The Alternative Board Blog

What Actually Happens in Your First 90 Days With a Business Coach

Rick Lundgren — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:53:20 GMT

Here is what to expect from a business coach in your first 90 days. The first month is diagnosis: your coach asks hard questions, looks at your numbers, and helps you pick two or three priorities. The second month is follow-through, and it can feel uncomfortable. By day 90, you should have clearer decisions, a steady rhythm, and a few small wins you can measure. The bigger changes take longer.

When You Need a Coach and When You Need a Room Full of Peers

Denise O'Neill — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 22:17:22 GMT

When making the decision between joining a peer advisory board or hiring a business coach, start with the problem on your desk. A business coach works with you one-on-one to build a skill, set priorities, and follow through on your plan. A peer advisory board puts your decision in front of non-competing owners who spot blind spots and test it before you act. Many owners get the most from using both.

Business Coach or Business Consultant: Which One Does Your Problem Call For?

Vicky Richards — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:32:56 GMT

In a business coach vs consultant decision, start with the problem. A consultant brings skill or extra hands to a defined project, such as a new finance system or a broken process. A business coach helps you make hard decisions and follow through on them over time. A peer advisory board gives you fellow owners to test the judgment calls that keep coming back.

How To Choose The Right Business Coach

Denise O'Neill — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:12:22 GMT

To choose a business coach when every pitch sounds alike, stop comparing promises and start checking proof. Test each candidate on five factors: Experience, Evidence, Method, Accountability, and Fit. Ask what businesses they have run or scaled. Speak with clients at your stage, and get a clear account of how sessions and follow-up work. Then score two or three finalists side by side before you commit.

How Much Does Business Coaching Cost?

Kevin Nolan — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:51:01 GMT

One-to-one business coaching typically costs $200 to $500 per hour, or $500 to $3,000 or more per month on a retainer. Executive coaching for senior leaders runs $300 to $1,000 or more per hour. The ICF 2023 Global Coaching Study reported an average fee of $244 per one-hour session across all coaching specialties.

Smarter Resource Allocation for Business Owners

Sigi Loya — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 20:57:51 GMT

Resource allocation for small business means deciding where your limited cash, team hours and owner time go, then moving them when results change. Start with an honest count of what each resource funds today. Match each one to the two or three priorities you have already chosen. Track what each commitment returns, and set written rules for when resources shift.

How to Set Strategic Priorities (and What to Say No To)

Denise O'Neill — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 20:18:26 GMT

Market analysis for small business owners who already run a company starts with your own sales records. Sort revenue, margin, and repeat work by customer type. Check those patterns against free public data from the SBA, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Then match each clear signal to a strategic choice, set three to five priorities, and decide what work you will stop doing.

Scenario Planning: Preparing Your Business for More Than One Future

Dave Scarola — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:52:52 GMT

Scenario planning builds three or four named futures from the two or three uncertainties that would change your business most, then assigns pre-decided moves and early warning signals to each one. It replaces a single annual forecast with a small set of plausible operating worlds. When one of them starts to arrive, your team already knows what to do and who owns it.

Choosing a Differentiation Strategy for Your Business

Dave Scarola — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:05:32 GMT

Choosing a differentiation strategy for your business means picking one primary way you will compete: cost, quality, customer experience, niche focus, innovation, or speed. Then you build your operations around that lane instead of claiming all six. The right lane is the one customers already notice and pay for, and one you can prove and repeat every day. Most small businesses skip this step and market a difference nobody can actually see.

Running an Effective Quarterly Strategy Review

Denise O'Neill — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:17:09 GMT

A quarterly strategy review is a 90-day check on the plan you already built. You measure real results against your targets, decide what to keep, and reset priorities for the next quarter. Ninety days is enough time to see a real trend in sales, margin, and cash. It is short enough to fix a small miss before it becomes a lost year.