Perceptions of Contributions of Business Coaches to Female Entrepreneurial Success

Author

Tracy I. Timberlake, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Advisor

Karen Kimball

Committee Member

Lucille Meisner

Keywords

business coaching, digital leadership, female entrepreneurship, online coach

Abstract

Although coaching has seen tremendous growth and success, it is still regarded as controversial because there is no governing body that oversees coaches or the coaching industry. In this manner, the industry has not achieved uniformity, therefore is under much scrutiny with regards to the validity of the industry as a whole. With female entrepreneurship on the rise, many industry personnel are hiring business coaches to teach them the business building skills they need to start their solo ventures. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of the one-on-one business coaching experience from the perspective of the client. Because there seemed to be no empirical evidence regarding one-on-one coaching and female entrepreneurs, the purpose of this case study was to relate the experiences of women online entrepreneurs who had undergone one-on-one business coaching to build their brands. Quantitative elements were documented during the course of the study when appropriate, but the focus was primarily on perceptions of how one-on-one business coaching could contribute to success.

By surveying female online entrepreneurs who had experienced one-on-one business coaching, women considering entering the world of solo ventures and business building could empirically see evidence of the effects of one-on-one coaching. Business coaches who served this population were also be able to use this research as a tool that enabled them to develop useful coaching curricula in their own practices, particularly as it served female entrepreneurs. This research also added to the body of literature regarding both coaching and women entrepreneurs in the online space, because the relationship between the two had been under represented.

NSUWorks Citation

Tracy I. Timberlake. 2017. Perceptions of Contributions of Business Coaches to Female Entrepreneurial Success. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. (209)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fse_etd/209.