How to find advice that works for your business

There’s no magic wand, one-size-fits-all advice that works for every business. The support I give changes according to whom I’m talking to because everyone has a different kind of business and at different stages. Advice that works for your business may not work for the next person.

Small business owners have different goals, too. So they need all sorts of information to help them achieve those goals. While you can read about the latest fashion in marketing or how someone else built their business but it won’t necessarily work for yours.  You need business advice that works specifically for what you do, where you do it, and how you want to run your business.

Which one of these represents you the best?

You have a business that’s doing okay, and you’re ready to take it to the next stage.

Your goal may be to increase profits, develop a product, hire staff or move to a new area. Or you might want to be working less yourself. You recognise that handing over more work to your team will free you up and make the business more efficient.

Your business isn’t doing what you want it to.

You always seem to be on the brink of success but never quite making it. You know that with the right kind of advice you can get your business into gear. But you need help making that happen.

Many of the people who come to see me are in one of these two situations. They need the right business advice to get them to the next stage of growing a successful company. They might need one to one consultation, or some help through my Remarkable Business programme

If you’re not sure where you fit, then I’ve got a handy quiz to help you figure it out. It only takes a couple of minutes, and you’ll get your result at the end. No filling in email forms (unless you want to, of course).

Take the quiz

I want to sell more

Some of my clients mostly want help and advice on how to sell more. That might be how to do the right marketing and bring in more clients; support and advice on how to get to grips with online marketing; or how to build up a fully automated sales machine to put money in their pockets.

Sometimes people get all that they need from the tips, stories and ideas I send out every week by email. I love it when someone emails me to say they’ve tried a new technique I’ve talked about and it’s worked for them. And I enjoy passing on these ideas I collect while I’m reading the latest business book or speaking to one of my clients. You can get this exclusive content here – it’s all free.

If it’s to market their business better or sell more of what they already sell, these businesses tend to need 3-4 months of regular support which focusses on those particular goals.

It is a much better way of getting the right advice than as a one-off consultancy because I can work with you over time to evolve a marketing plan which is right for you. And that’s better than giving you a list of all the things you could or should do.

Shall we have a chat?

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “maybe this Julia Chanteray could help me with my business?”

But you’re not quite sure if this is the right way forward for you. I suggest that we have a little chat about where you are with your business right now, and see if I can help you get it to where you want it to be.

Business advice on a particular issue or challenge

When you’re running a business, sometimes you need precise help on a key decision you need to make. You need to sit down for a couple of hours with someone who can be completely objective, and work out what you want to do about a particular situation to get business advice that works.

People come to me with all kinds of problems they’re grappling with. Like the woman whose relationship with her business partner had turned toxic. She had to decide if she wanted to leave the business that she had built over ten years. We talked over the right thing to do. I was able to give her advice on how she could force him to sell his share of the business to her. And if the company could afford it.

I regularly review business plans, product rollouts, launch sequences and do strategy sessions with people who don’t need regular coaching. They do need to get some business advice from someone outside the company. And a lot of my one-to-one coaching clients come back every six months to do a review session and keep them on track.

Here’s how to book a one-off session with me

Business advice for selling your company

When you already have a successful business, you might want some extra business advice to help you plan to sell your company. When you’re putting together your exit plan, you might want some one-to-one advice to make sure that you get the best possible price when you do sell. Investing in some business advice a couple of years beforehand can make the sales process go a lot smoother, and make a big difference in how much you can sell the company for.

How to make sure that you get the right business advice for you

You need to be sure that you’re investing in the right help for you. That means that you have to be confident that the person giving the advice knows what they’re talking about. That they’re up to date, trusted by other people. And they’re going to provide you with the advice that is right for your company. You have to be sure that you trust them as well – otherwise, you’ll never act on their advice, and it will all be wasted.

I’ve written a guide to choose the right business coach, and what to look out for when you’re making this decision. Plus, how to spot the danger signals of someone who might not give you the right advice.

You can download it here. I’ll send you some regular tips and ideas on how to grow a successful company as well.

That’s some sound business advice right there – get to know the person by reading their content first, before investing in any help.

And if you want more, you might like to read: 

Want to build something that lasts

Why do women want a female business advisor? 

What did Ryan do wrong? 

Why you should join a business mastermind group