Hollywood Actors Are Like Business Owners

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 25, 2008 -
When people make it to the top, they often thank others who helped them get there. These days, it is not only athletes who thank their coaches. Successful people are also acknowledging their life coaches – and Business Coaches.

Founder and CEO of ActionCOACH, Brad Sugars, thinks that coaches share the common goal of trying to encourage clients to improve performance, maintain the momentum and aim higher.

Commenting on a Washington Post article on the Oscar acceptance speech, Sugars said: “Some of Hollywood’s most famous names have thanked coaches – in whatever form – for helping them climb to the top. What Academy Award winners say to a world-wide audience in the 45 seconds allotted to them, often has a recurring theme.”

“Cher, who won Best Actress for Moonstruck, thanked everyone she worked with on the movie. Shirley MacLaine, who won the same award for Terms of Endearment, asked God to ‘bless the potential we all have for making anything possible’. Robin Williams, who secured Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting, thanked his father, and Tom Hanks famously thanked his high school drama teacher who taught him to ‘act well the part’ when he accepted the Best Actor award for Philadelphia.”

“Hollywood’s younger generation ask coaches to improve their acting, their voices, their dancing, their grooming and even the way they handle problems and personality conflicts behind the scenes.”  

“This is beginning to touch on the same issues people have when they call in a Business Coach,” Sugars said. “An actor’s craft is the business they have – it’s how they make money. They are marketing themselves.”

“In the same way, business owners must market their business, and, like actors, business owners often need help to do this effectively,” Sugars said. “A Business Coach motivates and supports you, but also makes you accountable for your actions and targets areas where your performance could improve. They can re-ignite your business, re-direct the focus onto your customer base and re-invigorate the owner and staff so there’s real motivation to get out there and win.”

“ActionCOACH can point to numerous testimonials from owners of successful small-to-medium size businesses who say that their Business Coach made a critical difference to their business. The coaches implemented systems that worked, trained staff for better results and provided profitable advice. Often, their efforts turn a business around.”

Sugars says coaching is now a growth industry second only to IT. According to a survey done by ActionCOACH, which is the leader in business coaching, one in every eight business owners will consider using the services of a Business Coach.