“Everything boils down to love and compassion – or its absence” – Rasheed Ogunlaru
When we think of business we often think of competition, markets, hard sell. It can seem cold and calculated and so the journey of starting and growing our own coaching business might seem daunting and overwhelming.
Many people fear having to sell out or sell their soul in order to make a sale. But in fact, the journey building any sole trader or small business is really about following your heart and producing a product/services that customers love. As such – being kind, caring, compassionate and cooperative is at the heart of running a sustainable and enjoyable coaching business. And that compassion begins with you fostering a healthy relationship with yourself and business.
Just as you start coaching by helping clients boost their confidence and recognising their self-worth and talents, your business success begins with loving you, believing in yourself, recognising your strengths and playing to them.
Before a client will buy coaching from you, they have to buy into you. So, it’s time for some self-coaching.
In all you do, don’t play shy – shine.
Being your own boss will bring many challenges but it’s also so rewarding. Of all the businesses I’ve seen, coaching is one of the most fulfiling because ours is all about helping others flourish. Keep this in mind even in the tough, uncertain times - or the times when you’ve got to do the day to day housekeeping of running your business.
"In all you do, don’t play shy – shine."My top tip is to learn to appreciate each aspect of the business - the three essential pillars:
Know your strengths and play to them, while identifing your weaker areas. And do exactly what you do when coaching others – tap into the help, support and resources you need.
One of the wisest things I ever did was to get an accountant early on to help me take care of areas like tax, which wasn’t my strength so I could go out, meet people and coach which was my strength.
Set goals, take things in steps. If there’s any part of the business you dislike then re-frame it and start to look at how important it is and the value it brings. Recognise that they are all like different parts of the body head, body legs … all are make essential and magical.
"Following your heart also means remembering to have fun, take time out and making time for pastimes and those you love."
One of the turning points in my coaching career was when I realised I needed to change my relationship with money and to really appreciate it. One thing I did to help to achieve this was to prioritise my day: start with the tasks that were about bringing money in. So, I always do my invoicing first thing and learned to love it. The results were significant, both financially and in terms of loving my work.
Finally, trust your heart: use not just your intellect but your instincts.
Countless entrepreneurs will highlight that good instincts have been key to their success. It can help with ideas, innovation and building rich customer relationships.
As coaches, we help clients follow their hearts and find greater joy in their lives. Do this yourself and find ways to add more creativity, uniqueness and joy into your business.
Following your heart also means remembering to have fun, take time out and making time for pastimes and those you love.
Rasheed Ogunlaru is a leading life, business and leadership coach and author of Soul Trader – Putting the Heart Back into Your Business.
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