How Do Business Coaches Overcome Challenges and Find Success?
Delving into the trials and triumphs of business coaching, we gathered firsthand experiences from seasoned professionals. From the initial challenge of refining coaching offers to the final hurdle of facilitating transparency in teams, discover the seven unique insights provided by Business Coaches and Founders on overcoming obstacles in their coaching journeys.
- Refining Coaching Offers for Success
- Adapting Programs to Client Needs
- Clarifying the Business Coach Role
- Implementing Coaching Software for Efficiency
- Strategizing for Sustainable Business Growth
- Leveraging Personal Challenges for Client Inspiration
- Facilitating Transparency to Resolve Team Issues
Refining Coaching Offers for Success
Crafting an offer has been the most difficult challenge as a coach. With coaching, you can cover so many topics, both from a mindset and a strategic perspective. Every person is different, so it can feel almost impossible to create an offer you can emotionally get behind.
What I have done to overcome this is to stop trying to appeal to so many people within my client demographic and focus down on one core topic (in my case, personal freedom as a business owner). By looking at this, I have developed an offer that resonates with not just my clients, but also myself (personal buy-in is the first step!).
Adapting Programs to Client Needs
As a Business Coach working primarily with new Health & Wellness Coaches, I initially offered only a high-ticket, year-long business-building and marketing program. However, many of my clients weren't ready for such a comprehensive program—they needed to clear mindset and money blocks, or gain clarity on their niche first—so offering such an all-encompassing program in the beginning stage for them sometimes led to overwhelm and a disconnect between what I offered and what they felt they needed at that time (or could afford).
While I still offer that program, to better serve my clients, I now additionally offer smaller, targeted programs that address specific challenges, like niche clarity and quick income generation. By continually engaging with my clients through surveys and interviews, I ensure my offerings align with their evolving needs.
Clarifying the Business Coach Role
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a business coach was succinctly explaining my role to people. Initially, the title "business coach" was often misunderstood. To overcome this, I refined my answer to "I grow people so people can grow businesses." This simple shift effectively communicates my focus on personal development as a catalyst for business success, sparking engaging conversations and a clearer understanding of my value proposition. I recommend spending time crafting a clear and compelling answer to the question "What do you do?" that accurately reflects your services and resonates with your target audience.
Implementing Coaching Software for Efficiency
As my business coaching practice grew, keeping up with all the clients and their specific challenges became more difficult. I want to make sure all my clients get the results they are seeking, but keeping track of all the moving parts became a challenge. I solved it with excellent coaching software. We use Coach Accountable, and it's been a game-changer. Now, my team has grown from just me to six additional coaches, and the software keeps everyone on track—both coaches and clients. Big win for everyone!
Strategizing for Sustainable Business Growth
Like most business owners, when I launched my coaching business, I wanted to do it all. My plans included a private coaching program, workshops, online courses, a membership, writing a book, and the list goes on.
Thankfully, experience had already taught me the importance of building a strong business foundation that supports sustainable growth. Therefore, I turned this new vision into a long-term strategy that supported both my business goals and well-being.
First, I looked at what I wanted my daily lifestyle to be. Then I determined my financial goal for the early phase of the business. It's very important to determine what we need before setting the financial goal; otherwise, we tend to fall victim to employing goals set by others, such as $10K or $100K months, without first identifying our expenses, hours available to work, and real-life and business implications. The result can be burnout, health challenges, and too much stress.
My next step was to determine what business model would support both my desired lifestyle and financial goals. By working with different model concepts and talking with my audience, I determined I would first focus on launching a full private coaching program, inclusive of program aspects. This provided me with a strategic plan to stay within my capacity while meeting my financial goals, growing my audience, and stabilizing my business.
I then added workshops and community activities. Again, stabilizing the business after each step. Online courses are currently well underway as my next phase. Once I launch those, I will once again stabilize the business. At that juncture, I will survey my audience and determine if the next phase will be a group membership or a book.
What I want to stress is the importance of not growing too quickly! If we grow without the business foundation being prepared for the next phase of growth, such as its systems, processes, and team, we risk poor quality products, a decline in the customer experience, and ultimately, business failure through our failure to plan. Unfortunately, we also risk our health.
By remembering that our business is separate from us, we are better able to set appropriate boundaries around the business growth to protect our well-being and energy so we can continue building a sustainable and successful business.
Leveraging Personal Challenges for Client Inspiration
What do you do when life throws you a curveball that changes everything?
As a business coach, I've always believed in the power of resilience. But nothing could prepare me for the personal challenges that would test that belief to its core.
In my 40s, I faced a health crisis that shook my world. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, leading to a double mastectomy. Just as I was navigating that storm, I suffered a stroke that left me paralyzed for two weeks.
In those moments of uncertainty, I had two choices: to succumb to fear or to rise above it. I chose the latter.
My journey through recovery was not just about healing physically; it was a profound lesson in mental fortitude. I learned to embrace vulnerability, to lean on my community, and to redefine my goals. I realized that my experiences, though painful, could serve as a source of strength for others.
As an African American female business coach, I often felt the weight of representation. I knew that my story could inspire others who might be facing their own battles. I began to share my journey openly, not just the triumphs but the struggles too.
This authenticity resonated with my clients and peers. It fostered deeper connections and opened up conversations about resilience, health, and the importance of mental well-being in business.
It's important to embrace your challenges. They are not just obstacles; they are opportunities for growth and connection.
Facilitating Transparency to Resolve Team Issues
One of the more complex challenges I've encountered as a business coach involved a team plagued by passive-aggressive behavior, infighting, and a general lack of commitment to their tasks and goals. To address this, I facilitated a crucial 'lay it all on the table' meeting. During this session, each team member was encouraged to be transparent, own their actions, and commit to moving forward collaboratively.
This meeting proved to be a turning point. It fostered a culture of open communication and accountability, leading to the implementation of regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports. These sessions focused on providing constructive feedback and addressing issues directly, rather than allowing them to fester and disrupt team dynamics. This shift not only improved the team's cohesion but also significantly boosted their productivity and progress toward company goals, illustrating the profound impact of clear communication and mutual commitment in a team setting.
