How to Tell if Your Business Coach is Effective: The Sydney Owner’s Guide

You’ve invested in a business coach. Maybe it’s been a few months. Maybe longer. But you’re starting to wonder: is this actually working? Are you getting value for what you’re paying? How do you know if your coach is effective or if you should look for someone else?

These are smart questions to ask. Not all coaching relationships deliver equal value, and there’s a big difference between a coach who’s genuinely helping you grow and one who’s just going through the motions. This guide gives you clear criteria to evaluate your coaching engagement so you can determine if you’re getting the results you should be getting.

We’ll cover the signs that coaching is working well, the red flags that indicate problems, how long you should expect to wait for results, and what to do if things aren’t working. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to assess whether your coach is delivering value.

The 10 Signs Your Business Coach is Effective

1. You’re Making Measurable Progress Toward Your Goals

The most obvious sign of effective coaching is progress. When you started coaching, you presumably set goals—maybe revenue targets, profit improvements, time savings, or team development objectives. An effective coach helps you make measurable progress toward those goals. You should be able to look back over three months and see concrete evidence that things have improved.

This doesn’t mean you hit every goal perfectly or never have setbacks. But effective coaching shows up in the trend line: revenue is growing, profit margins are improving, you’re working fewer hours while the business performs better, your team is more capable and accountable, or you’re making better decisions more confidently. If you can’t point to any measurable improvements after several months of coaching, something’s wrong.

At Building Great Businesses, we help clients define clear metrics at the start of coaching using the Black Diamond System framework—specific measures for Business (revenue/profit), Work (efficiency/systems), Team (performance/accountability), Numbers (financial health), and Owner (time/role). Then we track progress systematically. If we’re not moving the needle on multiple metrics within 90 days, we adjust the approach.

2. Your Coach Asks Hard Questions (And You Sometimes Feel Uncomfortable)

Good coaching isn’t always comfortable. An effective coach asks questions that challenge your assumptions, poke at blind spots, and make you think hard about things you’d rather avoid. You should occasionally feel a bit uncomfortable in coaching sessions—not because your coach is being harsh, but because they’re pushing you to examine difficult truths.

Questions like: “You say your team isn’t performing, but what specifically are you doing that might be contributing to that?” or “You’ve mentioned that goal three times now without taking action on it—what’s really stopping you?” or “If you keep making decisions this way, what do you think will happen in six months?” These questions create productive discomfort that leads to growth.

If your coaching sessions are always comfortable and affirming, if your coach never challenges you or disagrees with you, that’s a red flag. You don’t need an expensive yes-person. You need someone who will push you to grow, which sometimes means hearing things you don’t want to hear.

3. You’re Implementing Actions Between Sessions

Effective coaching drives action. Between sessions, you should be implementing things you discussed—having that difficult conversation with an underperforming team member, adjusting your pricing, putting a new system in place, or delegating responsibilities. If your coaching sessions are great conversations that lead nowhere, the coaching isn’t working.

The test is simple: look at your last three coaching sessions. For each one, what specific actions did you commit to taking? Did you actually do them? If you consistently follow through on commitments, that’s a sign the coaching is creating the accountability and clarity you need. If you’re not following through, that might be a coaching problem (your coach isn’t creating sufficient accountability or the actions aren’t clear enough) or a readiness problem (you’re not truly committed to changing).

Good coaches track your commitments and start each session by reviewing what you said you’d do. They don’t let things slip through the cracks. If your coach never asks about follow-through from last session, they’re not holding you accountable effectively.

4. Your Thinking Has Shifted (You Approach Problems Differently)

Beyond specific actions and metrics, effective coaching changes how you think. You find yourself approaching challenges differently than you did before coaching started. When a problem arises, you catch yourself asking better questions, considering more perspectives, or applying frameworks your coach has introduced.

For example, BGB clients using the Black Diamond System often report that they’ve started automatically diagnosing problems through that lens—when something goes wrong, they ask “Is this a Business model issue, a Work process issue, a Team capability issue, a Numbers visibility issue, or an Owner role issue?” That framework becomes their default way of thinking, which leads to better problem-solving even when their coach isn’t in the room.

Another sign of shifted thinking is that you’re making decisions faster and with more confidence. You’ve internalised principles from coaching that help you evaluate situations more quickly. You’re also probably catching yourself before making mistakes you would have made previously—your coach’s voice is in your head asking the questions you needed to hear.

5. You Feel Both Supported and Challenged

Good coaching strikes a balance between support and challenge. Your coach should make you feel like they’re on your side, believing in your potential and celebrating your wins. But they should also challenge you when you’re making excuses, settling for less than you’re capable of, or avoiding difficult but necessary actions.

If you feel only supported (your coach is nice and affirming but never pushes you), the coaching will be pleasant but not transformative. If you feel only challenged (your coach is demanding but doesn’t acknowledge progress or provide encouragement), the coaching will be exhausting and demoralising. Effective coaching provides both: “I believe you can do this, AND I’m not going to let you off the hook for the commitment you made.”

Pay attention to how you feel after coaching sessions. You should generally feel energised and clear, with a sense of “I can do this” combined with “I have real work to do.” If you consistently feel deflated, criticised, or confused after sessions, the coaching dynamic isn’t right.

6. The Business Is Becoming Less Dependent on You

For most business owners, one of the primary coaching goals is building a business that doesn’t require your constant involvement. Effective coaching should show progress on this front within a few months. You should see your team making more decisions without asking you, systems handling routine work reliably, fires getting handled without your intervention, or you taking time off without the business falling apart.

This is particularly relevant for Sydney business owners in the $500K-$5M range—the typical BGB client profile. At this stage, the business works, but only when you’re driving everything. Effective coaching helps you transition from being the centre of every operation to being the strategic leader of a capable team.

Track practical indicators: How many hours are you working? How many decisions per day require your input? Can you take a week off without checking in constantly? Are there team members who can run significant parts of the business without your oversight? If these metrics are improving, your coaching is working. If you’re still as central to daily operations after six months of coaching, something needs to change.

7. You’re Getting Specific Feedback (Not Just Generic Advice)

Generic advice sounds like: “You should delegate more” or “Focus on your strengths” or “Your team needs clearer expectations.” Specific feedback sounds like: “When you jumped in to solve that client issue last week instead of letting Sarah handle it, you undermined her confidence and took away her opportunity to grow. Next time that happens, what could you do instead?”

Effective coaches give specific feedback based on what they’re observing about your situation, your patterns, and your challenges. They reference specific examples from your business, specific conversations you’ve had, or specific goals you’ve set. Their advice is tailored to you, not recycled from generic coaching templates.

If your coach’s advice could apply to anyone (or sounds like it came from a business book), that’s a warning sign. If their advice is specific enough that it clearly comes from understanding your unique situation, that’s effectiveness.

8. You Have Clarity on What to Do Next

After every coaching session, you should have clarity on what to do next. You shouldn’t leave confused about priorities or unsure how to proceed. Good coaches help you cut through complexity and identify the critical next steps that will create the most impact.

This clarity shows up as: specific actions to take before the next session, clear priorities (this matters most, that can wait), concrete decision criteria when you’re evaluating options, and confidence about your direction even when facing uncertainty. If you often leave coaching sessions feeling overwhelmed or unclear, your coach isn’t providing the clarity you need.

Some complexity is inherent in running a business, and coaches shouldn’t oversimplify real challenges. But they should help you navigate complexity with clarity about what to focus on. As one BGB member put it: “Before coaching, I had 47 things on my list and no idea where to start. After coaching, I still have 47 things on my list, but now I know which 3 to do first and why.”

9. You’re Seeing ROI (Financial or Otherwise)

Ultimately, coaching should deliver returns that justify the investment. For some, that’s direct financial ROI—increased revenue or profit that exceeds the coaching fees. For others, the ROI is time savings, stress reduction, or increased business value. But there should be some form of meaningful return.

If you’re paying $2,000/month for coaching and you can’t identify at least $2,000/month in value (whether that’s financial gains, time you’ve reclaimed, mistakes you’ve avoided, or confidence you’ve gained), then the coaching isn’t working. Good coaching should deliver multiples of the investment, not barely break even.

Ask yourself: What would have happened in my business over the last few months if I hadn’t had coaching? Would I have made that pricing change? Would I have handled that team issue differently? Would I have pursued that opportunity or avoided that mistake? When you honestly assess the counterfactual, the value of good coaching becomes clear.

10. You’re Actually Looking Forward to Coaching Sessions

This might seem soft, but it’s a good indicator. If you find yourself looking forward to your coaching sessions—because you value the thinking time, appreciate the perspective, want accountability, or know you’ll leave with clarity—that’s a sign the coaching is valuable. If you’re dreading sessions or finding excuses to cancel them, something’s off.

You don’t need to love every moment of every session (remember, good coaching should sometimes be uncomfortable), but overall, the relationship should feel like a valuable use of your time. If it doesn’t, that could mean the coach isn’t effective, or it could mean you’re not ready for coaching right now, or it could mean there’s a misalignment in expectations. But whatever the cause, if you’re consistently not wanting to engage, the coaching isn’t working.

The 7 Red Flags That Your Coach Isn’t Effective

1. No Progress After 3-4 Months

Some coaching results take time, but if you’ve been working with a coach for several months and can’t point to any meaningful progress—no improvement in metrics, no change in your behaviour or thinking, no tangible business improvements—that’s a serious red flag. By month three or four, you should be seeing demonstrable change.

2. Your Coach Frequently Cancels or Reschedules

If your coach is regularly cancelling sessions, showing up late, or cutting sessions short, they’re not taking your engagement seriously. Effective coaches prioritise their commitments to clients. Occasional rescheduling for genuine emergencies is fine, but if it’s a pattern, you’re not getting the service you’re paying for.

3. Sessions Feel Like Casual Chats Without Structure

Coaching should be focused and productive. If your sessions meander through random topics without clear purpose, if there’s no follow-up on previous commitments, or if conversations feel like you’re just catching up with a friend rather than working on your business, the coaching lacks the structure needed to create results.

4. Your Coach Tells You What to Do Instead of Helping You Think

Remember, consultants tell you what to do; coaches help you develop your own solutions. If your coach is constantly prescribing specific actions without helping you think through the problem and arrive at solutions yourself, you’re not developing your own capability. You’re just following instructions, which creates dependence rather than growth.

5. No Accountability for Commitments

If your coach doesn’t track what you committed to doing and hold you accountable for following through, you’re missing one of coaching’s core values. Without accountability, coaching becomes advisory conversations that don’t drive action.

6. You Don’t Trust or Respect Their Advice

This can happen for legitimate reasons. Maybe your coach hasn’t actually run a business and their advice feels theoretical. Maybe they don’t understand your industry or market. Maybe they’ve shown poor judgement on several occasions. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself routinely dismissing your coach’s input, the relationship isn’t working. Trust and respect are foundational to effective coaching.

7. Your Coach Won’t Have Difficult Conversations

If you’re consistently underperforming on commitments, making excuses, or avoiding necessary actions, a good coach will call that out (respectfully but directly). If your coach lets you off the hook every time, never pushes back on excuses, or avoids difficult conversations to keep things comfortable, they’re not serving you well. Sometimes the most valuable coaching happens in uncomfortable conversations about hard truths.

How Long Should You Give It?

This is a common question: how long should you stick with coaching before deciding it’s not working? The answer depends on your starting point and goals, but here’s a reasonable framework: You should see some quick wins or progress indicators within the first 30-60 days—maybe a specific improvement, a shift in how you’re thinking, or clarity on what needs to change. By 90 days, you should see measurable progress on at least some of your goals and tangible improvements in how your business operates. By 6 months, there should be significant transformation—meaningful improvements in multiple areas that make the coaching investment obviously worthwhile.

If you’re not seeing any progress by month three, have a direct conversation with your coach. It’s possible the approach needs to adjust, the goals need to be recalibrated, or there’s a mismatch in expectations. A good coach will welcome that conversation and work with you to address the issue. If they get defensive or dismissive, that’s another red flag.

Sometimes the lack of progress isn’t the coach’s fault—it might be that you’re not implementing what you commit to, you’re not being fully honest in coaching, or you’re dealing with circumstances beyond coaching’s scope (like a major personal crisis that’s consuming your attention). But if you’ve been genuinely engaged and still seeing no results after 3-4 months, it’s time to consider whether this coaching relationship is the right fit.

What to Do if Your Coach Isn’t Effective

If you’ve concluded your coach isn’t delivering value, here’s what to do. First, have a direct conversation. Tell them honestly that you’re not seeing the progress or value you expected. Ask if they see it differently. Discuss what could change to make the coaching more effective. Give them a chance to address the concerns.

If you’re working with Building Great Businesses, this conversation is straightforward because there’s no long-term contract—you’re free to leave whenever coaching stops delivering value. That’s how it should be. If your current coach has you locked in a contract, review the terms to see if there’s an out clause or performance guarantee.

Second, if the conversation doesn’t lead to improvements within a few weeks, end the engagement and find a better coach. Don’t stay out of guilt, sunk cost fallacy, or hope that it will eventually work. Your time and money are too valuable to waste on coaching that isn’t effective.

Third, when looking for a new coach, use what you’ve learned. You now know what didn’t work. Look for someone who addresses those gaps. If your previous coach never challenged you, find someone with a reputation for being direct. If they lacked business experience, find someone who’s built businesses themselves. If there was no structure, find someone with a clear framework and process.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Tell if Your Business Coach is Effective

How do I know if my business coach is working?

You’ll know your coach is working if you see: (1) Measurable progress toward your goals within 90 days, (2) Your coach asks hard questions that challenge you, (3) You’re implementing actions between sessions, (4) Your thinking has shifted—you approach problems differently, (5) Your business is becoming less dependent on you. If you’re not seeing these signs after 3-4 months, have a direct conversation with your coach.

How long should I give my business coach before deciding it’s not working?

Give coaching 90 days to show measurable progress. You should see quick wins within 30-60 days, meaningful progress by 90 days, and significant transformation within 6 months. If there’s no progress after 3-4 months despite genuine engagement, have a direct conversation with your coach. If nothing changes, it may be time to find a new coach.

What are red flags that my business coach isn’t effective?

Red flags include: (1) No progress after 3-4 months, (2) Your coach frequently cancels or reschedules, (3) Sessions feel like casual chats without structure, (4) Your coach tells you what to do instead of helping you think, (5) No accountability for commitments, (6) You don’t trust or respect their advice, (7) Your coach won’t have difficult conversations. If you see multiple red flags, address them or consider finding a new coach.

Should my business coach challenge me or just support me?

Effective coaching provides both support and challenge. Your coach should make you feel supported and believed in, but also challenge you when you’re making excuses, settling for less, or avoiding difficult actions. If your coach is only supportive (never pushes you) or only challenging (never acknowledges progress), the coaching dynamic isn’t right for growth.

What should I do if my business coach isn’t effective?

First, have a direct conversation. Tell them honestly you’re not seeing expected progress. Ask if they see it differently and discuss what could change. Give them a chance to address concerns. If the conversation doesn’t lead to improvements within a few weeks, end the engagement and find a better coach. Don’t stay out of guilt or sunk cost—your time and money are too valuable.

The Bottom Line: Evaluating Your Coaching Investment

Effective business coaching should deliver measurable progress toward your goals, challenge you to grow while supporting you, create accountability that drives action, shift how you think and approach problems, reduce your business’s dependence on you, and deliver ROI that justifies the investment. You should feel the value clearly within 90 days and see significant transformation within 6-12 months.

If your coaching engagement doesn’t meet these standards, don’t settle. Have the conversation with your coach about what needs to change. If nothing changes, find a coach who will actually help you build the business and life you want.

If you’re not sure whether your current coach is effective or you’re considering coaching for the first time and want to know what good coaching looks like, book a Quick Fit Call with Building Great Businesses. We’ll be straight with you about what effective coaching involves and whether we’re the right fit for your situation. No pressure. Just honest advice.

Related Reading:

• How to Choose a Business Coach in Sydney
• What Makes a Good Business Coach?
• Top 10 Benefits of Business Coaching

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