The difference between a business advisor, coach, mentor & consultant

This article is about the difference between a business advisor, coach, mentor & consultant.

You will hear many terms being spoken about when it comes to business help and advice. These terms are commonly a Business Advisor, Business Coach, Business Mentor and Business Consultant. Most people don’t know or understand the difference between each service offering, and you guessed it, there is a difference between business advisor, coach, mentor and consultant. So, please allow me to explain these services and what they mean in practical terms, should you be looking for one.

BUSINESS ADVISOR

A Business Adviser is someone who makes recommendations on what should be done. An adviser assists you or your team with a current experience by providing guidance based on their professional knowledge and/or personal experience with comparable circumstances in the past. An adviser will make suggestions for a course of action or choice you must make. Advisors can provide you or your team with valuable insights based on their expertise. I have owned businesses in many different areas of expertise throughout my career, which has given me an extensive knowledge base to help and guide business owners.

View my Business Advisory Service here.

BUSINESS COACH

A Business Coach is an instructor or trainer. A coach assists you in seeing what you or your team cannot see by asking questions that others are reluctant to ask. The coach may also assist you and/or your team in developing a new way of thinking. In a nutshell, they provide a new strategy or technique. A coach will assist you in seeing how your current way of thinking, strategy, or methodology is not working.

A coach will ask you many questions so that you or your team can change what you’re doing to obtain the outcomes you want. Because most of our decisions are made subconsciously and are based on previous patterns in our life or career, a coach can assist you in identifying the patterns that are not producing the desired outcomes. A coach does not perform the work for you; rather, they assist your insights so that you and your team may change to a stronger direction to achieve the desired objectives.

View my Business Coach Service here.

BUSINESS MENTOR

A Business Mentor, like a trusted counsellor, helps you understand what you need to do and guides you along the way. A mentor is an experienced coach, consultant, or advisor who wants to give back by engaging in a free relationship with you. It fulfils a need they have to give back and share their knowledge and experience. It is critical to recognise that a mentor is typically filling a need within themselves and/or at a stage in their life or career where this is valuable. If you are fortunate enough to find a mentor, take advantage of the opportunity and use them to help you get where you want to go with your business.

View my Business Mentor Service here.

BUSINESS CONSULTANT

Business Consultants are extremely beneficial when a company lacks the resources or talents required for a successful outcome. Most consultants do not deal with changing the way people think but rather get stuck in and do what is required to achieve a result. A consultant performs the tasks that you or your team would perform if you had the necessary resources. The way to look at it is; consultants possess abilities that you or your team may lack. Consultants have specific skills required for a project or endeavour, and once accomplished, they move on to the next company or project.

View my Business Consultant Service here.

SUMMARY

The above explanations will help you identify which type of business service you need for your business situation. There are some overlaps in services, such as a Business Advisor and a Busines Coach offering a similar service. However, the end goal is still the same, to help your business grow and thrive by providing sound advice, guidance and expertise. In some parts of the world, they are more used to the term Business Coach, whereas others use the term Business Advisor or Business Management Advisor. I personally perform a Business Advisor and Business Coach role when I help businesses achieve growth and success.

A great resource to understand more about what a Business Advisor, Business Coach, Business Mentor & Business Consultant does is to check out the New Zealand Government website, which you can find here.

Please feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss my business advisory services to help your business grow, thrive, and be successful.

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