Before You Hire a Coach, Read This

Bonny Morlak
3 days ago
3 min read

Most founders only look for help once something starts to hurt. Revenue stalls. A co-founder stops pulling their weight. Burnout creeps in. And the first instinct? “I need a coach.”

But here’s the truth: not every problem needs a coach. Sometimes you need an advisor. Sometimes a mentor. And sometimes, yes, a coach. Each plays a different role in your growth as a founder and as a human being.

1. Advisors: Tactical Fixers

Advisors are industry veterans who’ve already faced the problems you’re tackling. They come in, look at what’s broken, and tell you what to do next.

They’re the ones who say, “Here’s your top three priorities. Do these now. ”Fast, practical, results-driven. Advisors are ideal when you need experience, not therapy.

But they don’t stick around for long. They drop in, fix things, and move on.

2. Mentors: Accountability Partners

Mentors go a level deeper. They help you become the person who can execute the advice. You’ll usually meet them regularly, update them on progress, and course-correct together.

A great mentor doesn’t just guide your strategy, they model perspective. They’re invested in your development as a founder, not just your company’s growth.

In accelerators and startup programs, mentors are the people who hold you accountable to your potential.

3. Coaches: The Deep Work

A coach’s job isn’t to tell you what to do, it’s to help you understand why you’re stuck. They help you develop the tools to handle stress, conflict, communication, and decision-making at scale.

When your business grows, the tools that once worked stop working. What got you here won’t get you there. Coaching is about expanding your ability to lead, not just to manage.

The goal isn’t to fix the business, it’s to grow the human who runs it.

4. When Should You Hire a Coach?

Anytime. But ideally, before things break.

Most founders reach out when something hurts, co-founder conflict, investor pressure, or just exhaustion. That’s still a good time. But the real magic happens when you work with a coach before the pain shows up.

When you’re ready to shift from firefighting to leading. From surviving to building something sustainable.

That’s when coaching becomes transformative.

5. A Small Giveaway (and a Few Books That Changed My Thinking)

I’m giving away a free chapter from my next book, a deeper dive into how founders grow without losing themselves in the process.

If you’d like to join in, download it here

And if you’re building your own reading list, these are the books that shaped how I lead and coach:

The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The Prince by Machiavelli
The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
Think Again by Adam Grant
Give and Take by Adam Grant
The One Thing by Gary Keller

Each of these will challenge how you think about leadership, power, focus, and growth.

6. Final Thoughts

Before you hire a coach, ask yourself what kind of help you actually need. Advice? Accountability? Or transformation?

Getting that clarity early can save you time, money, and a lot of emotional energy.

If this resonates, watch the full video and grab the free chapter from my upcoming book. And if you’re stuck, reach out. Sometimes, one honest conversation is all it takes to get moving again.