Job Coach Helps to Ease the Lives of Business Owners

After 30 years of owning small businesses in the Capital Region, Stahl decided helping other business owners was the path he wanted to take in life. In September, he received a business coach certification and opened his branch of The Growth Coach to serve small business owners from Saratoga to Albany.
"By having my own businesses in the past I understand the needs of business owners and I want to help them find success, especially in a tough economy," he said.
Stahl has been a business owner since he was 23 years old when he opened a building, restoration and painting company.  He also has invented, patented and marketed historic window and wood repair products, growing the business to more than $1 million in sales.
"Through owning my own business, I've made every mistake in the book.  I know what works and what doesn't by first-hand experience," he said. "I want to use this experience to help other people grow their businesses and increase their potential and success rate."
Stahl's focus is on businesses that have been in operation for about three years.
"That's when the pain starts to take place. Things are settling into a routine, 70-hour work weeks are no longer fun and clutter can build up and consume time on a day-to-day basis," he said.
It is Stahl's job to help a business owner clear out the clutter, establish what is working for the business and what is holding it back and help the owner eliminate or reduce wasted time and delegate responsibility.
"A lot of people confuse coaching with consulting, but they are two different approaches," he explained. Stahl equates business training to losing weight with the help of personal trainer. Like a fitness trainer, Stahl meets with his clients to discuss the goals of an individual and what shape they are in at the present.  It is up to the business owner to do all of the work, but he is there to hold them accountable for their actions.
"I'm not a consultant, I don't give advice, but I help them to work on their business by identifying strengths and weaknesses and building on that. I'm here to work on their business, not in their business," he said.
Along with one-on-one coaching sessions, The Growth Coach hosts quarterly workshops called "The Strategic Mindset" for a two-year period. The day-long workshops allow business owners and their employees to take a step back from the day-to-day operations and see the business in a "big picture" format.  After two years, clients graduate to a life-long coaching and round table program which allows access to a coach and to participate in discussion with other graduates to share ideas and help each other.
"Overall a business owner needs a long-term plan, and stick to that. Avoid 'shiny objects' - fads or flavors of the month that can take the focus off the goals of the company," he said. "We listen to what the owner wants out of the business and hold him responsible for getting to the goal. We believe the business owner is the best expert in their field, and we know the steps to make a business run more efficiently."
Across the spectrum, small businesses have the same elements although the work may be different.  All businesses have visions and goals and they need to sell the product, retain customers and have a solid leader.
"A job coach doesn't need to be an expert in the field of the specific business.  That is the job of a consultant.  It's my job to have an ongoing relationship with the business owner to keep them on track to reach their goal and hold them accountable for their actions," Stahl said.
For more information about The Growth Coach, visit www.thegrowthcoach.com/jstahl or call Stahl directly at (607) 760-6658.