Best Business Coaches in the World (September 2026 Edition)

Who are the best business coaches in the world right now? The honest answer begins with the business owner, not a league table. Someone building a management team needs different help from someone reconsidering why they built the company at all.

For this September 2026 edition, CoachRank selected six people with distinct, publicly described approaches: Dan Auerbach, Matteo Cassese, Izak du Plessis, Lisa Larter, Kris Plachy and Rajiv Talreja. Their work spans Australia, Germany, South Africa, Canada, the United States and India. The list is alphabetical by first name. It is a starting point for a better hiring decision, not a claim that these are the six highest-performing coaches on earth.

The shortlist at a glance

Coach	Base and stated format	A strong reason to investigate	Check before engaging
Dan Auerbach	Australia; Sydney or online	You run an established business and decisions, people issues and pressure keep returning to your desk	His service is advisory; ask who will build systems if that is your need
Matteo Cassese	Germany; Berlin or online	You have built a business but feel stuck in its direction or your own role	His work is not a tactical playbook
Izak du Plessis	South Africa; one-to-one program	You want a defined coaching rhythm and time to implement between sessions	Confirm which coach delivers your sessions and the work included
Lisa Larter	Canada; one-to-one or group	You want business strategy, marketing and commercial advisement	She explicitly distinguishes her work from traditional certified coaching
Kris Plachy	United States; private session	You are an established woman business owner facing a consequential decision	Check whether a focused private session fits your longer-term needs
Rajiv Talreja	India; in-person training and longer programs	You own an MSME and want structured work on model, teams and operations	His program's dedicated one-to-one coach may be someone other than Rajiv

These are descriptions of published offers, not endorsements of an outcome. Delivery formats, availability and fees can change. Check them directly before buying.

How CoachRank made this September 2026 selection

We reviewed the coaches' own service pages on 30 September 2026. We looked for a named person, an identifiable client, a concrete account of the work and enough information to distinguish one offer from another. We included different business stages and coaching styles across several regions rather than six versions of the same service. Direct links in the profiles and the source list below let you inspect the evidence.

This was desk research. We did not buy a session, interview these coaches, audit their client results, verify every qualification or conduct a worldwide census. A provider's testimonials and revenue claims are their own statements unless independently checked. Inclusion does not establish superior results. None of these positions was sold as a ranking slot for this edition.

The word best here means worth considering for a specific type of buyer, subject to further diligence. It does not mean an objective number one. Coaching, mentoring, training and consulting can overlap; the practical question is what the person will do with you. Our guide to business coaches, consultants and mentors explains the differences to ask about.

Dan Auerbach: for owners carrying too many decisions

Best fit to investigate: A founder, owner or private-company CEO with an existing team who wants a confidential place to think through decisions, leadership and pressure.

On his business coaching page, Sydney-based Dan Auerbach describes three areas of work: self, team and strategic mastery. He says he works with founders and CEOs of businesses with roughly five to more than 500 staff, meeting in Sydney or by video elsewhere. The offer is specific about the seat the client occupies: the person who owns the decision and bears its consequences.

An unusually useful detail is what his service does not promise. His FAQ says he acts as an adviser rather than someone who sets up operating systems, targets and dashboards. That makes him a more plausible choice if you need to think through a difficult people or strategic call than if you need an operator to install a management process. His site describes a psychology and commerce background, but a buyer should verify any qualification that matters to them.

Ask before hiring: What will you and Dan actually work through in the first three sessions? If the answer reveals a need for hands-on implementation, who will do that work? His site also mentions associate coaches, so confirm whether your agreement is with Dan personally.

Matteo Cassese: for founders stuck beyond the tactics

Best fit to investigate: A founder whose business functions on paper but whose own direction, confidence or sense of meaning has become the central problem.

Berlin-based Matteo Cassese describes his entrepreneur coaching as one-to-one work with founders who have built something and feel stuck. His page says remote sessions are available and a single session is possible. The offer is frank about its limits: it is not a consulting playbook or a set of operational tactics. He focuses on the founder's perspective, patterns and decisions.

That difference matters. If your main constraint is an unpriced product, a broken sales process or a missing finance system, you may need a specialist who can diagnose and implement. Matteo could be more relevant when repeated strategic analysis has not resolved the founder's own hesitation. That is an editorial fit judgment, not evidence that his approach produces a specific business outcome.

Ask before hiring: What would make this work successful for you after a month? How would you distinguish useful reflection from an urgent operational issue needing different expertise? His public page offers a sample coaching session, which is worth reviewing for style before you commit.

Izak du Plessis: for a defined one-to-one cadence

Best fit to investigate: An owner who wants regular individual coaching with a clear time frame and space to test decisions between meetings.

Shiftr's South African business coaching page identifies Izak du Plessis as founder and head coach. It describes three- or six-month programs, one-to-one sessions every two weeks, and a structure that moves from goals and current reality to options and commitments. The page also offers an introductory call. Compared with an open-ended advisory arrangement, this gives a prospective client a clearer cadence to evaluate.

The site describes Izak's experience in both corporate coaching and entrepreneurship. Those are provider statements, so ask for details relevant to your industry and stage. A defined program is useful only if the work between sessions is feasible and the review points are meaningful. A fortnightly schedule might be too sparse for a time-critical turnaround, or welcome breathing room for an owner implementing changes.

Ask before hiring: Is Izak the coach in every session? What is the agreement on between-session contact, missed meetings and reviewing progress at the end of three or six months?

Lisa Larter: for commercial strategy and advisement

Best fit to investigate: An established business owner seeking a direct conversation about strategy, marketing, sales and the numbers, with practical advice as part of the engagement.

Canada-based Lisa Larter describes her service as coaching and advisement, offered one-to-one and in groups. She explicitly says she is not a traditional or certified business coach. That candor makes her useful to compare with someone who promises a conventional coaching relationship. Her service page focuses on business strategy, marketing, financial understanding and difficult decisions, and says it is aimed at owners with an existing foundation and revenue.

This may appeal to a buyer who wants commercial experience and suggestions as well as questions. It may not suit someone seeking a purely facilitative coach or a provider with a particular credential. Her page contains examples of client results, but we have not independently validated them or attributed those results solely to her work.

Ask before hiring: When does she give direct advice, and when does she coach you toward your own decision? What does an individual engagement include, who else from her team is involved and how will progress be reviewed?

Kris Plachy: for established women facing a consequential call

Best fit to investigate: A successful woman founder or CEO who wants private, direct help with a specific decision about her company, leadership or next chapter.

On her current site, US-based Kris Plachy positions herself as a private adviser to highly successful women. The public private-session offer centers on a 60-minute conversation followed by seven days of Voxer access. Her background page describes work with women business owners and leaders. This is a narrower proposition than a generic business-growth program: the buyer brings a hard question rather than joining a fixed operational curriculum.

That focus can be attractive when one decision has a high personal or business cost. It also means a buyer should decide whether a single focused engagement is enough or whether they require repeated support, team development or specialist implementation. Public prices and availability can change, so review the current offer before paying.

Ask before hiring: What kind of question belongs in the private session? How does the follow-up work, what is confidential and what support exists if the problem turns out to require longer work?

Rajiv Talreja: for MSME owners who want a structured program

Best fit to investigate: An owner of a micro, small or medium enterprise seeking structured training around the business model, management, marketing, sales and operations.

India-based Rajiv Talreja's program page presents several formats. The Business P.A.C.E. program is a three-day in-person intensive with Rajiv. The longer Mastermind for Business Acceleration includes training programs, support and monthly one-to-one coaching with a dedicated business coach. That wording is important: it does not say Rajiv personally conducts every individual session. His programs are a blend of education, mentoring and coaching, so compare their actual delivery rather than treating them as identical to private coaching.

For an MSME owner who wants a curriculum and operational tools, this structured approach may be more relevant than open-ended reflection. For someone who needs a confidential one-to-one relationship with Rajiv specifically, the distinction between program leader and assigned coach is decisive. The site publishes program details and prices, but those can change; verify the current contract and what is included.

Ask before hiring: Which sessions are with Rajiv, which are with a team coach and which are group training? Who is your named coach, what is their experience and what support remains after the program ends?

Which kind of business coach should you choose?

Start with the problem, then choose a working method. A good first step is to write down one decision you cannot yet make and what would change if you made it well.

Your main need	Start by examining	Why
Leadership pressure in an established company	Dan Auerbach	His stated work centers on the owner's decisions, team and capacity under pressure
Founder direction or identity after building something substantial	Matteo Cassese	His offer works on the founder's perspective rather than a tactical business plan
A time-bounded individual coaching process	Izak du Plessis	Shiftr describes a three- or six-month, fortnightly program
Commercial strategy and advice	Lisa Larter	She explicitly combines business advisement with coaching
One significant private decision as an established woman leader	Kris Plachy	Her public offer focuses on a private session and short follow-up
Training and operating structure for an MSME	Rajiv Talreja	His programs combine business education with different levels of coaching support

These are reasons to investigate, not guarantees of fit. A founder may benefit from more than one type of support, but should know what each provider is responsible for. If you need a legal, tax, mental-health or specialist operational answer, engage the relevant qualified professional.

A practical diligence checklist before you pay

1. Name the outcome. Ask what decision, behavior or operating practice the work is meant to improve. Avoid purchasing a vague promise of transformation.
2. Meet the person who will coach you. A famous program founder may not conduct your sessions. Confirm the delivery person, their experience and whether substitutions are possible.
3. Inspect the method. Ask for a sample agenda or a description of the first month, the work between meetings and how you will evaluate progress.
4. Check claims that matter. Request context for case studies and permission to speak with a relevant reference. Where a credential is claimed, verify it with the issuing body. The ICF Credentialed Coach Finder advises clients to take reasonable steps to verify qualifications and points to its credential verification service.
5. Get the agreement in writing. Confirm price, currency, taxes, session length, cancellation rules, confidentiality, data handling, between-session access and exit terms.
6. Review fit after an initial period. Agree on a useful review point. If the work is not addressing the problem you brought, discuss a change of scope or stop.

For a longer set of interview questions, use CoachRank's guide to vetting a business coach. If cost is the main unknown, read what a business coach can cost before comparing quotes.

The editorial view

A credible global list should help you ask better questions, not pretend that fame, price or a single testimonial can determine the right coach. The six people above offer meaningfully different ways to work. Begin with the coach whose method matches your actual constraint, check the person and terms behind the offer, then decide whether the first conversation earns a second.

Corrections or relevant evidence? Write to contact@coachrank.lol. We will review specific factual corrections and clearly disclose any commercial relationship introduced in a future update. A request for inclusion does not buy a place in this edition.