Do I Need a Business Coach if I Already Have an Accountant or Advisor?

by Sean Foster | September 2, 2025  | Business Coaching

If you’ve already got an accountant or advisor in your corner, you might be wondering: what’s the point of hiring a business coach too?

It’s a fair question. After all, you’re already investing time and money into expert help. But here’s the thing: not all support roles are created equal. And if you’ve ever felt like something’s still missing; whether it’s clarity, confidence, or momentum, a coach might be the missing piece.

Let’s break it down.

What Does an Accountant Actually Do?

Your accountant is brilliant at helping you manage the numbers. They track your income, manage your tax obligations, help you stay compliant, and ideally, offer insight into cashflow and financial performance. Some may help with forecasting or budgeting. But ultimately, they’re largely focused on reporting what’s already happened and ensuring your business is financially sound.

Their lens is often historical, compliance-based, and operational. They’re essential. But they don’t always help you explore the why behind your numbers, or what your next best move should be.

What Does a Business Advisor Actually Do?

Advisors typically work with you on specific strategic issues, maybe around structure, funding, or growth planning. They often bring industry knowledge or technical expertise to the table. But many advisors lean into telling you what to do, offering recommendations and guidance from a higher-level viewpoint.

Their style can be more directive, and while that can be valuable, it sometimes leaves you following someone else's plan instead of building your own path with confidence.

If you’re curious about what business coaching in New Zealand really looks like in practice, you might find this article useful: What Exactly Does a Business Coach in NZ Do? It gives a more detailed look at the kind of support coaches offer, how it differs from other advisors, and the specific areas they focus on to help Kiwi businesses grow with clarity and purpose.

So Where Does a Business Coach Fit In?

A coach is different. A good coach won’t focus on just giving you answers, they’ll help you ask better questions.

They’re there to help you:

• Get clearer on what you actually want from your business
• Work through mental roadblocks and decision fatigue
• Build leadership capability and confidence
• Create accountability so plans don’t stay stuck on paper
• Navigate people issues, culture clashes, or burnout

In short, a coach focuses on you: your thinking, your growth, your leadership.

It’s less about the numbers or external strategy, and more about clarity, behaviour, and consistent momentum.

If you’d like a deeper dive into what specific areas a coach can support you in, from leadership to team dynamics to 90-day planning, take a look at our article: What Can a Business Coach Help Me With?. It breaks down the real, tangible ways coaching can make an impact on both your business and your thinking.

Can a Coach Work Alongside My Accountant or Advisor?

Absolutely. In fact, some of the best coaching results come when a business owner is surrounded by the right combination of support.

Your accountant helps with financial health. Your advisor helps with tactical direction. Your coach helps with clarity, resilience, focus, and follow-through.

They don’t replace each other, they complement one another.

The Power of Partnership: Accountant + Coach

When your accountant and business coach work together, you’re not just looking at numbers or strategy in isolation, you’re building a more complete support system around your business. This collaboration can be the difference between having financial data and knowing how to act on it with clarity and purpose.

A great example of this comes from The Transformative Impact of Your Business Coach Powered by Your Accountant. The article explains how accountants and coaches can align their strengths, one focused on financial truth, the other on decision-making and direction, to help business owners take confident, informed action.

This isn’t about replacing your accountant or duplicating roles. It’s about building a team that works together to support you, the business owner, with both the insight and the clarity to move forward.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to choose between an accountant, advisor, or coach. But if you’re feeling stuck, or like you’re ticking all the right boxes but still not seeing real traction, then coaching might be the piece that helps you see the bigger picture more clearly.

And if you're curious about whether coaching could work alongside the support you already have, book a discovery call with Sean. No pressure, no pitch, just a conversation to explore what’s possible.

And final, final thoughts: Sometimes you can find a great business coach who also has first world experience in being an entrepreneur and business owner. I wonder where you would find that person 🤔

Frequently Asked Questions

If I already have an accountant, what will a coach do differently? A coach helps you make better decisions, improve your leadership, and stay focused on your goals, not just your numbers.

Will a business coach replace my advisor? Not at all. They work alongside each other, focusing on different layers of support.

Can I afford both a coach and an accountant? It depends on your business stage, but many SMEs find that coaching pays off in better decision-making, focus, and follow-through.

What if I’ve tried coaching before and didn’t find it useful? It might not have been the right fit. When the chemistry is right and the focus is clear, coaching can be game-changing.

Do I need a coach forever? No. Coaching can be short-term, long-term, or periodic. The goal is to build clarity and momentum, not dependency.