Maximising Business Growth: How to Choose Between Coaching, Consultancy, and Interim Services
As the CEO or owner of a medium-sized business with 25 to 25,000 staff, your organisation may be at a crossroads. Whether you’re rapidly growing, stagnating, or facing new challenges as you expand, the right external support can accelerate your progress, solve key issues, and prepare your business for the future. But which option is right for you - business coaching, consultancy, or interim management?
The answer depends on your business's current state, the expertise needed, and your timeline for results. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between these options to help you determine the best fit for your organisation’s needs.
Business Coaching: Long-Term Development for Sustainable Growth
Overview
Business coaching is designed for leaders who want to develop both themselves and their organisation over the long term. It provides guidance, accountability, and strategic advice that improves your leadership skills while ensuring your company grows sustainably.
For businesses of your size, coaching can help align your leadership team, refine your strategic direction, and foster the development of internal talent, ensuring the organisation scales effectively. Coaching works well if you're looking to strengthen both personal and organisational capabilities for the long run.
Level of Involvement
Coaching is more focused on leadership development and strategic thinking. A coach will work closely with you and your executive team to unlock new ways of thinking and improve decision-making skills. It’s an investment in mindset shifts and operational strategies, ensuring your organisation can meet long-term goals. The outcome is a business owner and team that knows how to build and scale a more valuable, profitable and sellable business.
Time and Cost
Business coaching is typically structured around monthly retainers or annual contracts. Depending on the seniority of the coach and the scope of the engagement, you might be looking at costs between £1,000 to £10,000+ per month. While this may seem like a significant investment, the payoff comes from ongoing, sustainable business improvements and the development of leadership skills across your executive team. Look for coaches that guarantee a return on your investment and who have the breadth and depth of training and experience to solve your organization’s challenges.
Expertise and Impact
A coach brings strategic and personal insights rather than hands-on management. They help you build the mindset and skills needed to lead and develop your business more effectively, meaning the impact of coaching is cumulative and long-lasting. Over time, your team becomes more capable, aligned, and better equipped to drive performance. You will also get some quick wins with a great coach and see a solid ROI in year one or sooner.
Pros:
Focuses on long-term growth for both the leader and the organisation.
Builds internal leadership capacity.
Provides ongoing, strategic guidance and accountability.
Cons:
Slower than consultancy or interim management for immediate results.
Requires ongoing commitment and effort from leadership.
Doesn’t give you the additional immediate capacity to deliver change that an interim might.
Ideal For:
CEOs and owners seeking long-term organisational development and personal growth.
Businesses preparing for expansion, sale, acquisitions or succession planning.
Consultancy: Expert Advice for Specific Challenges
Overview
Consultancy is best suited for situations where your business faces specific challenges that require specialised expertise. Whether it's restructuring operations, improving efficiency across global sites, or transforming your digital strategy, consultants provide the deep subject matter expertise required to diagnose problems and offer solutions.
Consultancy is especially valuable for project-based initiatives where you need an objective, expert perspective. This could be anything from a full operational overhaul to implementing a new marketing strategy across multiple regions.
Level of Involvement
Consultants are typically less hands-on than interim managers but still highly involved in diagnosing issues and recommending solutions. Once they assess the situation, they’ll provide a detailed plan or strategy for your team to execute. If the project requires, the consultancy firm might also offer implementation support, but this depends on the scope of the engagement.
Time and Cost
Consultancy projects are often time-bound and project-specific. A high-level consultancy engagement can range from £10,000 to £1 million+, depending on the complexity, duration, and number of consultants involved. Large, multi-site or global engagements requiring several consultants over a long period will naturally command higher fees whereas a single day event might suit a tighter budget.
Expertise and Impact
Consultants bring deep expertise in particular fields, such as Lean manufacturing, digital transformation, business continuity management, turnaround or strategic restructuring. The impact can be immediate and measurable, particularly in areas like cost savings or operational efficiency. However, consultancy doesn’t always build internal capacity for handling similar issues in the future unless combined with training.
Pros:
Fast, targeted solutions for specific challenges.
Access to specialist expertise not available in-house.
Can deliver immediate business improvements.
Cons:
Higher up-front cost.
May not lead to long-term internal development unless combined with training.
Ideal For:
Organisations needing a specific issue solved quickly.
Businesses undertaking major transformations or operational restructures.
Interim Management: Immediate, Hands-On Leadership
Overview
An interim manager is a temporary executive who steps into a senior role within your business to manage a specific function or project. This is a great option if your organisation is facing a crisis, rapid expansion, or a leadership gap.
Unlike consultants who primarily advise, interim managers take on hands-on responsibility for delivering results. They are often brought in to oversee key projects or drive performance improvements across the company, making them a powerful option for businesses that need immediate, experienced leadership.
Level of Involvement
An interim manager is highly involved in the day-to-day running of your business. They operate at the senior management level, often stepping in as a CEO, COO, or project lead to manage change, boost performance, or handle a specific transition. Their focus is on executing solutions rather than simply advising on them.
Time and Cost
Interim management is typically charged on a daily rate, with fees ranging from £1,500 to £5,000 per day, depending on the seniority of the role, capability of the interim, and the complexity of the project. While it’s a high cost per day, the interim manager is deeply embedded in your business and delivers immediate, tangible results. You don’t have the “on-costs” and pension or other liabilities of a permanent hire so the cost should be seen in that light.
Expertise and Impact
Interim managers bring hands-on expertise and leadership to your business, offering the ability to drive significant results quickly. This is particularly valuable in fast-moving environments where internal resources or skills are stretched. However, the impact is often short-term unless supported by internal development after the interim leaves. It is recommended that the interim reports to the most senior level of the business or business unit and you will want to consider the organization’s readiness for change in parallel.
Pros:
Immediate, hands-on leadership for urgent needs.
Fast results, especially in crisis management or growth initiatives.
Adds temporary capacity to the business during times of change.
Cons:
High daily rates can seem expensive when compared to permanent staff but remember they must pay their taxes and overheads.
Benefits may be short-lived unless the team is prepared to continue the improvements.
Ideal For:
Organisations needing immediate leadership or turnaround solutions.
CEOs dealing with rapid growth, crisis situations, or transitions.
How to Choose the Right Support: The Value Equation
When deciding between business coaching, consultancy, or interim management, it’s important to weigh the value in terms of your organisation’s specific needs:
Required Outcome: Are you looking for a complete transformation, leadership development, or solving a specific issue?
Likelihood of Achievement: Can you achieve these goals with your current team, or do you need external expertise?
Time Delay: How urgent is the need? Do you need fast results or are you investing for long-term growth?
Effort & Sacrifice: How much time and energy are you willing to commit to working alongside an external partner, or do you need someone to take over leadership roles?
For medium-sized organisations with complex, multi-site operations, interim management offers fast results and immediate leadership, while consultancy provides specialised expertise for short-term projects. Business coaching, on the other hand, develops internal leadership and prepares your organisation for sustainable long-term growth. Small group business coaching can help reduce the costs for common challenges and smaller firms.
Conclusion
Choosing between business coaching, consultancy, or interim management depends on your current business needs and the level of involvement and expertise required. Each option provides a unique pathway to success - whether it’s building long-term capacity, solving specific challenges, or adding immediate leadership during times of transition.
If you’re unsure which option is right for you, Veterus Business Growth offers tailored solutions that blend coaching, consultancy, and interim management. We provide flexible, scalable support designed to meet the unique challenges of your business, helping you achieve the results you need - whether it’s accelerating growth, fixing specific issues, or preparing your team for the future.
