11 Questions to Ask a Business Coach

Thinking of hiring a business coach? You’ll want to be sure to ask the right questions to find the best business coach for you — as well as your business, needs and goals.

Asking questions helps you find the right business coach

Finding the right coach is as important as finding the right doctor. That’s why it’s so important to know — ahead of time — what questions to ask a business coach to help you determine if they are the right coach for you.

Whether you’re brand new in business or you’re an experienced entrepreneur, whether you’ve hired a coach before or it’s your first time, you want to prepare yourself before the discovery call by identifying good questions to ask a prospective business coach.

Unless you’ve been following a certain coach for a while, reading their blog, or participating in their community, your coaching consultation may be the first and only interaction you get before deciding whether or not to hire them as your business coach. You’ll want to be prepared by thinking of the questions to ask ahead of time

The best business coaching questions are specific to your situation

Ideally, you’ve done your research about this specific business coach and understand their credentials and their story. (Reviewing their About page or even LinkedIN profile can help with this!) So instead of wasting your time asking the more general questions, you can dive deeper and ask questions that pertain to your specific business, preferences, and goals. 

For example, if you’re an introvert who prefers to work with a coach who is also an introvert (or vice versa), that’s a great question to ask your coach. If your Achilles heel is marketing, you want to ask your coach about their expertise in marketing. If you prefer a very hands-on coach with a lot of accountability, you want to be sure your business coach can provide that.

So take the business coaching questions below as a jumping off point and tailor them to match your specific situation.

11 questions to ask when interviewing a business coach

Here are 11 sample questions you’ll want to ask anytime you’re interviewing on a prospective business coach, whether it be on a discovery call, free consultation, or anywhere else. Be sure to add any questions of your own as well! There is really no such thing as too many questions when it comes to hiring a coach to help you with your business.

1. How long have they been a business coach?

Be sure that the potential business coach you’re hiring has some actual experience in business. (You’d be surprised how many don’t!) Ask them how long they’ve been a business coach, what brought them to business coaching in the first place, as well as what other business experience and skills they bring to coaching. This isn’t to say that a new(er) business coach can’t help you, as if someone is a business coach but hasn’t worked in a market for several years, their skills could potentially be outdated.

2. What are their credentials as a business coach?

Are they certified as a coach? While a certification is not required to coach (which is controversial), there are accredited programs that will certify coaches according to standards by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Ask the business coach if they are certified and if so, where they received their certification. Also ask what other types of trainings or experience they may bring to the table. If it’s really important that your business coach excels in marketing, sales, finances, or scaling a business, be sure to ask.

3. What does the business coach specialize in?

There are general business coaches, marketing coaches, mindset coaches, sales coaches, and more. There are coaches who specialize in serving business owners starting their businesses. There are coaches for businesses who are ready to scale past $100k. When hiring a business coach, consider your stage, your goals, and the type of help you need. Ask questions to make sure the business coach you hire is experienced in the area(s) in which you need and want support. (And it’s totally fine to hire a business coach for one piece of your business now, and then 3-5 years later, need a different type of coach entirely!)

4. What is the business coach’s coaching style?

Is your business coach offer true coaching, consulting, or both? Do they advise you on what to do? Or do they coach you to find your own answers? Some business coaches that stay true to coaching focus on helping you find your own answers (which can sometimes be challenging when you’re in a new arena), while a consultant gives you their answers and opinions (which is great, but you want to be the decision maker for your business). Ideally, you want to find someone who offers a mix of coaching and consulting so you can make sure that you are making the big decisions in your business, but are getting advice and guidance where you need it. 

5. How does this business coach work with clients?

You want to ask about the options for working with this specific business coach. Do they offer group or individual coaching? Is it online or in person? How often do you meet and how long are the coaching calls? Do you get support between calls? (Support between coaching calls can be extremely helpful when you have questions/concerns in between meeting times.) Do you get access to resources or anything else as a result of working together? Some business coaches offer perks like Voxer coaching, email coaching, office hours, and even copy review and/or templates. 

6. What types of clients does this business coach typically work with?

Business coaching is not one size fits all. All businesses are different. You’ll want to make sure that the business coach you hire has experience helping businesses in your industry, of your size, and of your stage in business. For example, if you’re a coach, you’ll want to look for a business coach who has experience supporting coaches. If you’re a solopreneur, you’ll want a business coach who supports solo entrepreneurs. If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to work with a business coach who supports entrepreneurs who are just starting out. Likewise, if you’ve surpassed the 6 or 7 figure mark, you’ll want to look for a business coach who has done the same. 

7. What are the business coach’s values?

Values are a big buzzword in the coaching world. Knowing what your values are is the first step. Then when you’re looking for a business coach, you can look for a coach who has shared values. Shared values make for a good working relationship. Think about your values and which are important for you to have in a coaching relationship. Is open communication important? Transparency? Honesty? Responsiveness? Accountability? Be sure to share your values with your potential business coach to see if it’s a match, or ask the business coach what their top values are.

8. What is the business coach’s personality?

Some personalities just clash. This why I’m a big fan of discovery calls — so you can interact in real time to see how your personalities do (or do not) mesh! If you’re an introvert entrepreneur, you might prefer working with a business coach who is more introverted, as they may more sensitive to your needs. If you’re a sensitive, intuitive type, it may be important to you that your business coach is the same. If you’re neurodivergent, you may prefer working with a neurodivergent coach. They are out there! The best way to test for a personality match is to see how you interact on a discovery call, as well as ask the coach questions to learn more about them and their coaching style.

9. What typical results does this business coach see with their clients?

While every client is different and client results are highly subjective, there should be certain results or outcomes that a business coach helps their clients achieve. Keep in mind that many business coaches only want to share results that the very top 1% of clients have achieved. But as a client, you want to ask about the “typical” results. Where is a typical client at the end of this package? What results does a typical client see? Be sure to inquire about where their clients are at the end of working together to get a good idea of what you might expect.

10. What does this business coach look for in a client?

Yes, this is an important one! The best coaching relationship is one that’s a YES for the client and the business coach. Just as you are interviewing the coach to see if they’re the right business coach for you, the business coach is interviewing YOU to see if you’re the right client for them. You might ask the business coach what types of clients they love working with to get a good idea if you fit their client profile. This is a relationship and like other relationships, both people need to be equally committed for it to succeed. While asking questions provides valuable insights, the connection and rapport you feel during the call will reveal even more about whether you’re truly a good fit for one another. 

11. When is this business coach taking on new clients?

It can be a letdown to get on a consult call only to hear that a coach isn’t taking new clients for the next 3-6 months, especially when you were hoping to get started *yesterday*! Whether you want to get started now or next month or next season, be sure to share that information upfront with your prospective business coach. The business coach also has their own client load and time to manage, so knowing when they have a client spot open is key to planning ahead and finding a start date that works for both of you.  

What else should you ask a business coach?

The questions mentioned above are arguably the most important questions to ask any business coach you’re considering hiring. But you also want to ask questions that pertain to what’s most important to you specifically at this stage in your business, for example: 

• You might want a lot of accountability, someone to brainstorm with, and someone to give you a lot of feedback.
• You might want a business coach with skills in areas you are still learning, such as marketing and sales.
• You might want a business coach who can help you expand into a new coaching niche or create a new offering.

Be sure to include these types of questions in your list as well.

Prepare your business coaching questions in advance

While you usually don’t have to do much to prepare for a discovery call, you might find it helpful to prepare your questions to ask a business coach in advance. Write down any question you might have, no matter how big or small. During the call, take notes! This can be super helpful when you’re interviewing more than one business coach. Then you can compare notes as you make your decision.

In the end, though, when you have all the information, it is often a gut-check decision. Do you feel that this business coach understands you? Can they support you? Do you like them? (Honestly, that is so important!) Is it a YES for both you and business coach? If so, it’s a good sign that it’s the right business coach for you.