Is Business Coaching Like Baking a Cake?

Welcome to the first (and probably only) episode of The Great Business Bake Off.

At first glance, baking a cake and business coaching seem like two very different things. But here at BOM, we like to scratch below the surface. We’ve also got too much time on our hands. All of this means you’re in for a sweet, sugary treat. We’re getting messy in the Great Business Bake Off kitchen, and showing you how the cake-baking and business coaching processes are actually weirdly similar.

Step 1. Find a recipe

You won’t get far without a plan. A recipe is your step-by-step guide to making the cake, and it must include a list of ingredients and their quantities. Without one, your cake could come out way too sugary and you could get covered in egg yolk. Or is that just us?

In the same way, business coaches provide a roadmap to achieve your business goals. They work with their client to establish what those goals should be, develop a plan of action, and provide guidance throughout the process. Without this blueprint, you’ll probably end up wasting time on tasks that don’t matter, and you’ll struggle to stay on track.

Step 2. Round up the ingredients

Every ingredient in a cake recipe is there for a reason. You need the right amount of baking powder to make sure it rises. You need butter to hold it all together. You need chocolate chips because…well, you just do. Don’t question the chocolate chips.

Business coaches help their clients understand what’s necessary for them to progress, including resources, skills and tools. A coach will also help business owners and entrepreneurs get access to these resources, whether they’re financial, personnel or technological.

Step 3. Mix the ingredients

When you’re baking a cake, you have to mix each ingredient in a certain order and for the right amount of time. Your arm might get sore. You’ll probably be tempted to eat the raw mixture. But you have to keep going. Follow the recipe as it is.

In business coaching, coaches take a holistic look at your mix of strengths and weaknesses. Once they’ve uncovered these, they’ll develop a plan to improve your abilities. This plan could include training, mentoring, and anything else needed to boost your performance. It might be tough. But you have to keep going.

Step 4. Put the cake in the oven

Before you swing open that oven door, pay attention to the oven temperature, baking time and the position of the cake. Even the small details can impact whether your creation will be Mary Berry-approved or make the sewer rats turn up their noses.

The same goes (sorta’) for business coaching. Once the coach has set the roadmap along with some key performance indicators (KPIs), they monitor the client’s progress and make tweaks as needed. This is where we put the plan into action and start seeing sloppy mush (the client’s confusion before coaching) turn into real results.

Step 5. Decoration

Add the finishing touches - et voilà! Your cake looks good enough to eat. Hopefully, it tastes it, too.

This is the point where you celebrate your achievements with your business coach. Growth is never final, but you can (and should) recognise your progress. Not sure about you, but we celebrate with cake. 

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