FAQs

• What is a Professional Life Coach?

A Professional Life Coach is a trusted mentor who can help you identify and uncover what keeps you from reaching your fullest potential. It is a one-on-one relationship that provides a supportive and non-judgmental space to help you create what you want for yourself. You can find a Life Coach to help you strategize and acquire the tools you need to achieve your goals. It consists of steps to help you identify and reframe your thoughts and attitudes. It can also help you break negative habits, acquire new methods of identification, and take action to achieve your maximum potential!

 

• What types of people have Life Coaches?

People from all walks of life work with professional Coaches to help attain their goals. Life Coaches work with people in all areas of their life including relationships, career, finance, health and more. Working with a personal Coach is not limited to any type of person, but is best for those who want to take initiative in their own life. People who get a Life Coach are committed to a more fulfilled life and are willing to do the work needed to get there.

 

• How will Life Coaching help?

The results will vary depending on what brings you to a Life Coach. If you get a Life Coach to help you out professionally, life coaching can help you make your current job more gratifying, gain better focus on managing your work, and market your self more effectively. If your reasons are personal, you can find a life coach to help you improve your relationships, resolve ongoing negative behaviors, improve your overall health, and grow spirituality.With life coaching you can live a more balanced and enhanced life, and make your dreams come true!

 

• What happens in a Life Coaching Session?

Each session is tailored to the client and will vary based on individual needs. In the beginning, we will discuss what you are committed to accomplishing through our work together and we will begin to create a plan to achieve your goals. Periodically, I will give you assignments to help direct your progress. We will work together to acknowledge obstacles, explore alternate perspectives and celebrate successes. With the conclusion of each session, we will revisit your goals and evaluate the next steps that are needed to achieve these results.

 

• Do I really need a personal Coach, can't I just do it by myself?

Life coaching can take you above and beyond your own personal limitations. More often than not, people try to achieve their greatest potential, but don’t even realize what stands in their way. A personal Coach can offer an unbiased and objective perspective, and can help you realize your patterns and habits. Most people experience that they are more efficient when working with a Professional Life Coach and that this provides the opportunity for them to better realize their potential. Life coaching can make your dreams attainable and will give you support and encouragement along the way.

 

• How is Coaching different from Therapy?

While the life coaching I provide can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. Coaching is distinct from traditional therapy because it is not designed to address psychological issues. While emotional issues may arise, the primary focus of life coaching is to help you identify your goals, achieve them, and develop constructive habits and skills. There is little emphasis placed on the past with coaching, but instead the focus is on creating what you want now and in the future.

 

• What is your cancellation policy?

I require a 24 hour notice to cancel all sessions. Please be sure to contact me if you will not be able to make your scheduled appointment in order to avoid being charged for the session.

 

• How long do people generally work with a Life Coach?

To experience the effectiveness of a life coaching program, I suggest clients make an initial three-month commitment. At the end of the three months, we will evaluate progress and discuss options for continued coaching.

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• Is personal life coaching confidential?

What we discuss will be held in confidence and not shared with others. However, our discussions are not privileged for legal purposes. The privilege of confidentiality that exists for the clergy, therapists and attorneys is not granted to coaching professionals. That said, life coaching is a confidential process, and your personal information will always be protected.

 

Business Consultant FAQ.

Q: How do I know if J. Alexander Group Advisors, is a good match for my business?

A: As business growth consultants, we can help almost any legitimate business, from start-up through middle market. Every business should have a realistic business plan and a marketing plan based on accurate, current market research. However, there are specific industries and business types where we may not be the best fit. We will be happy to discuss your situation confidentially, and will immediately let you know whether or not we think we are a good fit for your business.

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Q: How much does a business plan / a marketing plan / a feasibility study / etc. cost?

A: We do not offer any fixed price packages and we do not work off of templates. Before we can give you an estimate, we need to understand your individual situation. This generally requires a brief conversation about your project goals, timetable, budget, scope, and other issues. Although we are far from being the most expensive, we are also rarely the least expensive. Previous business plan projects have ranged from a low of about $5,000 for relatively straightforward situations to over $30,000 for larger, more complicated situations. If you are looking for the lowest cost solution, or do not care about quality, then J. Alexander Group Advisors, is definitely not a good fit for you.

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Q: Do you provide client references?

A: We are happy to provide client references to serious prospects once we have held initial discussions and have tentatively agreed on the scope and structure of an engagement.

 

Q: I just need a few hours of consulting time to help me with my business. Can you still help me?

A: Yes. We often work with clients in situations like this. Please give us a call and we can discuss your situation confidentially. Our minimum project fee is $600.

 

Q: I understand that business strategy consulting can be very expensive. Can you help me if I am on a more limited budget?

A: Everything we do is tailored to each client's individual situation. If you tell us your budget, as long as it is reasonable, we can work within it. For instance, on the strategy consulting side, we can set up a half day strategy workshop for less than two thousand dollars. If you need more, we can build from there. The point is we can work with you.

 

Q: My company has very proprietary information, which I do not want to leak out. Do you sign non-disclosure agreements?

A: Once we have determined that there is a good match between your needs and J.Alexander Group Advisors' capabilities, we can send you a mutual non-disclosure agreement. This agreement protects both parties from disclosure of confidential information. And, if you become a client of J. Alexander Group Advisors, our standard contract provides ample protection that covers most circumstances.

 

Q: Why don't you list more of your clients' names on your website?

A: Most of our clients insist on strict confidentiality, so we cannot divulge any information about them beyond their industry and a general description of the type of services we provided them.

 

Q: Do you work with non-profit organizations?

A: Although most of our clients are small or mid-size businesses, we also work with non-profits and associations. As long as we are a good fit in terms of skills and expertise we are happy to work with any legitimate organization. In particular, we work with technology commercialization (or tech transfer) groups at major universities.

 

Q: Do you work with clients outside of the  United States?

A: YES! We have worked with clients across the United States, as well as in Europe and Africa.

 

Q: Your focus seems to be on business planning and strategy. Do you also help clients with marketing or strategy execution?

A: Yes. Although our greatest expertise is in business strategy and planning, we also help clients with a wide variety of other issues. These include interim management, part-time management, marketing execution, and more. Please contact us to discuss your particular situation in confidence.

 

Q: I am starting a business and need help developing the business concept, researching the industry, and developing a marketing plan. I have very limited funds. Will you work in exchange for equity?

A: The amount of market research that needs to go into a high quality marketing plan is extensive and time consuming. We usually work strictly on a fee-for-service basis, but in exceptional cases will discount our fees in exchange for an equity stake or percent of sales.

In some cases, we can arrange introductions to qualified funding sources. All work of this nature is strictly fee-for-services without guarantee that a deal will be completed. We also work closely with other financial services firms that specialize in business valuations and investor introductions (investment banking services for small businesses).

 

Q: I have been thinking about a new business for a long time. I need someone to help me go through all of my ideas to sort through them and develop a realistic business plan. And I need to do this on a limited budget. Can you help me?

A: Yes! We frequently work with clients in this situation. You will need to do the "heavy lifting" with the market research (which can be very time consuming), while we limit our role to acting as facilitators and business advisors. This plays to our strengths and keeps your expenses to a minimum. The process typically takes several months, but results in a very strong business plan.

 

Q: I have developed a patented product and now I need help getting it to market. Can you help me?

A: We have found that many inventors just want someone to help them "sell their product" without asking any questions. We do not work that way, since it usually leads to failure. We can help you formulate a sound go-to-market strategy first, then help you commercialize your technology product or service. If you already have a solid go-to-market plan, with real market data and analysis to back it up, we can quickly jump into the execution phase.