RESOURCES TO HELP
YOU BUILD A BETTER
BUSINESS

We’re happy to share a wealth of free resources to help you improve your business, even if you’re not a coaching client yet. On the W5 Coaching website’s Resources section, you’ll find:

• An Extensive Blog: We have 15+ years of blog articles packed with insights and tips on all aspects of running a small business. John writes about topics like leadership, sales, marketing, cash flow, team building, productivity, mindset shifts, and much more. It’s like an ever-growing library of coaching advice at your fingertips.

• Ultimate Guides: We’ve created in-depth “Ultimate Guide” collections on the most important areas where business owners struggle. These guides compile the best articles and advice on specific themes – for example, Becoming a Better Business Owner, Business Finances & Sales, Scaling Your Business, Building a Great Team, and Time Management & Productivity. Each Ultimate Guide is like a mini-playbook full of strategies and answers to common questions in that domain (you can find each guide linked under the Resources menu).

• Book Recommendations: Curious what a business coach reads? John has put together a list of his best book recommendations for business owners. These are the books he often suggests to clients, covering leadership, management, personal development, and success principles. It’s a great reading list for anyone looking to level up their knowledge.

• Value Builder Assessment: We offer a free online Value Builder score assessment tool. This is a questionnaire that evaluates your business on eight key drivers of company value. You’ll get a report that helps identify strengths and weaknesses in your business (and of course, John can review it with you if you’d like). It’s a useful way to take stock of where your business stands and how to increase its worth.

All of these resources are available at no cost on our site because our goal is to help business owners succeed, whether or not they decide to invest in one-on-one coaching. Feel free to explore and take advantage of all this valuable content!

Hiring a business coach can be one of the best investments you make in yourself and your company. There are many reasons owners decide to work with a coach. Here are a few of the most common:

• Fresh Perspective: It’s hard to see the whole picture when you’re inside the frame of your business every day. A coach provides an outside perspective. John has extensive business experience, so he can help you spot blind spots and recognize opportunities you might miss on your own. He’ll also keep you focused on the path to success, so you’re less likely to wander off chasing distractions. In short, a coach acts as a mirror and a guide, helping you see your business in new ways.

• Breaking Through Limitations: We all have personal limitations or bad habits that hold our business back – and often these are self-imposed without us realizing it. A coach can help you identify and overcome those barriers. For example, many of John’s clients initially struggle with things like delegation or the sales process. With coaching, they learn to step outside their comfort zone and develop new skills, which allows their business to reach the next level. Whenever you catch yourself thinking “I can’t do X” or “I’m just not good at Y,” that’s exactly where a coach can step in and help you push past that roadblock.

• Personal and Professional Growth: A great coach doesn’t just focus on your business – they focus on you, the owner. John firmly believes (and we mentioned this in our guides!) that if an owner wants a better business, first the business needs a better owner. Working with a coach means you’re committing to ongoing learning and self-improvement. The best clients are those who want to grow as leaders and individuals. Through coaching, you’ll pick up new knowledge, better habits, and increased confidence that benefit not only your business’s bottom line but also your own development as a CEO.

• You’re Feeling Stuck (and “Don’t Know What You Don’t Know”): A common scenario is the business grows to a certain point and then plateaus – and the owner isn’t sure how to break through to the next stage. You might be an expert in your trade (an excellent accountant, contractor, consultant, etc.), but you’ve never been formally taught how to run a business. This often leads to hitting a ceiling and feeling stuck, frequently manifesting as the “hub-and-spoke” trap (where everything in the business revolves around you). The fastest way out of this trap is to get some business education and guidance. A coach is like a fast-track learning resource: John will teach you exactly what you need to know, when you need to know it, so you can quickly gain the skills to move forward.

In summary, you should consider hiring a business coach if you want to accelerate your business growth, gain clarity and confidence in your decisions, and avoid costly trial-and-error. It’s about having an experienced partner dedicated to your success. Many clients find that with the right coach, they achieve in months what would have otherwise taken years on their own – and that kind of payoff is well worth it.

The honest answer is that working with a business coach shouldn’t “cost” you anything in the long run – it should pay for itself and then some. We understand coaching is an investment, and of course you want to know that you’ll get value from it. At W5 Coaching, our philosophy is that the purpose of your business is to give you the life you want, so the real question isn’t just “What does coaching cost?” but rather “What value will coaching provide, and is that worth it to you?”

Think of it this way: If coaching helps you increase your revenue and profits significantly, or frees up 10 hours of your week that you can now spend on high-value activities (or with your family!), what is that worth to you? For some owners, the biggest value is financial – for example, boosting sales by 30% or finally getting a handle on cash flow. For others, the value is in gaining time and reducing stress – maybe coaching enables them to hire an assistant and reclaim their weekends. Ideally, you’ll get both financial returns and quality-of-life improvements.

John works with clients to ensure that the gains from coaching far exceed the fees. Many clients start seeing positive changes and ROI almost immediately as they implement the ideas and homework from each session. Over the life of your business, the knowledge and skills you gain continue to pay off year after year.

Our coaching programs are customized and the fees can vary depending on the scope and format (for instance, one-on-one coaching vs. group sessions, etc.), so we’d be happy to discuss specifics once we know more about your situation. But rest assured, we approach coaching as an investment in your success. We’ll even help you set metrics or goals up front so you can measure the return you’re getting. Bottom line: the “cost” of coaching is designed to be insignificant compared to the value and results you’ll receive by working with a coach who is 100% dedicated to helping you achieve your business goals.

Choosing the right business coach is important – you want someone who is a good fit for your personality, your business, and your goals. Here are some tips to help you find “your” coach:

1. Get Clear on Your Goals: Before you even start looking for a coach, spend a little time thinking about what you really want to achieve. Is it solving a specific business challenge (like fixing your marketing or hiring better staff)? Is it expanding into a new market or opening a second location? Or something more personal, like reducing your workload and stress? The clearer you are about what you’re looking for help with, the easier it will be to identify a coach with the right expertise. Different coaches have different specialties – some might be great with startup businesses, others with scaling, some emphasize mindset, others execution. Knowing your goals will help narrow the field.
2. Research and Interview Coaches: Don’t hesitate to interview potential coaches – you’re going to be working closely with this person, so it’s worth taking time to find the right match. Ask about their experience and background. Have they worked with business owners in your industry or who had similar challenges? John, for example, has coached 400+ clients across many industries and has likely seen a case similar to yours. You can also ask about the results they’ve helped clients achieve – any good coach will have success stories or references. It’s perfectly okay to request references and actually talk to a couple of their past or current clients to hear about their experience.
3. Assess Chemistry and Comfort: Coaching is a very personal relationship. A lot comes down to chemistry and trust. In your initial conversation (many coaches, including John, offer a free intro call), pay attention to how you feel talking to them. Do you feel comfortable opening up about your business challenges with this person? Do their communication style and values vibe with yours? You want a coach you feel at ease with, but who also inspires you and maybe even challenges you a bit. When you find someone and you think “Yes, I click with this person,” that’s a great sign. Many of John’s clients mention that they chose him because they felt an immediate rapport and a sense that he genuinely cared – those things matter!
4. Consider Logistics and Style: Some practical considerations: How does the coach deliver their coaching (phone, Zoom, in-person)? Does that work for you? What is the frequency of meetings and does it match what you’re looking for (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.)? Also, think about whether you prefer a more structured program or something flexible. John, for instance, doesn’t lock clients into contracts and tailors the process to each client, which some people prefer. Make sure the coach’s approach (structured vs. flexible, tough-love vs. nurturing, etc.) fits what you need.

Ultimately, trust your gut. After doing the above, you’ll likely have a feeling about who the “right” coach is for you. When you have a good feeling about a coach’s expertise and you feel positive chemistry with them, you’ve probably found a winner!

You can expect a good business coach to be an invaluable partner in your success – but maybe not in the way some people think. Here’s what to expect (and even what not to expect):

• Lots of Questions: First and foremost, expect your coach to ask a lot of questions. A great coach listens more than they talk. John will pose thoughtful, sometimes tough questions that really make you think through your options and clarify your decisions. Don’t be surprised if you end up saying, “Hmm, no one’s ever asked me that before!” Those questions are designed to bring out insights and answers that are already inside you.

• Empathy and Understanding: You should expect your coach to genuinely understand what you’re going through. Entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster – and the advantage of working with someone like John is that he’s likely faced similar challenges in his own career or through coaching others. When you hit a snag or feel discouraged, your coach should be able to relate and show empathy, while still encouraging you to keep going.

• 100% In Your Corner: A business coach is like your personal champion. You can expect John to be in your corner at all times, rooting for you and supporting you. That also means he’ll be honest with you – sometimes the most supportive thing is to give candid feedback. But it all comes from a place of wanting you to succeed. You can share your wins and your worries with your coach and expect confidentiality, encouragement, and constructive guidance.

• Accountability (with a friendly push): Expect your coach to hold you accountable to your own goals. When you decide on an action step, John will remember and check in on it next time. This bit of external accountability often makes the difference between intentions and results. He’ll also help you set realistic commitments so you’re not overwhelmed, but you are moving forward steadily.

• No Magic Answers or Orders: It’s worth noting what NOT to expect: A good coach won’t simply tell you exactly what to do or hand you a one-size-fits-all answer to a complex problem. If you come in expecting the coach to do your push-ups for you (so to speak) or give you a secret formula that requires no effort, you might be disappointed. Coaches provide guidance, expertise, and structure, but they won’t run your business for you. And while John will certainly share advice and best practices, he isn’t going to issue orders – the decisions in the end are yours to make. That’s because the goal is to build your confidence as an owner, not make you dependent on someone else’s instructions.

In summary, you can expect your business coach to be a mix of a mentor, a strategist, a sounding board, and an accountability partner. With John as your coach, you’ll get someone who deeply cares about your success, will ask the right questions, will share hard-won insights, and will push you to become the best version of yourself as a business owner. It’s a professional relationship, but often it can feel quite personal – many clients say it’s lonely at the top as an entrepreneur, and having a coach is like having a trusted ally to navigate the journey together.

Absolutely. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely and isolating at times. You don’t always have colleagues or peers who understand the weight of the decisions you have to make, and it might feel like you have no one to turn to when you’re facing tough challenges. This is a very common feeling, and one huge benefit of a coach is that you suddenly have someone in your corner at all times.

When you work with John, you’re no longer alone in figuring things out. He brings extensive business experience and has likely seen many of the issues you’re dealing with. You can lean on that experience to gain confidence in what you and your business are capable of. Sometimes just voicing your concerns or ideas to an objective outsider can bring a lot of clarity – and John is there to listen without judgment.

A coach serves as a confidant and a partner in brainstorming solutions. For example, if you’re not sure who to ask for advice on a decision, or you’re second-guessing yourself, you can talk it through with John. He will help highlight your blind spots (in a friendly way!), keep you accountable to your vision, and even celebrate your wins with you – which, let’s face it, we don’t get to do enough as solo business owners.

Clients often say that after hiring a coach, they feel a weight off their shoulders because they finally have someone to talk to about their business who “gets it.” Yes, friends and family can be supportive, but it’s different when you have a dedicated coach who understands business deeply. John will empathize with the pressures you face, but also push you to see solutions and silver linings. He’ll remind you of your strengths when you’re doubting yourself, and challenge you when you need a nudge forward.

In short, having a business coach means you’re not alone on your entrepreneurial journey. It can turn that isolation into a collaborative experience. Being able to share the burden – and the excitement – with a professional who’s invested in your success can make the journey far more enjoyable and rewarding. If you’re feeling isolated, getting a coach might be the best decision you make, both for your business’s success and for your own well-being as a business owner. Let’s tackle those challenges together!