“Coaching” is a big buzzword. It seems everyone has a coach these days. And for a good reason.

“Every time you speak to your business coach, you can expect to get perspective,” says Alicia Marie Fruin, founder and managing director of People Biz, Inc., an Austin-based coaching and training company. “Ultimately, a coach acts as an objective third party [who] can help you stand back and look at the facts. That alone provides real perspective. Suddenly you see what you didn’t see before.”

People Biz, Inc. has helped hundreds of clients do just that since the year 2000. The bottom line: The company is in the business of bettering people. Its clients achieve measurable transformation in realizing their personal and professional goals.

Fruin enjoys dispelling the myths and misunderstandings about business coaching.

“It’s not training, mentoring or consulting,” she says. “In coaching, the client has the answers.”

Fruin has designed more than 100 custom training programs for hundreds of business owners in a variety of industries across the country. An entrepreneur for almost 20 years, a trainer for 16 years and a professional coach for 11 years, she is an expert in behavioral sciences, neuro-linguistics and business. Her experience allows her to help businesses reach their optimal potential, improve productivity and increase profits.

Fruin’s fellow coach, Deborah Huyer, brings more than 20 years of experience as a human resources leader, business manager, entrepreneur and consultant. Huyer’s deep expertise allows her to effectively coach clients to higher levels of performance and success. Unlike many coaches, she brings a combination of business management experience and human resources leadership to early-stage and rapid-growth companies.

“Deborah’s expertise is in her track record of leading change in organizations,” Fruin says. “She is a genius at causing organizational transformation from command-control to a true coaching culture.

“Clients agree that it’s our skill set that really sets us apart. We practice mastery level coaching in every coaching and training interaction. Only a small percentage of coaches in our industry offer mastery level coaching, and even a smaller percentage actually apply those expert skills in their work.”

Another of the most prevalent misconceptions about the coaching culture is that you’ll be told exactly what to do, when to do it and how to do it. On the contrary, a credible coach is not there to tell you what to do.

Indeed, not all coaches are created equal. There are amateur coaches who offer subjective advice, and there are strategic coaches who challenge clients to explore their options and push them out of their comfort zones.

“You are responsible for the results, not your coach,” Fruin says. “A good coach doesn’t take the credit or the blame. The moment we lose our objectivity, we are no longer of use to you.”

And it’s not just your business a terrific coach cares about. It’s you and your people.

“At our company, we specialize in people,” Fruin says. “Our services are not about our knowledge of process or business. They are about our ability to grow and develop people and organizations.”

One of the company’s most powerful offerings is Leading Change, a 15-session program designed to show participants how to grow and thrive in a world of fear and uncertainty.

“We try to live calm, predictable and controllable lives by ignoring our problems, which often leads to more difficulties,” Fruin says. “This program offers a way for participants to change their way of thinking and learn how to deal with the anxiety of change.”

One past participant calls the program “eye-opening and life-changing,” while another says, “Leading Change has changed my view of this world … I have found courage and purpose.”

The “Targeted Transition” course, led by Huyer, focuses on helping people find the right job. One participant came into this class thinking there was little left for her to learn. She quickly discovered she was very wrong and now admits, “I learned so much about a job search in this economy that I will be forever grateful.”

“We often say in our business that transformative change is not a complicated process,” Fruin says. “It is about applying the right skills and tools in the right way at the right time. In every coaching and training interaction, we provide practical skills and tools that, when applied, lead to measurable transformation for the client.”

When they’re not guiding others through journeys of transformation, Fruin and Huyer are actively working on themselves and focusing on their families.

A mother of four and grandmother of two, Fruin is a yoga enthusiast, as well as a runner. Huyer is an avid hiker and high-country backpacker in the Pacific Northwest, and she annually participates in the Susan G. Komen three-day, 60-mile Walk for the Cure. 

Even the most experienced professionals can learn something spectacular about themselves, their business and their limitless potential from these coaching masters.

For more information on the coaching and training services offered by People Biz, Inc., call 512-989-2230, or visit www.peoplebizinc.com.