About Us
Tired of Running a Business That Runs You?
-Working harder and stressed but not seeing real growth?
-Missing out on family time because your business needs you 24/7?
-Drowning in chaos and feeling like you’re stuck on a treadmill?
-Your team isn’t as reliable as you need them to be, and hiring the right people feels impossible?
-Struggling with inconsistent cash flow and unpredictable income?
The longer you wait, the more time, energy, and money you lose. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right systems in place, your business can finally run without you—so you can grow, scale, and enjoy the freedom you set out to create.
Unlock your business potential with Small Business Coach & Associates! We guide small businesses through 7 Stages to Freedom with a unique 36-point scorecard, ensuring growth in key areas. Ideal for action-takers, our coaching transforms businesses of all types into success stories. Dive into our results and start your journey to business freedom today!
We have the best job in the world! We have coached more that 1,100 business owners over the last 21 years. Take a look at our many reviews on our website. We help business owners to grow their business and to spend more time doing the things they love to do. We help business owners make more, have fun and work less!
How We Got Started
After growing my previous business to 130 employees and selling it to a publicly-held company, I wanted to help other business owners to thrive and avoid some of the mistakes I made.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (94)
"Alan is a good person to work with."
"This person is a real great Coach.I highly recommend him."
Products & Services
🏆 Leading industry rankings, including Life Coach Magazine and EntrepreneursHQ, named Alan Melton the #1 Small Business Coach. But titles do not m...
When a customer reaches out.
They’re interested and ready to buy your product or service.
But you’re busy… so you follow up later.
Meanwhile, yo...
Make more, have fun, and do less work. That's what you want to do, right? If you feel like your business is running you instead of the other way a...
Gallery
Recommendations Given (279)
"Steve is a caring, heart-centered professional who is truly committed to helping others improve..."
Read more
"Steve is a caring, heart-centered professional who is truly committed to helping others improve their financial future and the well-being of their loved ones."
"Shervan said that he is at your service. He is willing to help and assist others in need.
He..."
Read more
"Shervan said that he is at your service. He is willing to help and assist others in need.
He also said that "Rank, caste, color, and or even wealth and power, do not necessarily make a person of value to the world. Only his or her character makes a man or a woman great and worthy of honor. It is character that illuminates wisdom and Compassion.""
Recent Activity
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on March 18, 2026
Spot on, Don! As a business coach, I witness numerous owners becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of their network without effectively leveraging it. "One message, one ask" to a connector is such a powerful, low-friction habit.
(more)
Spot on, Don! As a business coach, I witness numerous owners becoming overwhelmed by the sheer volume of their network without effectively leveraging it. "One message, one ask" to a connector is such a powerful, low-friction habit.
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on January 26, 2026
Love how you framed “being remembered” as a prerequisite, not the finish line.
(more)
Love how you framed “being remembered” as a prerequisite, not the finish line.
1 Reply
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on September 20, 2024
Great question! It really depends on the person. Some thrive on working through the weekend to stay productive, while others value their downtime to recharge. Finding the right balance is key
(more)
Great question! It really depends on the person. Some thrive on working through the weekend to stay productive, while others value their downtime to recharge. Finding the right balance is key
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on March 24, 2020
I'm not looking for a nomination, but here's something we are doing for 100 small business owners at no charge. There are still a few slots open: Business SurThrival Skills Mastermind Group .
(more)
I'm not looking for a nomination, but here's something we are doing for 100 small business owners at no charge. There are still a few slots open: Business SurThrival Skills Mastermind Group .
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on July 10, 2019
If I can do it, so can you! I hope my story inspires you to accomplish great things!
Our First Banker Turned Me Down
At 26 years of age, I decided to take the plunge into business ownership. After leaving the Upstate and managing a car rental company in Orlando, one afternoon I met after...
(more)
If I can do it, so can you! I hope my story inspires you to accomplish great things!
Our First Banker Turned Me Down
At 26 years of age, I decided to take the plunge into business ownership. After leaving the Upstate and managing a car rental company in Orlando, one afternoon I met after work with my future business partner, a sales rep for the same company. We complained about all the company policies we didn’t like and decided that we could do it better. At the time my wife and I had no children; we really didn’t have much to lose. If I was going to have the headaches anyway, I might as well be in my own business.
We put together a business plan and presented it to a bank. The banker was so impressed with my credentials and business plan that he promptly turned me down. He said, “Judging by your expensive suit, you will likely drain the business and will be soon driving a Maserati.” Little did he know- that was the first nice suit I ever owned… I had bought it on the discount rack for 50% off. Thank God that my partner’s dad felt sorry for us and put up his house for collateral on the $25k business loan.
After selling a car, my wife and I threw in our life’s savings of $5k; we quit our jobs, and founded East Coast Auto Rental. I made sure the loan was repaid in 18 months, and as hard as he tried, the banker never got my business in the future.
Two Different Visions
My partner’s vision of our business was of him, me and a car cleaner. My vision was a little bigger; I saw an international conglomerate! Like marriage, opposites attract; my partner’s sales skills combined with my management skills proved to be a good combination. Additionally, my partner's dad and my wife were also partners in the venture; they both helped us get started.
Humble Beginnings With Car Rental
Initially we had five vehicles in our fleet, and soon they were all rented. Soon we realized that there was nothing to do except wait for their return. We brought in a television for “education.” After having watched all the Bonanza and Big Valley reruns we got bored. Altough we had learned much from Little Joe and Hoss Cartright, the cowboy hats didn’t fit the image we wanted to project.
We came up with another business brainstorm; we would start a ground transportation service. This would allow us to service the airport and would keep us busy when all the cars were rented.
Ground Transportation is Born
We added a station wagon to the fleet. As customers would request one service or the other, we started to get creative with juggling vehicles that could be rented or used for transportation. If it had wheels and we had keys, it was gone! My wife had a Ford Escort and my partner’s grandmother had a 1964 Pontiac Tempest; they quickly became business assets. Soon our repeat customers were requesting Grandma’s car, but Grandma was not too happy about this.
We had other juggling challenges too. More than once we showed up at the airport to pick up someone in a compact car, only to discover that they had a party of five and luggage for eight!
This Stuff Wasn't Easy!
We worked without pay for a few months; my wife worked another full time job to help us survive. Then we decided to take a whopping salary of $100 every other week. After a couple of years we were making around $12,000 per year. We also worked around the clock; we took the business calls home at night. Fortunately I had a business partner and a wife to share in this “fun.” We would work 12 days straight and then get a weekend off. We were doing it all in the early days; accounting, sales, cleaning cars, chauffeuring clients, renting cars, delivering cars, and taking calls overnight for eight years. Hiring employees helped but we were involved in all aspects of the day to day operations.
A Turning Point in the Business: A Business Coach
Seven years into the business we were still struggling; we were in the red and had a number of growing pains. From time to time my partner and I would “butt heads” over certain issues; he saw black and I saw white. We would end up at a standstill over the issue, and then our operation would suffer as a result of no decision. At that time our annual revenues were around one million dollars. It became apparent to me that the business was growing beyond my ability to effectively manage it. I needed to personally grow.
I hired a business coach named Charles. He helped me to develop a plan. Charles ran “interference” for me and helped me develop a business plan for growth and organization. I credit Charles with helping us get the business headed in the right direction, and for being my friend and mentor over the years.
Other Business Mentors
Soon thereafter I joined a group of other business owners that meet monthly to improve their businesses. I described the head-butting problem to my group. They recommended that we appoint department heads to diffuse the conflict. I took their advice and hired sales, accounting, and operations managers.
Now we had a team to help make decisions, and the head-butting stopped. Another benefit of the management team was that we all shared in the overnight calls; with two others helping we only had overnight duty once per week!
Help From The Small Business Administration
The SBA’s Small Business Development Center (The local SBDC is run through Clemson University) was very helpful to us; we attended their workshops, and had MBA students help us on some projects. They encouraged us to apply for the Small Business Person of the Year and we were selected. We traveled to Washington DC and were recognized by President Clinton. We also became a recipient of the Inc 500 as one of the fastest growing privately- held companies.
The SBDC also they helped us secure a SBA Loan for a facility we built. A consultant also helped us to identify some profit opportunities and this translated into more pay for us. Eight years after we had started the company our salaries were equal to the jobs we had left and our pay continued to rise thereafter.
A Hard Decision
However, we faced another challenge; car rental had become unprofitable as a result of our competition lowering rental rates. At the same time, my partner brought us an opportunity to provide ground transportation service for a new Ritz Carlton Resort. We closed down our car rental company and the Ritz Carlton became a $2 million account.
An Exit without a Strategy
As the business matured we got involved with the Florida Sterling Governor’s Award process. The Ritz Carlton was involved with this organization, and we saw the benefit of quality improvement for our customers and employees. It took us three years to become a recipient but in the process, we were transformed from a “Ma and Pop” to a mid size company. Although we were not consciously developing an Exit Strategy, standardizing processes and developing infrastructure prepared the business for sale, and prepared me for business coaching.
The Fun Ride Was Over
Before it was all over, we had started five companies and acquired five more. Our car rental, car detailing and car leasing companies had all failed. But the ground transportation service grew to 130 employees. With the help of a business broker, we sold the business to a publicly held company.
After helping other business owners in my industry, I had a desire to move back home to Upstate SC and on to my next phase in life; business coaching and brokering.
Our Biggest Lessons
Looking back at our companies that failed and the one that succeeded, it all boiled down to one thing; our perseverance. We simply gave up on the ones that failed. I have come to believe that if we are doing what we love to do, using our God-given gifts and talents, we will persevere and success will likely follow. On the other hand, if we are doing work that we don’t enjoy, eventually we will burn out and quit. An important success key is to find other people who have the gifts to do the work that we don’t enjoy.
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on June 22, 2019
Listening Solutions Results
(more)
Listening Solutions Results
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on April 27, 2019
I like the other responses! These are all excellent ways to get leads. I've discovered that the best way to get leads can vary depending upon your type of business and your personality type. If you are an outgoing person you may be excellent in attracting leads by networking and doing events. If...
(more)
I like the other responses! These are all excellent ways to get leads. I've discovered that the best way to get leads can vary depending upon your type of business and your personality type. If you are an outgoing person you may be excellent in attracting leads by networking and doing events. If you are more introverted you may get leads by delivering outstanding customer service and getting reviews and referrals. There are two primary types of marketing: push marketing and pull marketing. Push marketing is like hunting; you go out and find your leads. Pull marketing is like using a magnet; you place your business in the flow of people who are already searching for your services and products. Most businesses thrive when they employ a combination of pulling in leads who are ready to buy, with leads who will be ready to buy some time in the future. I enjoy developing long-term relationships with business owners who like to grow!
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on January 27, 2019
It's hard for me to select only one fulfilling experience since every week I am fulfilled by serving each one of my clients. It is rewarding to experience their personal and business growth. Over the years I've served hundreds of clients(perhaps over a thousand) and I consider myself very...
(more)
It's hard for me to select only one fulfilling experience since every week I am fulfilled by serving each one of my clients. It is rewarding to experience their personal and business growth. Over the years I've served hundreds of clients(perhaps over a thousand) and I consider myself very fortunate to have the best job on the planet!
Here's a recent example with Beth, owner of a dance studio. We have 21 Silver Bullets, which are areas within your business that when we improve your performance, your business will run better.
Beth’s Dance Studio
I began working with Beth a few months ago. She started the studio two years ago and although her business had grown, it was only breaking even and she was unable to draw a paycheck from the business. We decided to focus on a Tactical Marketing Plan for her, which is a pretty common area to focus on with many of our clients. We first established Key Performance Indicators for her business. We begin with tracking the number of leads, conversions, average sale, total sales plus profits. Her sales had grown but she was only breaking even. We also focused on the total number of students, total capacity, student retention, and multiple classes for her students.
Tactical Marketing Strategies for Beth
Then we set about the task of identifying low cost and no-cost marketing tactics to grow her business. We contacted several marketing venues that are family-friendly and found one in which we committed a one-time investment. We also invested in social media and began offering a free class for prospective students to visit. We did press releases to a number of local news publications. She then had the good fortune to attract a local TV station to conduct a series of interviews of her with her students at her studio.
Beth’s Results
Beth sent me an email in August letting me know that the past week she had increased her number of students far beyond her goal that we established when we began working together. As a result she doubled her sales. Her profits have increased from zero to $60,000 per year and she took her first paycheck in September! Since then her sales and profits are continuing to grow significantly.
Here’s what Beth said:
“Alan
is super encouraging. He is great at pointing out things I’ve never
thought about. It’s nice to work with a male in business who has my best
interests in mind. Alan is great at keeping me on task without making
me feel bad about missing a deadline. My sales and number of students
have doubled since Alan began coaching me 5 months ago and I was able to
take my first paycheck since starting my dance studio two years ago.”
Serving business owners and experiencing their personal and business growth fulfills me in ways that are hard to describe. Congratulations to Beth; she is enjoying her business and is well on the way to achieving her vision using a Tactical Marketing Plan.
Alan from Inc 500 Founder, SBA's Small Business Person of the Year, Founder of Small Business Coach & Associates Answered this on June 12, 2018
Linkedin can be a great source of leads. I agree with some of the strategies that are shared below. I have clients who read some of my posts over time and then one day my post resonated with them and they contacted me. Another simple way to generate leads is to send a message to your contacts,...
(more)
Linkedin can be a great source of leads. I agree with some of the strategies that are shared below. I have clients who read some of my posts over time and then one day my post resonated with them and they contacted me. Another simple way to generate leads is to send a message to your contacts, inviting them to meet for coffee or lunch so that you may learn about each other's business.
