The words ‘consultant’ and ‘coach’ are often bandied about in the workplace on a regular basis. There are countless people who have had successful runs in their career or entrepreneurial ventures who then decide to exit, change career, or even retire that find themselves jumping on to the consultant and coaching bandwagon.
And why not? It isn’t essential to have any qualifications to be a coach or consultant, but they sound pretty impressive.
There are some qualifications out there, but how do you know what you’re getting when anyone can decide to just be one?
What exactly is a business consultant or coach, and what is the difference?
Rebecca Bonnington, CEO and founding partner of Tricres talks to us about what it means to be a business consultant and coach.
“Strictly speaking, a business consultant will spend a predetermined amount of time in your company then deliver strategies that will enhance it operationally, increase profitability, and revise structure or management where necessary.
They provide a tactical to-do list of things that will impact your business in a meaningful way and then it depends on the receptiveness of that business to incorporate their expertise. They are telling you what needs to be done to elevate your business from experience.
The difference with a business coach is that they will ask really good questions that help you, the business owner or team manager etc. figure out what is needed for your business. It’s kind of like a guidance journey and this is a longer term process that aims to get whoever is being coached to figure out the solutions themselves. It is about recognising fundamentals to a successful business that include purpose, vision and values; people and culture; talent succession and having the right employees in the right roles; leadership and the growth mindset.”
Rebecca started Tricres with her co-founder (and brother) Nick because they were convinced that professional services were often neglected from the coaching and consulting sectors. Being the disruptors to the industry that they are, taking a no holds barred approach has gained them great respect in an industry that can often seem oversubscribed.
Tricres will still have their bespoke coaching and consulting, but brand new for 2021 saw the launch of their Partner Programme and Fuel My Business App which function for every SME business and industry sector.
“The Partner Programme allows us to hand-pick existing coaches and successful owners and entrepreneurs that want to coach and consult and nurture them in the Tricres approach. They get the Tricres support and toolkit from people who know how to successfully deliver on both fronts, and in turn they get to work alongside and bounce ideas off others so they aren’t feeling that complete isolation striking out on their own.” Says Rebecca, “It also gives us a wider range of skills and business sectors that can benefit from Tricres’s guidance and professional expertise.”
Even more exciting is the launch of the Fuel My Business app, a standalone platform that offers coaching your way, 24/7 with your mobile device straight from your pocket. It’s a unique proposition that allows SME’s to build their scalability in a clear focussed way whenever they want to or have the time.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see this idea and concept through to launch. It’s been an even harder slog than I thought possible, but knowing what it will offer our subscribers is exciting to see in a fully formed app that delivers.”
In terms of the Partner Programme the inaugural group of three who were hand-picked from over 100 successful applications come from diverse backgrounds and locations. With the three new partners hailing from South Africa, Switzerland, and one from the UK it goes to show that the Tricres initiative can be fully inclusive. It doesn’t matter where you are, if you think you have what it takes to coach the Tricres way and you like what you see then anything is possible.
There is real certainty that this sector truly is global for coaching companies aiming for a team of successful coaches. There are no geographical limits. The proof is there that it can all be done remotely and this has vastly opened up the talent pool for Tricres.
If you have ever considered the coaching profession for business and feel you have experience to share to help other businesses grow and flourish, get in touch with us by speaking to our Team Manager Sally Davies at sally@tricres.com .
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About Rebecca Bonnington, CEO:
Inspired by her hero David Bowie as a creative visionary, Rebecca has always sought to disrupt, rewrite the rules, and question everything. At the tender age of 9 this tendency used to land her in hot water more often than not. But after buckling down and gaining qualifications it led to land a job as the first female office manager with a male-dominated company.
Soon after her entrepreneurial spirit took hold and she had her own recruitment company that was successfully turning over £1m+ within 6 years until the 2008 economic crisis brought that to a shattering halt.
Undaunted, she moved into coaching after getting a Masters qualification and then decided she could do better on her own. From that Tricres was born. Let’s see what happens next!