Is business coaching worth it? How to judge the return before you spend

By Jeremiah Akladious29 October 2026 · 5 min read

Coaching is a real cost. At Strategy Within it ranges from $795 + GST for a single session to $3,500 a month + GST for ongoing 1:1 partnership. So the question is fair: will you get that back?

Start with the cost of waiting

Most owners compare the coaching fee with doing nothing, as if doing nothing were free. It is not. The price rise you have not made, the hire you keep putting off, and the hours spent firefighting all cost money every month. The cost is rarely one bad month. It is twelve ordinary ones.

Where the return actually comes from

• →Pricing. A considered price change often pays for a year of coaching on its own.
• →Time. Getting ten hours a week back from tasks someone else should own.
• →Decisions. Making the big calls in days rather than quarters, and making fewer expensive mistakes.
• →Value. A business that runs without you is worth more to a buyer, a franchisor or a successor.

A simple way to test it

Write down the one or two decisions that would change your year if you got them right. Estimate what each is worth. If that number is several times the coaching fee, and you would act on the decision, coaching is likely worth it.

When coaching is not worth it

• →You want someone to run the business for you
• →The product or service has no real demand
• →You will not make time for the work between sessions
• →You need a specialist, such as a lawyer or accountant, rather than a thinking partner

Reduce the risk

Start small. The free CLARITY Session costs nothing. The $795 Starter tests the relationship on one real problem. On ongoing partnerships I offer the Core commitment: do the agreed work, and if you are not clearer and more decisive than on day one, I will coach you for up to four more sessions, free. Conditions apply.

Frequently asked questions