A couple weeks ago, a lady who graduated a coaching school a couple months ago, asked me for advice on getting started. While responding, I realized this could be a great article, so here we are.
Even though it’s really hard to give such general advice, there are a few timeless things to consider for coaches and anyone starting a creative business online.
1. Practice. Practice. Practice.
You’ve probably heard this a thousand times, but there’s no better teacher than failure. You need to practice in order to integrate what you’ve learned in school and make coaching your second nature.
Fail fast.
You do that by asking lower prices in order to reach more people right at the beginning, but don’t work with anyone that you’re not at least a 7 confident that you can help (on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest).
Take notes and time will help you improve. Think about how you can improve after each new session and keep a journal of your progress and all the lessons that you’ve learned. It’s this kind of discipline that will take you higher than you can possibly imagine.
2. Have a clear idea on who do you want to serve.
Yes, I left “clear” there on purpose because there’s always more clarity and if you don’t start until you are perfectly clear, you will lose a ton of opportunities to practice (see advice #1).
Many experts & courses stress the idea of finding your ideal client, and while that it’s indeed very important, you can’t afford to get stuck in perfectionism trying to figure your perfect client from the beginning so that you never have to do this again or so that you don’t lose months or even years of work targeting the “wrong” people.
#UglyTruth: your ideal client avatar will change a lot in the beginning stages of your business. There’s no way in the world to know exactly who your ideal client is until you’ve worked with at least a half-dozen clients.
Your main goal now is to practice and sort the pieces of the puzzle as you go.
You can join my free video course for novice coaches where I share more secrets about this topic.
3. Content is still KING.
No matter how much the Internet will change over the years, one thing will be constant: if you want people to trust you and establish yourself as an expert, you need to provide value.
How do you provide value it’s really up to you. Some people feel comfortable writing, some by shooting videos and others podcasting.
Don’t underestimate the power of value that you offer for free. I remember Ramit Sethi once saying that offering amazing value for free (through ebooks, free courses, challenges, articles, videos, etc.) will leave your audience wondering about how great your paid stuff really is.
4. You’re not alone in this.
You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Ask for help, join communities of people who are on the same journey as you and struggle with pretty much the same fears that you do.
Together we are stronger.
Even so, the best thing you can do for your mental health and business, is to hire a business coach. Don’t underestimate the power of working with someone who’s at a higher level than you because it’s less about the information that you get access to, and more about surrounding yourself with that person’s energy and network.
Here are three great Facebook Groups: Step into the Spotlight, Community for Early-Stage Coaches, Next-Level Coaches.
5. Get a professional website.
Yes, you can earn a living from coaching without a website, but please stop for a minute and imagine how many people you could be impacting with a website.
Without one, you can only impact your 1:1 clients, which is amazing, but how would you feel if your work could impact tens, hundreds and even thousands of people each month through your articles, videos, courses, ebooks etc.
A website is worth having even without considering all the new doors that it opens for you to scale your business, make more money & new connections.
Not to mention that when you have a website, people perceive you differently. We can’t hide that the following statement is true “if you’re not online, you don’t exist”. Having a website gives you more confidence and helps you build trust with potential clients.
When the time comes, a potential client will, most often than not, choose the coach with a website.
For most of you, the whole idea of creating a website might be overwhelming, but it’s really not that hard and it’s getting easier and easier every day. You have two options: hire a professional to create a website for you or create it yourself (there are countless tutorials on Youtube).
Timeless website tip: choose WordPress.org as a platform.
Remember, time is on your side. Greatness takes time and that’s okay, because we’re in this for the long run.
To make it easier for you to find exactly the things that interest you the most, here’s a breakdown of the topic that I’ve covered with Calvin. There’s a little something for everyone, I’m sure of it!
I really hope this interview left you more inspired to be a courageous person and to become a great leader, some day.