Welcome to another Be My Guest post as part of my Interview Series. As you may be starting to notice I am all about happiness so it made complete sense to have this week’s guest, Charlotte Hunt, of The Happy Hunt. Charlotte is a Personal Development Coach based in North London. She is a trained coach, happiness enthusiast, and Yoga-Teacher-in-the-making.
So it’s over to Charlotte…
Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences
- A laid back social introvert. I love people as much as I love being left alone in my vegetable patch
- A realistic optimist. I believe in the human spirit and that good will always conquer bad
- An advocate of the simple things in life. Puddings, kittens, Dr Who, a clean home…
What motivated you to pursue the field of Coaching?
I used to work with Young Offenders in Leeds and Wembley. Over those 5 years I saw the impact personalised and focused intervention planning could have. As my career took a bit of a detour I kept coming back to my desire to work with people in a more holistic and empowering way. It sounds kind of cheesy, but coaching felt like a calling! The more I heard about it, the more I realised how much I had loved working with people to create positive change and achieve goals and dreams, and the more I knew I needed to get some training and get going.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
Dolly Parton. I love the way she spreads positivity through her gifts, and uses her wealth for social change. She has always seemed to stay true to herself and has an un-shakeable sense of self-worth. Even when this has cost her financially, she has not been pushed around. I think she is an amazing role-model in business and life. Sometimes, when I am facing a tough decision I will literally ask myself “what would Dolly do?” (I am also writing a book with this title!)
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t give up. If something is not working, try something else. It sounds so obvious. All too often it is easier to give up rather than go back to the drawing board and look at what other options we have.
What three tips would you give to new Coaches?
- Keep going and don’t give up. It is a competitive market place but there is room for everyone.
- Make sure people know what makes you different. The easiest way to be different and stand out is to be yourself. You are an individual; you don’t need to make any gimmicks up!
- Get social. Join forums, groups, circles, anything where other coaches meet, mingle, and talk. I have learnt so much from other coaches who have been happy to share their contacts, ideas, resources, and mistakes! Talk to as many as you can. If you find someone you aspire to be like, drop them a email and ask for 15 minutes of their time. Ask them what mistakes they made, what they would do more of, about the thing you are struggling with most.
What are the three biggest mistakes that new Coaches make?
- Believing it will all happen overnight. I know I did this! A really good business with strong foundations takes time. Keep building organically and growth will happen naturally in its own time. Yes, you might need to keep a part time job going whilst this happens.
- Website. I built mine for £50, and some amazing free advice and help. I was on a serious budget and considered myself technically incompetent so if I can do it anyone can! It must be professional, simple, and reflect ‘you’. When you meet people you want them to go to your website and for it to back up the impression you have made. Otherwise they will think you are not genuine and will be unlikely to connect further with you. You can develop it as you go, but get something up!
- Listening to, and trying to follow, every piece of advice out there. I still fall into this trap sometimes! Don’t get too sucked in with time consuming, or cleverly marketed, distractions. Find the genuine service providers, groups and spaces that fit your business well and engage with them. Be selective! Your time, energy, and resources are important.
What strategies do you know work when it comes to finding new clients?
Talking to people with authenticity. I have met new clients in changing rooms, at parties, on courses, holidays, and coaches. I love meeting people, and have a natural interest in people’s stories and lives. I encourage you to do the same. It is not all about you and your business! Talk to people and be genuine about what you do. Tell them how much you love what you do and offer them your card. Then move on – don’t ram it down their throats or go into an elevator/sales pitch. People connect with people. And clients hire coaches they like and believe in (which links back to above point on website).
Thinking outside of the box. Being creative with what I offer has got me two great gigs at festivals this summer. I am doing them for a free ticket rather than a fee. But the access this will give me to their thousands of customers is amazing advertising. I can already see my website is getting lots of hits from their link. Also, I can network and meet people at the event who I know are interested in coaching and holistic lifestyle therapies. Then, I can sell these packages to other events or market them locally with a bit of weight behind them. Think about the sorts of things you enjoy and create products and packages around them. Then look for ways to sell them.
What’s your favourite Coaching tool/strategy?
I love asking people to give me three strengths they have that can help them with the situation we are discussing or when they are panicking about something. And then I usually ask for an extra one to get them to really think! Asking people to focus on their strengths is a very simple and empowering exercise. It usually creates an instant shift in their attitude to their problem and the atmosphere can lighten in seconds. If they are really struggling I will ask them to think back to a time when they have faced and overcome a challenge, and we will discuss that to gather some strengths.
People who are struggling with confidence or are overwhelmed often believe that they have no experience to help them get through. Helping them see that we all have strengths and experience to draw on, and seeing the impact this has, makes me smile every time!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Being part of professional communities has been invaluable to me. Not just for technical help and advice with a website or Mailchimp, but also on the bad days when we experience a set back or something confusing or upsetting happens. As a lot of us are self-employed and work alone having a community and place to mastermind, network, or simply let off some steam or receive reassurance, is crucial to our sanity!
Some people view each other as competition. But as peers we can support each other to succeed. Always think win-win. Reach out, connect, respect, give, and grow!
If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?
www.thehappyhunt.com
www.facebook.com/thehappyhunt
@thehappyhunt
[email protected]
Charlotte has kindly shared her 5 Pillars to Happiness that can be found here.
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