How I accidentally started my coaching business

How I accidentally started my coaching business

The other day I was telling someone this story, and I thought I’d share it. Before I started my coaching business, I owned a running apparel brand and ecommerce business. Before that, I had another business…and before that, I helped early stage startups grow and scale. And since I was successful at getting my apparel business off the ground, people started asking me questions like, “How did you do it? Can you tell me how to get started? Can you meet with me? Can I take you to coffee and tell me about your business?”  

So coffee date after coffee date, I showed people the exact steps I took to start, grow and run my business successfully. But after a few years of these meetings, I noticed people weren’t really getting results. I would have a coffee with them, see them a year or two later, and notice their business wasn’t growing quickly (or at all).

And I just started feeling really bad. These people came to me with their dreams and aspirations, but they weren’t getting anywhere…no real results.

I realized that if I wanted to help people get amazing results in their business, I needed to make them work with me for a period of time, and charge for my help. After being asked for coffee one more time, I said to myself, “I’m going to charge the next person who asks me for help.”

A couple of months later, my friend’s, friend’s little brother asked me for help.  I didn’t know him at all.  But I didn’t care that I didn’t know him.  I really wanted to help people fulfill their dream and experience the same fulfillment I had from following my dream.

So I said, “Sure, I can help you!  But I want you to work with me for a few months… and I’m going to charge you a monthly fee.”

He agreed to work with me and have me coach him.  Bam! 💥 First coaching client EVER. 😊

After I worked with him and a few more clients, I figured out I was onto something.  I was helping people transform their lives through their business… and I loved every minute of it. I remember saying to myself, “I would love to do this full time!”

As my business gears started turning, I ran into two specific challenges…

The first challenge was learning how to grow my coaching business quickly. The second was learning how to scale it. Although it started that way, I didn’t want to coach only as a side gig.  I wanted to go fast and I wanted to go big. I wanted to do it full time.  I just loved helping people and watch lives change so damn much. Back when I had my apparel business, my mentor would often say, “This isn’t a real business, it’s a hobby.” (He was a hard ass but he was right.)

I was published in all these magazines and newspapers for my running clothing business, it had a little “cult following”, but I wasn’t as emotionally invested in it as I was the first year I started it.  My heart was less and less in it.  And I realize now it’s because I was totally lost. My heart didn’t want to be in my clothing business anymore…my heart wanted to help people transform their businesses and their lives. I knew what I wanted to do… I wanted to keep helping people, damnit! The moment I committed to coaching full time, I had instant clarity around what I needed to do. 

Right away, I hired my own business coach. And to this day it was the best business move I’ve ever made. Now, I 
ALWAYS work with a coach.  And I have invested in tons of personal development work over many, many years.  For reals. I really don’t know what I’d do without coaches motivating me to grow and help me scale my business faster than I ever could on my own.


So what’s the lesson?
 

If your heart is calling you to take action on a business idea, don’t wait and wait…don’t wait for “something” to happen. Don’t hold back. Take action.


It’s NEVER going to be the “right time” to start your dream business.  

My coaching career started completely on accident by giving free advice over coffee dates… I’ll say it again because it’s so damn important:  
If you have a business idea that’s calling you, don’t wait for “something” to happen. Don’t hold back. Take action. It’s NEVER going to be the “right time” to start your dream business. 
(Hell, we are living in the year 2020….what more right time do you want?!)


But if you’re like me and you want to make coaching, healing or consulting your full-time business… and quit the rat-race working for others and start bringing new clients 
fastThen let’s talk. 

Apply for your Free 45-Minute Business Breakthrough Call with me here

And at the end of the call, if it’s feeling like you’re a good fit for one my Coaching Programs and you want to hear about it? Well, then I’m going to tell you about it.  Because I want to help you…and I don’t work for free anymore 😉

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