Written by: Sara Sabin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Why is it that two coaches in a similar position, with similar experience & qualifications and applying similar strategies can have differences in their results?
I’ve found quite often that the difference is the internal world of emotions and mindset.
We can say we want something and take action to get it, however, if we have a competing internal commitment, for example, you want to make more money in your business, but you’ve been taught never to discuss money; then, the chances are you are sabotaging your chances of success.
When we’re trying everything and it just doesn’t seem to be working, rather than pushing faster and harder, the answer is often to step back and reflect on what is going on internally for you.
This was the missing piece for me at the beginning. But working on mindset, alongside strategic action allowed me to accelerate the growth of my business to annual six figures in Year 2.
A commitment to their business
I mean a true, overriding commitment that stems from knowing that this is the work you want to do in the world and the impact you want to make.
When you have this strong driving force, there is no giving up. You may feel like it for a day, a week, a month; but you’re committed to seeing it succeed eventually. You’re committed to picking yourself up from failures, learning, carrying on and finding a different way.
Believe me, there will be failures. But ask yourself: are you in it for the long run, through all the dips?
If you’re committed to making your business a success, there’s no stopping you. Then, you just need to focus How to Start A Successful Coaching Business
Dreaming Big
Coaches that succeed are in it for a bigger mission or goal than just themselves. If we’re going to commit to something no matter what, we need a compelling reason to do so.
Whether this is a huge mission or legacy you want to leave in the world (in my case, creating 1m conscious leaders and entrepreneurs) or whether it is being able to provide for your family, or give back to your community through charitable projects. What’s the Big Why?
Without that, it may be challenging to motivate yourself to scale your business up.
It’s time we stopped seeing BIG impact and money as mutually exclusive concepts. The more our own level of financial abundance, the more impact and contribution we can make.
Self-care and personal development
Taking care of yourself on the journey to success is crucial to reach higher levels of holistic success. That means the things we all tend to think of as self-care: eating well, avoiding too many stimulants, regular exercise and getting enough sleep.
Self-care is not selfish – it will allow you to serve people more powerfully because you are serving them from an “overflowing cup” rather than running on empty. Practically, taking care of your body also ensures optimal brain function and clarity as well.
Tied into self-care are mindset and emotions – peeling back the layers of resistance, limiting beliefs and anxiety is essential as you uplevel. At its worst, the accumulation and non-processing of the internal world can lead to anxiety and depression, which will impact your business. At best, if you don’t deal with these blocks, you will unconsciously self-sabotage and limit your potential.
I use the phrase, “lean into the pain”. Start leaning into those areas of discomfort because doing so, will contribute to your growth.
Get comfortable with Abundance
One of the biggest blocks I see with new coaches relates to money. This can exist for people previously in successful, high earning corporate careers as much as for those who have always struggled with money. If you want to generate an abundant business that creates a big impact, you are going to have to get comfortable with money.
This is an internal job – understanding the reasons why discussing money or charging people is such an uncomfortable topic for you. Often the reasons can relate back to your relationship with money as you were growing up.
You may think that you are keeping things accessible if you give services away or for a very low cost, but you are effectively making a statement about the value you provide. People don’t tend to value what is free and in a relationship such as coaching, it will affect how committed someone is and therefore, the results they get. When you have the cash in your business, you can then choose to give back to those who really need your help but can’t afford it.
Externally, you will need to make yourself uncomfortable by talking about money and pricing. By asking for what you want. By making the unfamiliar familiar.
Follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook and visit my website for more on leadership, entrepreneurship, and business building. You can check out my regular articles for Entrepreneur Magazine here. I also invite you to download my eBook “6 Myths about Building a Six Figure Coaching Business and What You Should Do Instead!”
If you would like support reaching $10-20K months in your coaching business, check out my Business Accelerator Program.
Sara Sabin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sara Sabin is a qualified tax accountant from a Top 10 firm, a former start-up company founder, and a transformational leadership coach and consultant. She is a regular contributor to the Entrepreneur Magazine Leadership Network and The Fast Company. She understands the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship through personal experience and is an advocate of continuous personal development. She calls herself the Queen of Transformation, but it wasn’t until she discovered her passion that she really cracked it!
She built a multi-six-figure coaching practice that she loves, working with successful leaders and entrepreneurs of high-growth 7 figure businesses, helping them to accelerate progress through developing their leadership capacity and EQ, and enhancing team performance.
She also supports other coaches and consultants to build a business working with high performers. Through an individualized roadmap to success, she helps them to build a profitable, sustainable coaching practice that they love, simply and rapidly, using cost-effective strategies.
