Keeping It Simple
The fastest, simplest ways to grow your business - no jargon, no fluff. Practical strategies that actually work for SME owners in the USA, New Zealand, and worldwide.
Ask any business coach if they're the right fit for you, and almost all of them will say yes. That's the problem. A coach with an empty calendar and a mortgage to pay has every incentive to say yes to anyone who can afford them, which tells you nothing about whether they're actually right for your business.
The real test of a good coach isn't whether they'll take you on. It's whether they'd ever say no. A coach who has never turned down a prospective client, or never ended an engagement that wasn't working, isn't selective, they're just busy.
Before you sign with anyone, ask the question almost nobody asks: what kind of client do you turn away?
The Enemy Is the Universal Coach
The coaching industry has a structural incentive problem: most coaches are paid to have clients, not to have the right clients. That pushes many toward a one-size-fits-all pitch, the same framework, the same promises, applied to a retail founder, a professional services partner, and a manufacturing owner alike. Meta-analyses in coaching psychology consistently point to the working relationship between coach and client, not the specific framework used, as one of the strongest predictors of whether coaching actually changes outcomes. A framework applied to the wrong fit rarely works, no matter how good the framework is.
Named plainly: the enemy is the coach who sells fit instead of assessing it.
The Two-Way Interview
1. Ask what they'd say no to. A coach who can describe, specifically, the kind of business or owner they're not right for is telling you they've actually thought about fit.
2. Ask for the uncomfortable question. Request a call where they push back on something in your business, before you've paid them a dollar. You'll learn more from their pushback than their pitch.
3. Check the operator test. Have they actually built or run something, or only studied and taught it? Both have value; know which one you're hiring.
4. Ask how they end a mismatch. A coach with a clear, respectful process for ending an engagement that isn't working is more trustworthy than one who's never had to.
5. Watch what they measure. A coach focused on your calendar time with them, rather than your business results without them, has the incentives backwards.
“One of the highlight presentations during OMP. Really enjoyed your wisdom and insight, thanks Kevin!”
— Liz Wotherspoon, Director, The Icehouse
Why Owners Don't Ask
Most owners are so relieved to find someone who says the right things in a sales call that they skip the vetting entirely, especially after a bad experience with a coach who talked mindset and delivered nothing practical. The obstacle isn't a lack of good coaches; it's that the burden of screening for fit has been left entirely on the business owner, who's rarely done it before and doesn't know what to ask.
Kevin works personally with a select group of SME owners specifically because fit determines results, and turns away engagements where it isn't there, which is exactly the standard this question is designed to test for.
Quick Wins Before You Sign With Anyone
- Ask directly what kind of client or business they'd turn down, and listen for a specific answer.
- Request one real piece of pushback on your business before you pay anything.
- Confirm whether they've built and run a business themselves, or only advised on one.
- Ask how they'd end things if it wasn't working, and judge the answer.
Key Takeaways
- Test any prospective coach by asking what they'd say no to, not just what they'll promise you.
- Request genuine pushback before you sign, since a coach who only agrees isn't adding anything you don't already have.
- Distinguish an operator who has built a business from an advisor who has only studied one.
- Choose fit over charisma, since the relationship itself is one of the strongest predictors of whether coaching actually works.
Kevin works personally with a select group of SME owners, here's how to find out if that's the right fit for you.
Kevin D’Ambros-Smith
Kevin is the founder of Simple-Growth and a business growth coach with experience at DDB, Ogilvy, and Saatchi & Saatchi. He has co-founded 9 companies, coached 200+ business owners one-on-one, and holds a 9.5/10 NPS. Every article on this blog reflects real-world experience - no theory, no fluff.
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