Do you know what animal was the last to discover water?
“Animals that live in dry areas where there is no water” I hear you say.
Nope! Actually, the answer to this question may come as a surprise to you; the last creature to discover water was the fish! Yes, that’s right, fish!
Fish live in water and have it round them all the time and they never know anything different. There’s no reason for them to know about water, since they don’t know anything different. The only way they could ever discover there’s something called “air” would be for them to leave the water – and for a fish, that would constitute suicide!
What does this have to do with a business coach? Well, like the fish, small business owners sometimes find themselves swimming round and round the “small business fish bowl”. This is the place where you become so engrossed in your business and the everyday process of keeping your head above water, that all you can see is the water round you. You’re not able to see that there is anything different, or that there might be better ways of doing things.
Enter the business coach!
What the business coach does for your business is to stand outside your situation where he/she can bring a fresh perspective and can see both what’s going on “in the water” and outside of it. Most of us are so busy doing the day-to-day things that we just don’t have time to think about growth. And if growth means change, well – forget it mate!
Have you ever looked at your own business and said “I know we could be doing this or that better, but I just can’t put my finger on exactly what it is and what’s more, I have no idea where to start”?
There’s good news and bad news:
The good news is you are not on your own! In fact, you’re probably in the majority right now! So, don’t feel like a fish out of water, because the truth is, you’re a fish IN water, and you’re simply observing what every other fish observes – WATER!
The bad news is that because you are IN the water with your small business, you’re never going to see that there’s a different or better way of doing things, without the help of someone from outside who knows that water is not the only thing on earth.
“Hold on” I hear you say, “I’m happy here in the water and the idea of sticking my head up out of the water, scares me silly!”
So, I understand that, but you are responding to something you’ve never even tried!
I’m living proof that you can survive out of the water. Anyway, if you want to stay there, that’s OK, we’ll just take it slowly; introduce you to things gradually. I’ll help you, teach you to breathe air, teach you to walk, show you new ways of doing things and walk beside you every step of the way. If you still don’t like it, I’ll put you back in the water; but I’ve never thrown a fish back yet.
Why not appoint a coach for your business today and begin exploring possibilities. You might find that getting out of the fishbowl is the best thing you’ve ever done!