I once had a mentor who told me that if I was the smartest person in the room, I needed to move to another room. The point was that I couldn’t grow if I wasn’t working with other people who could give me new information and perspectives. Unfortunately many entrepreneurs remain the smartest person in the room—to their detriment. They don’t actively reach out to coaches and mentors who can help them to grow their businesses. They erroneously believe that they can do it all on their own. The truth is: Highly successful entrepreneurs regularly seek out experts to accelerate their learning curve and profits.
Many entrepreneurs are “firsts.” They are often the first people in their family to start businesses or businesses beyond the “mom and pop” model. They may also have a string of other “firsts” behind them (first to graduate from college or grad school; first to leave their hometown; first woman or person of color to get X job). “Firsts” have learned to be self-reliant since there was no one in their immediate circle to pave the way for them.
Although independence and tenacity are great attributes they aren’t enough for you to create a profitable 6 or 7 figure business.
Like many “firsts” when I first started my business years ago, I had a stellar resume filled with a lot accomplishments. I however struggled to attract clients and to earn money. I thought that I was smart enough to figure out how to create a profitable business (hadn’t I passed the New York State bar exam on the first try?). So I bought business books, read countless blogs and ezines. I also listened to a ton of free teleclasses. It should be no surprise that my business was still a flop. Although I was able to get some information from the free resources, there was always a piece missing to the puzzle–something that I needed to know to make my particular business profitable.
I knew about executive coaches but had to clue that there were coaches for small business owners. However the more that I dug and researched I saw that the women entrepreneurs who I admired all had business coaches. After dragging my feet for a while, I hired my own coach, and it was the best decision I ever made. My coach showed me how to use my eudcation, talents and skills to attract clients who were an ideal fit for me.
Things that seemed very confusing to me were very clear to my coach. She had the expertise and insight to know what changes I needed to create a business that I loved. For instance by learning how price and package my services, in a matter of weeks , I went from charging $100 a hour for a coaching session (and barely getting it) to enrolling my first client in a VIP day that cost more $1000.
If you don’t have enough clients or you’re not earning the level of income that you’d like then it’s time to get support and start making changes.
Investing in a business coach is an important step toward creating profits…or significantly more profits. There are all different types of business coaches, who charge various types of fees for their services. In deciding on who to work with, don’t just focus on who’s the least expensive, since you may “get what you pay for.”
Instead I recommend that you focus on the type of programs that the coach is offering; the results that he or she has achieved for their clients and whether or not their style and demeanor jive with yours. Here’s a lesson that I learned the hard way: If you’re unwilling to invest in expert advice to grow your business, then don’t be surprised with people don’t invest in your product, program or service.
If you need support and guidance on how to attract more clients, close more sales and increase your income then shoot my team an email at customercare@soulfulaffluence.com and we’ll schedule a complimentary 6 Figure Money & Marketing Breakthrough Session to discuss what you want to achieve and what’s getting in your way.
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