my learning from taking the leap
Hello.
I used to say things like “I could never be a freelancer; I could never run my own business”. I was truly of the employed type, as had been my whole family before me. It’s what you did. You worked for other people. And you either worked in a charity – low paid because you care and you don’t make money from doing good or you work so someone else can take home the dosh. That was part of another limited belief. Other people make money. People, like me, don’t make money and business is too risky.
Yet, here we are in May 2021 and although I haven’t made my fortune yet (I want to be a philanthropist when I grow up), much of that mindset has changed. I now believe there are many options open to me and that I have everything I need to get me to where I want to be. Curiosity, tenacity, imagination, kindness and so much more.
I’ve stopped waiting until the time is right. I’ve always been a little bit fearless – I’ve had so many amazing experiences from doing things that felt scary at the time, and this part of me has expanded. I’m ready to really test out ideas, take risks, and get out of my own way in order to be the catalyst for change I really want to be.
So, I took the leap. The leap of faith in me and I’m learning to build a business that is aligned to my values and that makes a positive difference in the world. I’ve made mistakes - that’s another blog - and I wouldn’t change any of it.
Some learning points for me:
I like doing things for free and that’s not because I don’t value myself or have a poor money mindset.
I set myself a challenge to coach 100 people for free over 100 days as a way of DOING SOMETHING when we went into lockdown last year. You can read more about that here I’ve played around with my pricing since then and am now working on a business model that has a variety of price points. I offer a pro bono coaching programme for two working class women a year (in fact, I’m offering this again now so if you know of anyone who might benefit, please let me know). You can access me and the community in my facebook group and via my newsletter, DIY coaching programmes, a membership (coming in Autumn 2021), group programmes and 1:1 support.
I know who I want to coach!
Most of the people who took part in my challenge were from the arts and cultural sector but not all, and I really enjoyed the variety. For a while I just wanted to coach everyone on anything (partly because I was afraid that if I got too specific then I wouldn’t get any clients, especially in the not-for-profit sectors). And though I’m perhaps as not as specific as some business coaches/mentors would suggest, I have narrowed it down to:
· People who have a desire to make the world a better place in some way using education, arts and creativity because my purpose is to help people bring about positive change.
· People who are ready to do the work because being in a coaching relationship takes work and commitment.
· People who are wanting to do better for themselves as well as others because changemakers tend to put their needs at the bottom of the pile and then they break or fall over.
Let’s get Visible! Do I have to?
I sometimes wish I’d got into this coaching business years before the pandemic so I’d had a chance to build up a good client base (I know it’s not that simple!).
But I didn’t. And quite frankly, I’ve run out of friends and family to pester about coaching, they’ve heard it all and so I need to let other people know I exist. Despite my drama degree, being a performing arts lecturer, and running a gazillion workshops with all kinds of people, I actually quite like being on my own and hiding away. Having to enter the online coaching world (where else has there been this last year?!) has been an utter challenge and I have a complete love/hate relationship with it all.
I love getting to meet new people and have connected with so many brilliant human beings that I might not have done if I’d not gone online, but I do struggle to create content that feels authentic and interesting. What I have changed to help with that is my mindset around being judged (someone will judge me somewhere along the line), and choosing my own relationship with social media that feels aligned to me and my values.
I’m not doing reels (agghh!) just because someone somewhere told me I should.
I’m not going to post everyday.
And I’m going to take social media breaks.
It’s a fine balance between using it well and effectively for business, AND not adding to the huge amount of noise that is clearly detrimental to people’s wellbeing, which is a huge pillar of my work.
My main focus is to serve the people who join the Do Good and Do Well community as observers or active participants as well as I possibly can so I build my credibility and reputation. I’m in this for the long game so no need to panic. (I have to remind myself of this daily!)
Taking The Leap - a new group programme for coaches
I have learnt so much about running a small business and I know that there is a whole load more to learn – so many things I don’t know I don’t know! I love working on the business - it has been hard, messy, unpredictable and fun (I worked in participatory arts for nearly 20 years, I’m okay with that state of things!) Now, I want to share what I’ve learned with newly qualified coaches so I’ve developed a pilot group programme called Taking the Leap to share my learning which digs deeper into the stuff I’ve talked above as well other parts of the business. I wish this sort of thing had existed for me. Of course there are many courses out there that talk about this kind of stuff but I like hearing from someone who’s experienced it, and who’s used to the not-for-profit sector in all its glory!
Here’s the schedule and content.
For £275 you’ll receive:
8 facilitated sessions
Useful resources that I have found helpful
Access to me for the whole time we work together (office hours, Mon – Thursday via an app called Voxer) and I will tell you as much as I can about what I have learnt.
Sessions will be recorded so you can access the information if you miss a session
And working with your peers, you’ll be able to share your fears and expectations of building your own coaching practice that works for you.
Limited spaces available and we kick off Monday 7 June!
More info HERE
You can contact me for a 15 minute chat or to book.