Why You Should Invest In Your Business Now

June 24, 2015 by 4 Comments

When we coach we know we can help people get results. We can get so busy coaching though that we forget that we, too, need to keep developing ourselves.

As coaches, it’s always a good idea to continuously develop your skills, through reading blog posts, listening to webinars, reading books etc. We all know this.

There will come a point when it’s time to invest in yourself, not just by listening to yet another recording but working with someone on a 121 basis, or in a group coaching programme, to let the magic happen.

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Sometimes we can hit a plateau. We know we want to do something different, we might feel bored and/or frustrated. Something’s missing but we can’t figure out on our own what it is, or we’re just stuck. We wonder how we have all of this coaching knowledge ourselves, the ability to help others change, yet can’t figure out our next move. What’s that all about?

I’ve spent time and money investing in myself this year. I’ve got two mentors and two coaches, all in different areas and I’m also on the lookout for another coach. Why so much? I knew it was time to invest in myself so that I can move my business forward.

It would have been easy for me to say that there are other things I should be spending my money on, both in business or life, but I take my business seriously. Just because you’re a coach doesn’t mean you have to have all of the answers for you!

I see coaches struggling because they won’t get help, especially on the business side. They waste hours on end trying to figure it all out themselves. They have a gazillion ideas from all they’ve listened to, watched, read and all that’s done is stopped them in their tracks where they have no idea where to start.

You can do it on your own, but at what cost and how long will it take? What amount of time, money and energy are you willing to lose before you realise it’s OK,  more than that – it’s necessary, to seek support.

Whether you’re stuck with a problem where you need to get a kick up the butt or you want to work on a bigger area of your business I can help. If not me then get support from someone that is the right fit for you.  As you start to invest in you, your business will grow, and you will keep that continued passion for your business.

Do you want a good business or a great business? I know way back I’d have replied, ‘just any business will do, please’!

Seriously though, if you have the opportunity to grow your business instead of sitting there wondering how you can get your business off the ground then grab it with both hands.

Let me know in the comments below what you’ve done this year to invest in your business.

If you want to know if I’m the right person for you jump on a free discovery call with me and let’s talk through how I could help you to move forward. I also have a few spots left on this round for my Crack-It Sessions.They are a great solution if you have one specific thing you want to work on. Grab your spot here.

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On a final note – have you been listening to my weekly podcast show? This week, Episode 010, ‘When You Feel Like You’re Not Making Progress’.

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Filed Under: Business, Coaching, Crack-It, Support Tagged With: , , , ,

A Little Guide To Stop You Giving Up In Business

January 24, 2015 by 5 Comments

Welcome to day 23 of my 30 day Blogging Challenge – A series called From Zero Confidence To Feeling More Fabulous in 30 Days. If you missed Day One’s post you can read it here and can follow the series through from there. I’m going to be writing about confidence and each day sharing some tips for building your confidence slowly. The tools and hints/tips I’m sharing can be used for you or your coaching clients but for now I want you to focus on you. Building your confidence can have a great impact on your business and life. You will be amazed at what you can do when you feel more confident.

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Before we start this is a longer post than normal so grab yourself a cuppa!  Yesterday I shared some tips on how

Yesterday I shared some tips on how taking the focus from you to someone else can boost your confidence (and we had a linky party too) There’s still time to join in if you haven’t done so already.  Today I’m sharing a little guide to stop you giving up in business.

As a coach that works primarily with coaches, I find there are two big blocks that come up which knock their confidence.  Both of which I’ve personally experienced so let me tell you what they are; niching and not getting clients/money and giving up.

Niching

I hate to say it, but I wasted one whole year on my business because I couldn’t figure out my niche. Read this post, #1 Magical Thing That Niching Brings.  The main reason for niching is that you need to know who you are, what you offer and who you work with.  If you don’t know who ‘your people’ are how will you be able to find them, market to them and ultimately work with them?  I messed around for a year saying I would coach anyone, and in some ways that was a good way for me to find out the types of people I wanted to work with, and even more importantly those I didn’t want to work with.  I can honestly say the minute I niched though I felt enormous relief, my messages became much clearer (whether it’s blogging, social media, marketing, newsletters conversations etc.)  Everything started to fall into place.

Figuring out your niche is not easy – well it wasn’t for me anyway.  I drove myself crazy trying to figure it out.  We worry we will lose money if we niche.  You won’t, you will make money because people get what you do!  You are helping people to know whether you are the right coach to work with or not.  This applies to whatever business you’re in.

Giving Up!

Let’s be honest here, running your own business is not for the light hearted.  There will be days when it all feels like it’s far too much effort for the return.  You may have days when you just feel like giving up completely.  You’re having to be the chief marketer, sales person, social media expert, accountant etc in the early days of starting out.  You even have to make your own coffee and talk to yourself by the water cooler (I mean kettle or coffee machine in my case!) It’s hard work!  Add to that the work you do with clients and it’s no wonder you’re exhausted.

When the money is coming it’s ok, you know it’s tough but you keep going.  When you’re not seeing the money coming in or it’s just in dribs and drabs that’s a whole different ball game.  Building a business takes time.  I know, you don’t want to hear that, but it does.   So when I’ve felt like giving up, and trust me there have been a few times, I have done this and it’s worked;

  1. Get support
  2. Change your mindset
  3. Brainstorm
  4. Take action

1. Get Support

Recently, as part of this series, I shared with you about how people can boost your confidence.  It’s SO important to surround yourself with the right people.  I am so lucky to be surrounded by AMAZING friends, both in business and life.  I have already shared that I have fantastic support from my hubby and daughter too, but sometimes they are too close, you need help from elsewhere. My friends are the ones I turn to when I get stuck – they give me a reality check.  First up is my bestie and then my top 3 business friends.  I have lots more close business

My friends are the ones I turn to when I get stuck – they give me a reality check.  First up is my bestie and then my top 3 business friends.  I have lots more close business friends, but these are the ones I chat to on an almost daily basis and/or who I call on when it’s all feeling like it’s not happening.  Enter Antonina Andreeva, Mary Keeley and Lyn Pornaro.  (NB written in alphabetical order – I don’t want them getting upset if they aren’t showing first on the list!)

There will be days when you feel you can’t go on and you start to have a self-pity party and wallow.  (You’re only allowed two self-pity days – After that get off your butt and start getting yourself sorted – Ruby’s rules!)  So how do you do that?  Well, firstly nip it in the bud as quickly as possible and get on the phone/Skype/Facebook etc to your business friends.  Tell them exactly how you’re feeling.  In my case it is usually an indignant reply of, “Don’t be so ridiculous, you’ve come too far to give up now, you’re just around the corner from it all happening.” scenario, followed up by another step which we’ll come onto in step 3.

2. Change your mindset

When you’re in this place you think to yourself, “I can’t do x, y, z, it’s just not happening”, “I can’t do this anymore”.

Ok, so now you need to change that and ask yourself these simple questions;

  • “How can I turn this around?”
  • “What am I missing?”
  • “Who do I know that is doing this that would give me a few pointers?”
  • “Where’s the chocolate?”  Nooooo, I’m joking with that one – that’s not the answer!

I’ve been reading ‘Choose Yourself‘ by James Altucher.  I love this..

choose yourself #coaching #success

3. Brainstorm

If you were working for someone else you would have meetings with different departments and teams to work through how to do things in your business.  This is where your business friends team comes in – they help you really brainstorm what you could do differently.  They help you get a better perspective on things.  They also make you laugh at your self-pity party and yourself, to remind you of  your abilities and then they help you get refocused.  Sometimes we brainstorm in messenger on Facebook, sometimes it’s on Skype.  One of my friend’s chats through ideas on the phone and then I get an email missive with about 20 things on what I could do.  Yes, you know who you are!  The thing is brainstorming gets you to the place of possibility – of seeing what’s possible if you put your mind to it.

4. Take Action

All the brainstorming in the world is useless unless you take action.  Now you might not be feeling it and that’s ok, take action anyway!  As you start to take action things will begin to shift.  What I’ve also noticed (and had it pointed out to me – thanks girls!) is that when I set an income goal and focus on it, taking action, I achieve it.  The magic happens 🙂

So here’s a quick recap when you’re feeling like giving up.

  1. Get support
  2. Change your mindset
  3. Brainstorm
  4. Take action

If you don’t have anyone to talk to and you’re thinking about giving up your coaching book a free 20 minute Discovery Session with me and let me help you get back on track again.

Today’s Task

Two for today;

1. Share a link to one of your business friend’s pages/website in the comments below and tell them why you love having them in your life.

2. Get your journal out and add why you’re grateful for having this person in your life.

Want some added fun and support? Pop your info in the form below and you’ll get free access to my private Facebook group – Confidence Rocks for the duration of the challenge. Ps – when you sign up you’ll get sent a link to the group page – you’ll need to request to join.

[jotform id=”50013817413343″]

Filed Under: Blogging, Books, Business, Challenges, Giving Up, Mindset, Niching, Support Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

3 Top Tips For Feeling Instantly Fabulous

January 15, 2015 by 8 Comments

Welcome to day 14 of my 30 day Blogging Challenge – A series called From Zero Confidence To Feeling More Fabulous in 30 Days.  If you missed Day One’s post you can read it here and can follow the series through from there.  I’m going to be writing about confidence and each day sharing some tips for building your confidence slowly.  The tools and hints/tips I’m sharing can be used for you or your coaching clients but for now I want you to focus on you.  Building your confidence can have a great impact on your business and life.  You will be amazed at what you can do when you feel more confident.

Yesterday we talked about surrounding yourself with the right people.  Today to take a step back a bit I thought it would be fun to give you three simple techniques to try to make you feel instantly fabulous.

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I’m sharing an extract from my 7 Top Tips For Confidence mini eBook;

1. Wear something fabulous!

We all know how some clothing can make us feel great, other clothing not so. Put on your favourite outfit and go and knock ’em out! By feeling confident in our clothing we can feel more confident as a person. Don’t just stop there though, put on some make-up, jewellery, perfume so you feel fab (If you’re a guy then splash out on some aftershave) – whatever it is that gives you a boost then do it. It might be as simple as wearing some colour, a brooch, a scarf, new tie, cufflinks etc.

2. Smile – It may seem a silly one, but actually smiling makes a huge difference in how we feel and how well we are received by others. Surprisingly people don’t want to see grumpy faces and be reminded of their woes!  Put on a happy face; you will feel brighter and so will others around you. You will be amazed at the difference a smile can make. But also remember that it’s not just about the outside, it’s the inside too.

3. Change your posture – Wherever you are reading this just take a moment now to sit up straight in your chair, drop your shoulders, raise your chin, push out your chest and see how different you feel. Do this when you’re standing up and you will feel even better. It’s similar to another tip I’ll be sharing with you as part of this series. Practice looking confident with your body language and you will start to feel better too.

On The Outside

Today’s Task

Today I want you to choose one of the above and try it out. Remember, throwing on your favourite clothes, smiling & changing your posture will make the world of difference to how you feel inside.

Want some added fun and support?  Pop your info in the form below and you’ll get free access to my private Facebook group – Confidence Rocks for the duration of the challenge. Ps – when you sign up you’ll get sent a link to the group page – you’ll need to request to join.

Are you studying to be a Coach or ready to get serious about your coaching business?

MY COACHING ROCKS BOOTCAMP HAS STARTED!

COME AND JOIN ME TO GET YOUR COACHING BUSINESS ROCKING IN 2015!

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If you want to boost your confidence in your business skills come and join my Coaching Rocks Bootcamp programme just starting this week.  I’m keeping the doors open for the rest of this week.  I take you through a fabulous and simple 12-step blueprint to getting your business up, running and earning.  Be quick – spaces are limited.  Grab your spot now while you can.

 

Filed Under: Blogging, Challenges, Confidence, Support Tagged With: , , ,

People Can Boost Your Confidence

January 14, 2015 by 2 Comments

Welcome to day 13 of my 30 day Blogging Challenge – A series called From Zero Confidence To Feeling More Fabulous in 30 Days.  If you missed Day One’s post you can read it here and can follow the series through from there.  I’m going to be writing about confidence and each day sharing some tips for building your confidence slowly.  The tools and hints/tips I’m sharing can be used for you or your coaching clients but for now I want you to focus on you.  Building your confidence can have a great impact on your business and life.  You will be amazed at what you can do when you feel more confident.

Yesterday I shared how my lovely client stepped up, pushed through her fears and gained new clients.  Today I want to talk to you about the support you have around you.  This is a really important one to work on with your clients too.  Sometimes the difference between being confident and lacking confidence is simply about what people we have around us.

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What kind of people do you have surrounding you in life?  Earlier on in the series we talked about how negative self talk can inhibit you but what about when it’s coming from people you love/care for?  I hear time and time again, in my groups and with my clients, that their partners, friends, family are telling them they should give up their business because it isn’t working, they can’t possibly pull it off.  They ask things like, ‘Why don’t you get a proper job?’, ‘When are you going to give this expensive hobby up?’  This often results in tears, hurt feelings and a lack of confidence.

It’s so tough to hear from them because it is hard work setting up and running your own business, bloomin’ exhausting sometimes, but what’s tough as a coach is that often I just know they are on the verge of making their business become successful, or I can visualise them being successful at some point in the future, but their confidence gets knocked by those people around them and then they withdraw, with all their dreams going down the pan.

Now, it can be really tough when it’s people you care for.  When I first started in business I couldn’t quite understand why people would try and stop people from achieving their dreams. I’m in the lucky position that my man believes in me, inspires and encourages me, but not everyone is the same.  Remember though that mostly they are doing it out of care for you, they see you working really hard, getting tired and frustrated at your perceived lack of progression and/or it may be having an impact on your overall living expenses which can be tough.  It might be that going back to work might be the best option logically.  I get it.  What you need to do is think about how you can manage conversations with those people so that they understand why this particular thing, whatever it is, is so important to you.  Go all out to make your business happen, because it can happen, but you need to stop listening to people around you that don’t share your enthusiasm, passion and excitement for helping.

Who do you have in your life that supports and encourages you?  It could equally be those same people, friends, family, partners etc.  You know, those people, that when you have any interaction with them you feel just a little bit lighter, or more able to see ‘how’ you can achieve those goals, those that believe in you 100% and all that you can achieve.  Spend more time with them.  Find people of like minds that love what you love, whether it’s the books you read together or conversations you can share in some of the groups you are in (on or offline).  Their positivity will rub off on you.

Average of 5 people

So who are your 5?

Today’s Task

Write a list of your 5 people and then go on to list all of those people/groups that inspire and support you.  Aim to speak/interact with one positive person each day. In the comments below share your favourite online/offline group where you like to ‘hang out’. Who knows, you may just help another person find their people too 🙂

So today we’ve explored why it’s important to surround yourself with positive people, how it can impact you and your business if you don’t.  You’ve also got a mini task.

As you’ve followed the series I hope you’ve been doing the challenges and are starting to realise you can actually boost your confidence by taking baby steps.  Remember what I said – confidence is something that sometimes needs topping up.  I love this science based post that explores some of the research around confidence.

Want some added fun and support?  Pop your info in the form below and you’ll get free access to my private Facebook group – Confidence Rocks for the duration of the challenge. Ps – when you sign up you’ll get sent a link to the group page – you’ll need to request to join.

Are you studying to be a Coach or ready to get serious about your coaching business?

MY COACHING ROCKS BOOTCAMP HAS STARTED!

COME AND JOIN ME TO GET YOUR COACHING BUSINESS ROCKING IN 2015!

CR BC FB BANNER

If you want to boost your confidence in your business skills come and join my Coaching Rocks Bootcamp programme just starting this week.  I’m keeping the doors open for the rest of this week.  I take you through a fabulous and simple 12 step blueprint to get your business up, running and earning.  Be quick – spaces are limited.  Grab your spot now while you can.

Filed Under: Blogging, Challenges, Confidence, Support Tagged With: , , ,
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