Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs in Chicago

Transform Your Vision into Success in Chicago

Empowering Entrepreneurs in Chicago

Every entrepreneur starts with an idea, but making that idea thrive in the competitive business landscape of Chicago requires the right guidance. At Close Cohen Career Consulting in Chicago, we specialize in business coaching for entrepreneurs to help you take your business from concept to success. Whether you’re looking to launch a new business, scale an existing one, or improve your leadership skills, we provide the tools, strategies, and insights you need to succeed.

Build a Clear Roadmap to Achieve Sustainable Growth

Define your goals

We’ll work with you to clarify your vision and set clear, actionable goals that guide your business forward. Whether you’re refining your leadership, scaling your business, or entering a new market, we’ll ensure you have the right objectives in place to measure success.

Nail your product (or service) market fit

A great idea isn’t enough—it needs to fit the market. We’ll help you evaluate your product or service and ensure it aligns with the needs of your target audience. Through career coaching, we’ll help you identify the right market, perfect your offering, and position your business for success.

Power map your launch or expansion

Launching or expanding your business is a major milestone, and planning is key. We’ll help you map out your resources, timeframes, and strategies to ensure a smooth, successful launch or expansion. No more guesswork—just clear, strategic planning that leads to success.

Exploit your unique advantage to drive unique success

What makes your business stand out? Whether it’s your unique product, service, or business model, we’ll help you identify and leverage your unique advantage to drive success. We’ll help you refine your competitive edge and make it a key driver of growth.

Leverage our experience and get to results faster

With Close Cohen Career Consulting in Chicago, you’ll benefit from years of entrepreneurial experience. Our proven frameworks and techniques will assist you in avoiding typical mistakes and fast-tracking your business to success, ensuring you achieve your goals quicker and more efficiently.

Leverage our experience and play to win

Through this program you’ll…

Experience results in less time

Enhance your business growth with proven strategies designed for Chicago entrepreneurs.

Outperform the competition

Gain the skills and insights to position your business as a leader in Chicago’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Maximize your impact and revenue

Optimize your resources to build a financially and operationally successful business.

What is in the Entrepreneurship Coaching and Strategy Package?

Close Cohen Career Consulting offers a structured, tailored approach to help Chicago entrepreneurs scale their businesses. Here’s what’s included:

Ready to transform your business in Chicago? Let’s make it happen!

Strengthen Your Leadership to Lead Your Business to Success

As an entrepreneur, Your leadership style is important for the expansion of your company. Through career coaching, we help you build the leadership skills necessary to guide your team, make confident decisions, and create a company culture that supports long-term success. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or new to entrepreneurship, we provide personalized coaching to enhance your leadership capabilities and ensure you can navigate growth challenges effectively.

Invest in Your Business’s Future and Make a Lasting Impact

Investing in business coaching for entrepreneurs in Chicago is an investment in your long-term success. With our expert guidance, you’ll avoid common mistakes and gain access to strategies that help you scale your business effectively. Whether you’re launching a new business or looking to take your existing venture to the next level, our coaching will give you the insights, frameworks, and strategies to maximize your impact and revenue.

Testimonials

Terri Hendricks

20:10 26 Sep 25

This was my first coaching experience, and working with Nancy since the beginning of the year has been very valuable. She has helped me better understand where I am in my career and how to navigate the early stages with more clarity. She has also helped me build confidence at work and given me the tools to apply more strategic frameworks that open up new ways of thinking. Each session gives me practical advice and clear takeaways I can put into action right away.

Nancy brings empathy, energy, and fun, and she makes it easy to have conversations I hadn’t had or even thought about before.

Maddie Heye

16:03 26 Sep 25

Working with Nancy Poznoff has been truly transformative. At a time when I was feeling stuck and misaligned in my career, she helped me take a powerful step back and reorient everything around my values, purpose, and long-term vision.

Through thoughtful conversation and coaching, listening, and just the right amount of challenge, Nancy guided me through a period of change. I gained clarity, confidence, and a renewed sense of direction.

If you're an executive or professional navigating transition, questioning your next step, or wanting to lead with more authenticity, I can’t recommend Nancy highly enough.

Carlee Price

18:50 29 Aug 25

I have worked with Close Cohen for many years, both at junctures in my career and also where I could use support in an existing role, to level up my game or move through a tricky spot. I've found better clarity through my work with them, and some incredibly practical and enduring tools and resources. If you want to invest in yourself & your career, if you want to build understanding of the system operating around you and "make sense" of your professional environment, there's no better place to turn. Highly recommend this talented team.

Elizabeth Hawkins

16:21 28 Aug 25

I’ve been working with Close Cohen on and off for 12+ years now and after a session the other day I realized I should update my review to reflect the multiple career transitions they’ve supported me with since I was a law firm founder seeking leadership development support for myself and my team. I reached out because after taking somewhat of a career break to raise my two young children abroad, I’m trying to figure out my next steps and needed some wisdom and guidance. Even after a multi-year hiatus, within minutes we had gotten to the heart of the matter and I came away with renewed confidence and optimism about the next phase of my career, multiple concrete action steps and a framework for making the decisions that loom on the horizon. Having a team this dedicated in my corner makes me feel like anything is possible. Thank you!

David Cole

17:58 17 Aug 25

Brett is great to work with and had some very helpful advice while I was navigating a difficult career transition.

Flavio D

00:54 17 Aug 25

I've worked with Close Cohen for executive coaching for almost three years and it has been a great professional investment. My sessions with Alisa Cohen helped me understand how to tell my professional story, how to present to peers and leaders. They know their stuff at Close Cohen.

The coaching was practical and focused on real leadership challenges I was facing. Alisa helped me think through situations in ways I hadn't considered before, and it definitely improved both my presentation skills and how I work with my teams. Worth considering for anyone looking to level up their leadership and executive skills.

David Kellis

19:52 13 Aug 25

I chose CloseCohen based on a personal recommendation. They stand out for delivering actionable coaching that elevates my performance. And I value the accountability. The two coaches I worked with brought exceptional expertise and a clear results focus. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Andy T

04:01 13 Aug 25

Close Cohen has been an exceptional partner in sharpening my leadership approach. The coaching is thoughtful and immediately applicable to high-stakes work. Both coaches I’ve worked with combine expertise with a collaborative style that makes the process both effective and enjoyable. They helped me land my last two jobs, significantly elevating my scope. Recommended

Joey Coats

17:00 25 Jun 25

I recently worked with Brett while searching for a new role. The program was outstanding! The roadmap for our work together was comprehensive enough to meet today’s job search challenges but also flexible enough to permit us to adjust as we went to account for actual opportunities. The homework was manageable and also helped me organize and see all of the great work I have accomplished in my career.

I also really appreciated the time spent on digging into what I wanted and needed from the new role both professionally and personally. I also valued Brett’s recommendations on how to work on further development in areas I identified as opportunities.

Overall a great experience and highly recommended!

Blake Ramsey

19:04 30 Apr 25

I've had the opportunity to work closely with Brett during a pivotal stage in my professional journey. His ability to cut through complexity, surface clarity, and drive meaningful progress is unmatched. What truly sets him apart is how he frames every experience as a learning opportunity, fostering continuous growth and building on each success. The structured roadmap his team leverages is a powerful tool for creating that momentum. Strategic, grounded, and incredibly effective, Brett is the kind of partner who helps you unlock what’s next.

Hannah C

20:09 09 Apr 25

Brett offered exceptional guidance and thoughtful insights when I sought his perspective on navigating career growth. He provided clarity around roles, responsibilities, and aligning career choices with personal priorities. His balanced advice and strategic thinking made him a valuable resource. I highly recommend him.

Libby Postovoit

03:47 17 Feb 25

Daria is a fantastic career coach -- smart, empathetic, and strategic. She was an invaluable thought partner during my most recent career transition, helping me understand what mattered most to me in a company and role, and the areas where I was competitive as a candidate. She also provided excellent guidance on how to optimize stakeholder relationships and impact. Working with Daria was a great investment for me during my transition into a more visible and senior role. I can't thank Daria and the team at Close Cohen enough.

John Fulton

18:33 03 Feb 25

In the Spring of 2024, I reached out to Alisa Cohen feeling stuck, unprepared, and lacking confidence after a long, challenging tenure at a toxic company. From our very first meeting, I felt a renewed sense of hope and excitement about the future of my career. Alisa’s comprehensive and thoughtfully designed program pushed me to truly reflect on my work history and skills, and helped me define what I genuinely wanted to pursue next.
Her guidance was transformative. We overhauled my resume, revamped my LinkedIn profile, refined my portfolio, and prepared strategically for interviews. Yet, beyond these tangible changes, Alisa provided a steady stream of encouragement, focusing on my strengths and reigniting my self-belief.

The results were almost immediate. My applications began getting more attention, and I found myself going through multiple interview loops for executive-level positions. After 5.5 months of hard work and dedication, I received two incredible offers on the same day. Alisa then helped me carefully evaluate the options and provided invaluable advice on negotiations, ultimately helping me secure a role that will allow me to leave behind a toxic environment.

Alisa’s work may feel magical, but the results are real—and so worth the effort. She makes you dig deep, and she empowers you to find the answers within yourself, all while building you up every step of the way.

I often refer to Alisa as my career therapist. Her warmth, empathy, and practical approach to career growth not only rebuilt my confidence but truly changed my life.

Colleen McArdle

17:44 01 Feb 25

I reached out to Close Cohen Consulting when I was at a crossroads in my career and needed help in focusing on future goals and how to tactically get there. Alisa Cohen is such a great coach and mentor! She listened and provided the feedback that helped guide me to new decisions and reshape my approach about my career and what I really wanted and needed out of it. I cannot recommend her and Close Cohen enough!

Danielle Allsop

18:07 30 Oct 24

I happily recommend Alisa to anyone seeking executive coaching. She's a fantastic coach, supporter, and partner during the journey -- highly organized, insightful, top notch listener, supreme writer/editor, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Working with Alisa was essential for building my confidence, launching my candidacy, and landing my next role. Five Stars and then some!

Scott Merlino

23:01 19 Apr 24

I worked with Alisa Cohen and she was fantastic. I highly recommend her if you're looking for career consulting/coaching advice and support.

Erica Paoli

04:29 20 Jan 24

Alisa is an amazing coach – smart, kind, and encouraging. I learned so much from her during our time together, and she helped me build confidence in myself; especially with interviewing and asking for what I’m worth. She was always available to answer questions, offer support and feedback along my journey and beyond. The best part is – I landed a fantastic new role a mere 4 months after working with her, and I could not have done it without her!

Amy Persell

17:45 30 Oct 23

Alisa is a terrific coach. Her thoughtful and organized approach was appreciated. I really liked how I was kept accountable. In addition, I found her coaching to be a great mix of informal counseling and specific job search tasks. Unlike lots of couches that you will find on Google-Close Cohen is all about finding the right fit for YOU, not about filling roles at specific companies where you may or not be a good fit.

Andrew Cardillo

04:53 20 Jun 23

I am writing to leave a 5-star review of Close Cohen Career Consulting, LLC based on my experience with their Senior Level Career Coaching package. I wholeheartedly endorse the services and attention I received throughout the entirety of my time.

Alisa Cohen gave me practical, results-oriented advice right from the start of our sessions. This advice has materialized as increased views of my LinkedIn profile, a suite of new tools to aid in my career progression, and strategies to help me network, apply, and negotiate through every phase of the process.

I have gained genuine confidence from defining and owning the value proposition I offer to an organization. If you are looking to enhance your own career progression, I assure you that for me the results speak for themselves.

Thank you Close Cohen Career Consulting!

Alina Perez-Campos

18:08 11 Feb 23

Alisa Cohen acts as a beacon, guiding you through your career journey. With her exceptional ability to identify and highlight your key strengths, you'll stand out amongst the competition and secure the job of your dreams. Her guidance is both insightful and compassionate, consistently encouraging you to stay true to yourself. Investing in her coaching services is a wise decision that will yield long-lasting benefits for years to come.

Vivian Ramos

01:33 29 Apr 22

I worked with Laura back in 2018 when I was looking for a new role and in general a new outlook in my career. My experience was life changing to say the least. She was empathetic and warm, and she came up with an action plan that I still reference to this day.

Fast forward to 2022, and I started working with Alisa for interview coaching. I seriously couldn’t have gotten my new role without her. Her coaching and feedback was crucial to my lengthy interview process, and I owe her for helping me land my dream job.

Laura and Alisa are incredible and I’m so grateful to have them as lifelong allies.

Lindsay Burke

18:00 31 Aug 21

The team at Close/Cohen career consulting was fabulous. They helped me through every step of my career move. From building my self-confidence and building my resume to making my social profile interesting to making me interesting for interviews, Alisa was the mastermind. I felt completely comfortable and supported through the process. I always knew Alisa was in my corner. She helped me negotiate when I was given an offer.
I plan to stay in contact and hope to utilize their services throughout my career.

Have questions?

What services are included in the Chicago Business Coaching Program?

Our business coaching program for Chicago entrepreneurs includes tailored advisory sessions, financial planning, revenue strategies, and structured performance tracking. We focus on capitalizing on growth opportunities while maintaining operational efficiency.

How does Close Cohen coaching help Chicago entrepreneurs achieve growth?

We use data-driven strategies refined through extensive experience. By analyzing your business metrics, we create a growth framework that addresses key areas like revenue optimization, market positioning, and scalable systems, ensuring measurable progress.

Will I work with experienced business coaches in Chicago?

Absolutely. Our Chicago-based coaches have a proven track record of helping businesses scale and succeed. They bring years of expertise across various industries to provide actionable, tailored guidance.

What results can I expect from the coaching program?

Our clients in Chicago have reported significant improvements in revenue growth, operational efficiency, and competitive market positioning. We work closely with you to deliver strategies that produce measurable outcomes.

How soon will I see results from the coaching program?

Most clients notice meaningful progress within the first financial quarter. Our structured approach ensures the timely implementation of growth initiatives, leading to continuous improvements in key business metrics.

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