Tips from the Edge – Part I
This applies to all Soul-o-preneurs whether you are a professional coach or not!
I attended the Coaches Edges Extravaganza on December 2nd as a panel expert on Choosing and Championing a Viable Coaching Market (topic created by the fabulous Rhonda Hess).
Rhonda and Me!
This was my first opportunity to speak at a major event as a professional coach. I am so grateful and appreciative to Viki Winterton and Dr. Sherry Buffington for inviting me and having the faith that I would have something important and “viable” to share.
Viki 
Sherry
What I want to share here is some of the extraordinary insights I received as a result of spending the day in the company of 80 coaches dedicated to sharing their wisdom and growing authentic, thriving businesses.
Part I of Tips from the Edge
The day began with lunch (gotta love that!) and we spent the time at our individual tables introducing ourselves and sharing our best business building idea ever! At the end of lunch each table voted on the top 2 ideas discussed and had a table representative share them with the entire room.
The list that follows are some solid words of advice for any soulful service provider that is dedicated to growing a business that serves and transforms the lives of their clients.
I took all of the tips and put them into two categories. The first category is tips related to the internal life of your business – the soul of your business that is a direct extention of YOU! The second category is tips from the external aspect of business – the actions needed in order to share your talents with the world! The tips that you see in purple I added because I know they will benefit you as well.
INTERNAL:
- You must be clear on your own core values
- Connect with your own passion or “calling”
- Be open to “what wants to happen next” and walk through the open doors of opportunity
- Take care of yourself mentally, physically and spiritually
- Learn to listen to your own internal guidance system and trust it!
- Decide what you want
EXTERNAL:
- Treat your practice like a business!
- Clearly identify your target market (I like to think of this as my “perfect client”)
- Create powerful connections with like-minded people
- Take action – even if you are uncertain about the “how”
- Learn and use Social Media
- Create value addes products, tools and services
- Get Help! Learn to utilize virtual and live assistants
- Get out of the house and go meet people!
- Leverage your conversations through speaking engagements, workshops, seminars and other public events
- Stop charging by the hour for your services!
- Find a mentor or coach that can help to move you from where you are to where you want to be!
My very favorite tip of the day:
~ You don’t have to do it ALL
~ You don’t have to do it all NOW
~ You don’t have to do it all ALONE
PS – If you are a coach, be sure to visit The Coach Exchange (TCE) for excellent resources and powerful connections with other professional coaches!