Five Reasons Successful Founders Prioritize Coaching

In the last decade, founders of rapidly scaling startups and businesses have increasingly turned to coaching. They seek greater success by shortening the learning curve on the already steep trajectory of growing a business from zero to millions or billions.

In July 2025, I reached 3,000 hours of coaching founders, leaders, and investors one-on-one. While we tackle business challenges in our sessions, the best leaders I work with also prioritize strengthening their "internal landscape." They develop navigation tactics to skillfully handle the seemingly never-ending stress, doubt, and relentless pressure they face. They know that having a successful company begins with their ability to lead from a strong and resilient personal foundation.

While it's hard to summarize the value that coaching adds to successful companies, here are five key takeaways from the organizations I've had the privilege of working with:

Your Nervous System: An Asset and a Liability

Your nervous system is your biggest asset. Yet, it can also be your greatest liability. How you handle your own dysregulation—when you're exhausted, stressed, or just plain irritable—impacts not just those around you. It sets the tone for your culture, influencing the behavior you reward or punish internally. More critically, it affects your decision-making.

Coaching provides a protected space where you can tune into yourself. You can move toward clarity, regulate your emotions, and make a plan of attack. This way, you can respond from a place of grounded steadiness. Resilient and regulated leaders go further, faster.

The Cost of Blind Spots

Blind spots can cost you more than you think. We all have limiting beliefs, behavioral patterns, and coping mechanisms that no longer serve us. When you're deep in the often-grueling slog of the early days or facing the growing pains of a maturing company, it can be incredibly hard to catch these tendencies. They can bottleneck or completely block your forward momentum.

Coaching helps you grow your self-awareness, which is a true competitive advantage in an increasingly reactive landscape.

Alignment Drives Urgency

As a leader, alignment around goals and objectives is crucial. It helps teams ensure they're all rowing in the same boat and heading in the same direction. There’s also the internal alignment you embody as you ride the waves of growing a company.

Coaching helps you ensure your leadership is authentic, not cookie-cutter or driven by "shoulds." This authenticity fosters urgency and commitment within your team.

Leadership & Growth: A Shared Journey

Leading the startup I ran as COO and then CEO was one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling experiences of my life. Yet, it was also profoundly lonely. Even with an incredible business partner, the work you do as a leader can be exhausting and often thankless. It occurs both behind the scenes and "at the tip of the spear" as you constantly charge into the unknown.

Coaching not only ensures you feel less alone; it also helps you stay oriented to why you continue to choose this wild ride every day. It’s a reminder of your purpose and passion.

Investing in Yourself: A Path to Company Growth

Investing in yourself is investing in your company. When you engage a coach, you're dedicating time, space, and thought partnership to support your best work on the business—not just in the business. This ultimately drives even better results.

Coaching is a force multiplier and fuel for growth, not an indulgent detour. It’s a commitment to your own development that pays dividends for your organization.

Conclusion: The Holistic Approach to Leadership

At On Point Practice, we see coaching as a place to recalibrate, align, and strengthen the inner foundation that carries your leadership. When you lead from alignment, your company doesn’t just grow—it grows in the direction you intended.

If you're ready to explore how coaching can transform your leadership journey, let's get started.

In today's fast-paced world, the need for integrated mental wellness and professional development is more critical than ever. By blending therapy, coaching, and health services, we can help you achieve lasting change. Together, we can create a holistic approach that supports both individual and organizational growth.

Remember, your journey is unique. Embrace it with open arms and a willingness to learn. After all, the best leaders are those who continuously seek to grow and evolve.