCOACH

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the five states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

For information on ActionCOACH Founder Brad Sugars’ 2010 “Business is Booming” North American tour, please visit http://businessisboomingtour.com and use code KBM001. 

To learn more about working with an ActionCOACH or the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

ActionCOACH’s “Business is Booming” tour comes to DC on June 17.Read More

ActionCOACH Founder and CEO Brad Sugars offers free lecture for business owners on surviving economic “fall” and “winter” to succeed in economic “spring” and “summer”

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA …

Double-digit unemployment rates. Corporate bailouts. Foreclosures and slumping residential and commercial real estate markets.

So how can anyone truly say, “business is booming”?

Brad Sugars, founder and Chairman of ActionCOACH, the world’s number business coaching firm, has been sharing both how and why with sold-out crowds across North America as part of his “Business is Booming” tour. That tour will soon be coming to New Orleans on Thursday, June 10 at 6 p.m. at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center.

“History tells us that more money is made during economic downturns than during booms and that for every 10-month downturn is a 50-month boom,” said Brian Baudean, ActionCOACH business coach in Louisiana. “Brad’s message is that the companies can prepare for the next boom by cutting costs, developing good lead generation strategies and implementing effective marketing programs that deliver A- and B-level customers that will thrive in any economy.”

In addition to an explanation of why business is indeed booming, Sugars will also discuss 28 proven strategies to massively grow any type of business during his three-hour presentation.

Widely acclaimed as the world’s number one Business Coach, Sugars founded ActionCOACH in 1993 after successfully owning and or running more than 30 businesses in his native Australia. Today, ActionCOACH is ranked as the world’s leading international business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries.

A best-selling author of 14 highly acclaimed business books – including four international best-sellers – Sugars has taught nearly a half-million people worldwide how to create business, real estate and financial success.

“Brad Sugars is to business coaching what Tony Robbins has been to the personal development industry,” continued Baudean. “With his ‘Business is Booming’ tour, he’s literally giving away his years of successful business knowledge and expertise. It’s a message every small business owner in the greater Baltimore should want to hear.”

To register for the June 10 event at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center (located at 859 Convention Center Boulevard in New Orleans), simply visit http://businessisboomingtour.com/ and use code BDG001.

There’s no charge to register, admission is free. The event will begin promptly at 6 p.m. with a 30-minute networking period prior to Sugars’ presentation.  

To find out additional dates and venues for the “Business is Booming” North American tour, please go to http://businessisboomingtour.com and use code BDG001.

About ActionCOACH

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the five states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

For information on ActionCOACH Founder Brad Sugars’ 2010 “Business is Booming” North American tour, please visit http://businessisboomingtour.com and use code BDG001. 

To learn more about working with an ActionCOACH or the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity, contact Christen Clark, christenclark@actioncoach.com or 225-445-8815.

ActionCOACH Founder and CEO Brad Sugars offers free lecture for business owners on surviving economic “fall” and “winter” to succeed in economic “spring” and “summer”Read More

An ‘extreme’ approach to networking…ActionCOACH Angie Segal goes to ‘extremes’ as a partner of an Extreme Office Makeover for local non-profit.

SILVER SPRING, MD AND ROCKVILLE, MD…

As an ActionCOACH business coach, Angie Segal coaches her clients to seek out the proverbial “win-win” situation. As one of the founders of the ORIGINAL Third Tuesday networking group and a partner in the Extreme Office Makeover, she helped find a way to create a win-win-win for the nearly 400 business owners who participated in this month’s event.

The Extreme Office Makeover contest involved a group of local business partners donating goods or services to be awarded to a Montgomery County, non home-based business. Segal donated three months of business coaching. Other services donated from partners in the Extreme Office Makeover group included IT services and software, accounting, printing, water coolers and office supplies to name a few. In total, more than $100,000 in goods and services were donated by Extreme Office Makeover sponsors.

“This really was a win-win-win situation. Obviously, it’s great for the company that wins the Makeover but it also gives the sponsors an opportunity to showcase their business’s offerings and perhaps win a new client,” said Segal, owner of an ActionCOACH franchise in Silver Spring, MD. “Personally, I think it’s a win for everyone involved because we created an opportunity for almost 400 business owners to network and make new acquaintances and who knows what that could lead to.”

The Wellness Community of Greater Washington DC was the proud winner of the Extreme Office Makeover. The Wellness Community is a non-profit which provides cancer support, education and hope for thousands of people in the Greater Washington DC area.

“We are thrilled!” said Paula Rothenberg, president & CEO of The Wellness Community. “As a small nonprofit organization that provides all of our programs free of charge to people affected by cancer, we are dependent upon the support of many individuals, foundations and corporations. To receive this tremendous gift of much needed products and services is overwhelming.”

A first runner up prize was also awarded to the Computer Learning and Resource Center of Silver Spring, Maryland, which received a variety of goods and services from the participating business partners.

In addition to ActionCOACH, contributing sponsors of the Extreme Office Makeover included: Mosaic Technologies, Rockville Printing & Graphics, the Law Offices of Whittaker & Associates, Diverse Office Solutions, RMR & Associates, Reznick Group, Sisarina, Action Coach, RCD & Associates, IMC Water Coolers, iCore Networks, Intelligent Office, CMR Alliance, Shred Station Express, Urban BBQ, Potomac Grill and Comcast Business Class.

Founded in August 2009 by Angie Segal of ActionCOACH and Ron Dobransky of Rockville Printing & Graphics, the Original Third Tuesday networking group meets from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every third Tuesday at Clyde’s at Tower Oaks at 2 Preserve Parkway in Rockville, Maryland.  There’s no membership fee or admission to attend Original Third Tuesday networking group session. All business owners are welcome.

About ActionCOACH

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the five states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

For information on ActionCOACH Founder Brad Sugars’ 2010 “Business is Booming” North American tour, please visit, http://businessisboomingtour.com/. 

To learn more about working with an ActionCOACH or the ActionCOACH franchise opportunity, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

An ‘extreme’ approach to networking…ActionCOACH Angie Segal goes to ‘extremes’ as a partner of an Extreme Office Makeover for local non-profit.Read More

ActionCOACH takes to the airwaves…ActionCOACH Master Licensee Sheri Winesett appears on “On Track with Vanessa Womack” show on WLEE – 990 AM

RICHMOND, VA…

The emergence of business coaching is helping many small, local businesses in this challenging economy.  Yet, the concept of coaching is still a fairly new one in the business world. With her recent appearance on the “On Track with Vanessa Womack” show on WLEE 990 AM, ActionCOACH Master Licensee Sheri Winesett discussed several ways business coaching can help the small business owner.

“The small business owner has to wear many hats and it’s perfectly natural that some of those hats might fit better than the others,” said Winesett. “When we work with small business owners, we tailor our coaching accordingly. That could mean teaching sales skills to owners without a sales background or management techniques for the owner who’s always been a sole practitioner but now has staff, etc.”

So what can a business coach help accomplish for the small business owner? Here are some examples:

  • Time management –A time management evaluation and plan should be part of the package with definitive steps for improvement put in place.
  • Increasing sales – This should not only include a plan of how to increase sales, but a clear timetable of by how much and by when and within the structure of your organization.
  • Increasing profitability – Increasing sales is great, but it doesn’t automatically translate to profitability.  You want to work with a business coach who can look at the entire financial picture—sales, operations, etc.
  • Inspiration or exasperation? A business coach should be a mentor and motivator for business owner.
  • Goal-setting and accountability –A business coach should work with you to create goals and objectives. Those require actions and deliverables on the part of the business owner, who is accountable to the coach. As a business owner, that’s what you want.

“To get results out of a coaching relationship requires accountability on the part of the coach and the business owner and that’s what I tried to get across to Vanessa’s audience,” said Winesett.

“On Track with Vanessa Womack” airs on WLEE 990 AM Talk on Saturdays, 11 – 12 noon. “On Track with Vanessa Womack” delivers edgy, exciting information for entrepreneurs in the areas of business development, marketing, networking and building a successful enterprise. The show is also archived on The SHED Group LLC’s Web site, www.shedgrp.com. Womack is the SHED Group principal.

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the five states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

To learn more about ActionCOACH, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

ActionCOACH takes to the airwaves…ActionCOACH Master Licensee Sheri Winesett appears on “On Track with Vanessa Womack” show on WLEE – 990 AMRead More

How going ‘coach’ can upgrade your business class…Why business coaching delivers for small businesses, too.

FREDERICK, MD; BATON ROUGE, LA; WILMINGTON, DE; RICHMOND, VA; AND MIAMI, FL … 

Business coach? The emergence of business coaching is helping many small, local businesses in this challenging economy.  Yet, the concept of coaching, outside the athletic arena, is still a fairly new one, particularly in the business world.

Once a luxury as a resource affordable only to Fortune 5000 companies, business coaching is now accessible to even solo practitioners. But what is business coaching anyway?

Is it a financial advisor/tax consultant who can show business owners how to be more profitable? Are they sales coaches who teach business owners, many who do not have sales as a background, how to sell? Or are they management consultants who teach business owners how to run their operations more efficiently?

The answer is that a business coach can be one, some or all of the above. And for the small business owner seeking out the guidance of a business coach, it’s important to know exactly what it is you are getting.

“The three areas most critical to a small business owner are time, team and money. In other words, how you budget your time, how you manage your staff and/or operation and how you manage/make your money,” said Karen Boyd, an ActionCOACH business coach. “When hiring a business coach, the small business owner needs to determine the areas where they need assistance and hire somebody who can address those areas.”

So what should business owners look for in a business coach? What should business owners hope to get out of working with a business coach? Here are some guidelines for business owners interested in hiring a business or executive coach:

 

·         Working smarter – One of the more important things a business owner can get from working with a coach is to optimize his or her time; working smarter. A time management evaluation and plan should be part of the package with definitive steps for improvement put in place.

·         Increasing sales – The most obvious reason for working with a coach is to increase profits. Working with a business coach should not only include a plan of how to increase sales, but a clear timetable of by how much and by when and within the structure of your organization.

·         The bottom line – Increasing sales is great, but it doesn’t automatically translate to profitability.  You want to work with a business coach who can look at the entire financial picture—sales, operations, etc.

·         Inspiration or exasperation? A business coach should be a mentor and motivator for   business owner. When looking for a coach, be sure it’s somebody you can work with. Find out about their background. A certain level of trust and respect is needed to successfully work with a coach and the business owner should at the very least have references from the coach so they can make an informed decision.

·         Accountability – Only work with a coach who will hold you, the business owner, accountable. A business coach should work with you to create goals and objectives. Those require actions and deliverables on the part of the business owner. As a business owner, that’s what you want.

“To get results out of a coaching relationship requires accountability on the part of the coach and the business owner,” said Everardo Recendiz, an ActionCOACH out of Shreveport, Louisiana. “It’s the job of the coach to work with the business owner to come up with goals and deadlines for actions and deliverables. It’s the business owner’s job to meet those deadlines. Success or failure of the coaching relationship really comes down to the commitment of the business owner.”

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the six states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Florida (Coral Gables, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, North Miama, Palm Harbor, Pensacola Beach and Tallahassee); Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

To learn more about ActionCOACH, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

How going ‘coach’ can upgrade your business class…Why business coaching delivers for small businesses, too.Read More

With bad economy comes great opportunity…Franchise opportunities attracting individuals from various, non-traditional backgrounds…

MANCHESTER, MD…

Traditional career paths have become more of an obstacle course. The corporate ladder has many broken rungs. In the Gulf Coast region, ActionCOACH is seeing many new faces turning to franchising as an alternative venture and adventure.

“You’d think the worst economic times since the Great Depression would discourage budding entrepreneurs from going into business on their own,” said Karen Boyd, Global Master Licensee for ActionCOACH’s Gulf Atlantic region. “Yet with corporate layoffs, record unemployment rates, shrinking nest eggs and a number of other variables, many entrepreneurs are seeking franchises as a safer track to owning their own business—and that’s attracting franchise owners from a variety of backgrounds.

As the number one business coaching firm in the world, ActionCOACH has a slogan: Recession? What Recession, I have an ActionCOACH. The slogan serves not to deny the current tough economic times but to acknowledge the tremendous opportunities available in the current market—particularly if you’re looking to own your own business.

Some of the areas attracting new franchise owners include:

·         Corporate casualties and refugees

·         Seniors and Retirees

·         Working mothers

·         Veterans

·         Recent college graduates

Dan Zimanski, an ActionCOACH business coach based in Mandeville, Louisiana loved his job with Oreck until his world was literally turned upside down with Hurricane Katrina. “Oreck’s two main bases of operation were New Orleans and Long Beach, Mississippi—two places hit hardest by Katrina,” said Zimanski.

The company made a heroic effort to get back on the ground and even enjoyed its best year in 2006. The potential for another Katrina, however, played a deciding factor in the company moving its headquarters to Tennessee. Newly married with three stepchildren, Zimanski left the company he loved rather relocating.

“I’ve moved around quite a bit during my career and ActionCOACH  provided the opportunity to do something that I enjoy—coach small business owners—but to stay in a community that my family and I love and call home, particularly after Katrina,” said Zimanski.

Mark Raciappa, ActionCOACH franchise owner in Tallahassee, Florida, represents another new face of franchising: those who choose franchising as a lifestyle option.

Raciappa literally grew up in the supermarket business. Starting as a bagger as teen, he went on to manage a supermarket and eventually owned and operated his own. Tired of working six or even seven days a week, Raciappa put his market up for sale and began searching for a franchise opportunity. FranChoice, a franchise “matchmaking” company, directed him to ActionCOACH in 2006 and Raciappa has not looked back.

“Part of my decision to get out of the supermarket business was lifestyle, I wanted to be able to enjoy my weekends and holidays,” said Raciappa. “The other was doing something to help people. At ActionCOACH, we’re in the business of helping people. In the current economy, the real challenge is helping the small business owner see the great opportunities for success that are out there.

ActionCOACH is the world’s #1 business coaching firm and executive coaching firm. Operating

in 26 countries, the franchise has more than 1,000 offices around the world. That includes locations in the six states (and Washington DC) that make up the Gulf Atlantic region: Alabama (Pelham); Delaware; Florida (Coral Gables, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, North Miami, Palm Harbor, Pensacola Beach and Tallahassee); Louisiana (Baton Route, Loranger, Mandeville, New Orleans and Shreveport); Maryland (Baltimore, Freeland, Fallston, Manchester, Rockland, Silver Spring); and Mississippi (Madison).

Founded in 1993, the ActionCOACH has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise for more than five years running.

To learn more about ActionCOACH, contact Karen Boyd, www.karenboyd.actioncoach.comwww.karenboyd.actioncoach.com, (410) 374-3536.

With bad economy comes great opportunity…Franchise opportunities attracting individuals from various, non-traditional backgrounds…Read More