Saturday, October 31, 2026
46% of NZ small business owners aren't paying themselves. Here's why that has to change, and the three moves that build it into a real habit, not a hope.
Short answer: An executive coach develops you as a leader: how you communicate, decide and influence. A business coach works on the business itself: customers, offer, marketing, sales and profit. If the problem is how you lead, choose an executive coach. If it is how the business grows, choose a business coach. Some owners eventually need both.
Kevin D'Ambros-Smith is a business coach and advisor who has coached 200+ businesses one-on-one across 30+ industries, after a career at DDB, Ogilvy and Saatchi and Saatchi and founding nine companies. He works with US owners online. Provider facts below were read from their own websites on 2 November 2026, and anything we could not confirm was left out.
Last updated 2 November 2026. Market: United States.
The difference is what you are trying to improve. The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to reach their full personal and professional potential. Executive coaching applies that to a person in a leadership role. Business coaching applies it to the performance of a company.
ActionCOACH, a business coaching provider, puts it neatly on its UK site: executive coaching targets the individual leader, working on skills such as communication, confidence, decision-making and delegation. Business coaching targets the company as a whole, covering profit, revenue, sales, systems, team structure, cash flow and strategy. Because ActionCOACH sells business coaching, treat its framing as one side of the story, and note that it also says many owners benefit from both at different stages.
Here is a fair comparison of the main routes. Each has a best-for and a not-ideal-if, so you can match it to your situation.
Read these two groups and see which describes your last month.
Signs an executive coach is the better fit:
Signs a business coach is the better fit:
Most owners of established small and midsize businesses fall in the second group. Their leadership is fine. The constraint sits in the offer, the marketing, the sales process or the way the week is organized. Leadership polish cannot fix an offer nobody is buying, which is why Kevin looks for the real constraint first and fixes it before you spend another dollar.
Kevin is a business coach, not an executive coach. If you are an executive or manager inside a large organization, working on your own leadership or career, an executive coach or your employer's coaching platform is the honest answer, and he will tell you so on the first call. The same goes if you want a peer room, or an operating system your whole leadership team will adopt. Many owners combine an operating system with an outside coach, and EOS itself says the two go hand in hand.
Where Simple-Growth fits is the owner who wants fresh eyes on the market for their business. When you are surrounded by the same conferences, books and competitors, it gets hard to see what is obvious from outside. A coach who has worked across many industries brings ideas your competitors are not hearing. Kevin works with US owners online, and the free call runs across US time zones.
"Kevin has been a game changer for us. I had tried a couple of high-profile US entrepreneur programs but found these just talked about 'mindset', whereas Kevin gives practical advice to grow your business that you can implement immediately."
Brett
Abeille
Individual results vary and depend on the business and the work the owner puts in.
Apply these criteria to any provider, including Kevin. Ask every candidate the same questions and compare the answers.
If you are in New Zealand, we have written the NZ version of this guide, with local providers and pricing.
No. An executive coach develops a leader's skills, such as communication, decision-making and influence. A business coach works on the business itself: customers, offer, marketing, sales and profit. They share methods but are judged against different outcomes.
Not necessarily. If your leadership is the limit, for example you struggle to delegate or lead a growing team, an executive coach can help. If the issue is stalled revenue, thin margin or an unclear offer, a business coach will usually move things faster.
Yes, and sequence matters. Many owners start with a business coach to find the real constraint and build a 90-day plan, then add an executive coach later if growth has produced a bigger team and leadership becomes the limit.
None of the providers reviewed for this guide publish a standard fee on the pages we read, so no figure is quoted here. Ask for a full written fee schedule and term before you commit.
Yes. Kevin works with US owners online, and the free 30-minute call runs across US time zones.
Not sure which system fits? Answer nine questions and get an honest recommendation.
Prefer to talk it through? Book a free 30-minute call with Kevin. It runs online and works across US time zones.
Smaller-budget online programs are launching soon. Join The Inside Track to hear first.
Simple-Growth publishes this guide and the Simple-Growth System is one of the options discussed. The criteria are listed above so you can apply them to any provider.
Kevin and The Simple-Growth Team
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The personal touch that built your reputation at ten staff quietly becomes the bottleneck that breaks it at thirty. Here is how to turn a habit into a system before it costs you.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most owners check star ratings and warm adjectives before hiring a coach. Here is the three-detail test that tells you whether a review is evidence or decoration.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The Christmas shutdown is about eleven weeks away. Here is the one-page-per-role handover document that decides whether you actually switch off this year.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
The biggest sales research study ever run found the best reps ask, they don't tell. Here is the SPIN method, and the four questions that come before any pitch.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
No ad budget doesn't mean no reach. Here is the Dream 100 method for finding the audiences that already trust your exact customer, and earning your way in.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME growth plans are really just wishlists with a due date. Here is the two-question strategic choice cascade that turns good ideas into an actual strategy.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Burger King sold Whoppers for one cent, but only within 600 feet of a McDonald's. Here is the small-business version of that play, for under $5k.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Customers rank quality and service three times higher than price, yet a third of marketers admit they can't say what makes their brand different. Here's the three-step audit that fixes the real problem before you touch your price list.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most growth plans start with finding new customers. The cheapest lever is usually already inside the transaction happening right now - here's the Checkout Audit that finds it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most owners call a coach only once something's broken. The data on mentored businesses says the real value compounds earliest - here's the Two Doors test for deciding when.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Owners feel busy all day and still don't move the business forward. The research says task-switching is the hidden cost - here's the Three-Block Day that gets the best hours back.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Owners chase new leads every Q4 while a cheaper, warmer list of past customers sits untouched. Here's the four-step Win-Back Sequence and the real economics behind it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
SME websites and pitches default to telling their own story. The research says customers skim past most of it looking for themselves - here's the StoryBrand framework that fixes it.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME growth plans default to out-competing everyone else on the same crowded turf. Blue Ocean Strategy's own data says that's the lower-profit path - here's the four-question grid that finds the faster one.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME owners blame a lost customer on price. New 2026 research says it is almost always one unresolved issue instead. Here is the three-step audit to find your real loyalty leak.