I started my training to become a life coach with Life Purpose Institute in 2017, I’d been working within a corporate company in their marketing and advertising division and I was ready to leave. I had spent years working with creative teams (writers, developers, designers) and I had this epiphany that one of my best skills was a knack for helping people see their value and get clear about what they wanted to do with their career long-term so they could make the moves that would help them start taking steps towards what they really wanted. I can’t tell you how many team members or staff I trained to essentially leave their job. I realized that the work that I did as a leader combined with my business development, marketing, and advertising background would be a powerful thing to combine and build into a business of my own.
I was no stranger to business building, I had created two businesses of my own in my 20’s, the first was a music production company and the second is a non-profit based in Kenya. After that, I decided to jump into the creative agency world working on campaigns for The Olympics, television shows, and major brand campaigns. Although I really enjoyed doing this work and it taught me a lot, I knew that I wanted to build my own business and the idea of choosing who I would work with and for was incredibly exciting. I wanted to work for brands and businesses that would make this world a better place.
Shortly after opening the doors of my business, I realized that I wanted to specifically serve people that were building coaching, consulting or creative service-based businesses. I not only wanted to be a coach for them, I wanted to be a teacher too. So I developed a program that included coaching and consulting. I want to help my clients understand that they don’t need to be afraid of technology. I wanted to help them understand that you don’t need a marketing degree to learn how to tell people about that thing that you have that could change their life.
So I did just that I developed a business that teaches people how to create the foundations for their services. We cover everything from how they will set boundaries with their clients, onboard new clients with ease, along with the technical stuff, for example: how to build a website that sells (that’s it’s a job), how to understand your ideal client, what they need and how to design programs that are exactly what they want and will pay for.
I don’t think marketing is rocket science, I think it’s very simple. Marketing is listening to what people need, creating something that solves that need and then getting in front of those exact consumers to tell them that you have an answer.
The work I do with my clients generally takes 6 months to a year, we cover everything from building a website to understanding Google Analytics and Google Advertising. Some of my clients are brand new to business and some are a year or more in.The ultimate goal is for my clients to stand up a business that has infrastructure, clear brand messaging and a product that sells itself so they can get back to doing the work they really want to do and trust that behind the scenes the mechanics of their business will do the other work.
Attending LPI for my coaching certification was huge in terms of my confidence. Just knowing that I could support people as they navigated stepping into being a business owner was a bonus for me. Making something and putting it out into the world takes ultimate bravery. I believe that having this life coach certification is such an added bonus that my clients get because I can help them navigate the things that are getting in their way. I have the training to help them remove the blocks and fears that are keeping them from creating the things they want.
I would say the things that have made my business successful are the same things that I would recommend to any new coach starting out.Number one, decide that you are starting a business. Don’t treat this like a hobby. I often see people that want to have a business but won’t give it the time and energy until it’s proven itself worthy of their time and quite honestly that’s just not how business works. So my biggest piece of advice would be to DECIDE that you are becoming a business owner.
The second piece of advice would be to have a schedule. I know that sounds so basic but set a schedule, set business hours and treat your business hours like real business hours that you show up for even when you don’t have a single client.
Lastly from a marketing standpoint, get clear about who you really want to serve and make sure it matches up to the skills that you have. Then do everything you can to understand the people that you want to serve. Listen to them, ask them questions, really get clear about what they want (not what you think that they want or what you think they need). When you understand your people and you understand what they want, it’s going to be a lot easier to create programs, marketing materials, your website.. etc. Without understanding your customer, you are simply guessing. Save yourself lots of time by getting to know your customers and what they need. Guess work could cost you years of anguish when if we start simply with understanding the problem they have, the resolution they desire and we meet that with a product or service that solves it, you will find your business growing faster.
Above all I want people to know that anything is possible, I’m a small town Texas girl that dropped out of high school and went on to do work that really matters in this world. I broke all the stereotypes of what you “must have” to be successful. Maybe I don’t have a business degree (I could care less) but I have 20 years of experience because I decided to do it anyway, despite all of the beliefs out there about who you have to be to become a business owner. The same goes for you, you just have to be willing to go for it, learn as you go and feel proud of your gifts.
I’m all about doing work that matters in this world, and I want you to know that it’s no accident that you are being led to serving others at a time where people are really ready to make shifts and changes. Don’t be afraid to lend your services to your community. I gifted my Create Your Vision workshop to a local San Diego non-profit that serves the homeless population knowing that non-profits can’t afford to bring in a coach. From there I led two years’ worth of workshops for people experiencing homelessness and eventually was asked to step into the President position. In 2020, you probably saw our organization Voices of Our City Choir receiving the Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent. Don’t be afraid to think out of the box about coaching. Find ways that you can coach. At the end of each week ask yourself, “Did I coach this week” and focus on ways that you can practice your coaching. You never know where it could lead you. It’s led me to some wonderful things and the same can happen for you.