If I told you I’ve never struggled with starting and running my own coaching business then I’d be a liar! Running ANY kind of business is likely to be met with a seemingly endless line of roadblock after roadblock and I couldn’t have made it this far without asking my colleagues for coaching support.
There are many people who will tell you that you just need to persevere. If you just put in a little more time, a little more effort, a little more this or that then you’ll make it to some magical end where you no longer struggle and everything falls into place. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it does! Just like everything in life your business will ebb and flow, marked by periods of struggle and periods of abundance. But, if I’ve learned anything in my 5 years as a coach it’s that if you don’t learn how to handle the periods of struggle then you won’t survive long enough to see the periods of abundance… And you don’t have to do it all alone! There is no award waiting for you that celebrates you feeling isolated, lonely, and stressed out because you chose to try to figure everything out on your own.
Like I said, I’ve been doing this for 5 years now and I’ve talked with hundreds of women who all had one main goal, to start and run their own business. Some of them have fizzled out and gave up on their dream and others have gone on to grow businesses bigger than mine! The key that differentiates a successful coach from an unsuccessful one is their willingness to ask for coaching support. I know, it sounds oversimplified, but I want to share with you why it’s so important to ask for help when you need it and I want to give you 4 techniques I use when asking for coaching support.
1) Be Specific
When you ask for help it’s important that you spend some time reflecting on what you’re struggling with. Two things I use that help me consider what I’m struggling with the most are meditation and journaling. Spending time acknowledging your thoughts will help you see where your mind keeps wandering and give you time to think about what the specific problem is that you’re struggling with.
When you take the time to understand your problem then asking for help becomes much simpler. People usually love to help their friends and if you can give them concise ways that they can help you it will help you with your struggles but also give an opportunity to grow a relationship and continue building a coaching support network.
2) Be Personal
As tempting as it is to just send a text or email asking for support, this method of communication removes the personal touch of conversation and face-to-face interaction. Granted… if you’re not used to asking for support this can be daunting so start with what you’re comfortable with. When you approach your ask for support from a lens of building a relationship and offering mutual support it helps others know that what they’re doing will be appreciated and valued.
3) Follow Up
Like I said, people love helping their friends so more than likely when you reach out for support your friends will be happy to help. However, one thing that often goes forgotten is the followup. Your friends will get a lot of satisfaction out of getting credit for the ways they support you. This may make it sound transactional, but really what you’re doing is letting your friends know how helpful they are to you and how much their support means to you. This can look like letting them know the success you were able to achieve thanks to their support. It also could look like a simple thank you card expressing your gratitude for them.
4) Be Prepared For Rejection
Just like when you’re struggling, not everyone has the capacity to help others all the time. Sometimes people are buried in their own struggles and don’t have enough energy to give support away. You should expect that at some point someone you go to for support won’t be able to give it to you. Don’t take this personally! This is why it is critical to build a support “network” of friends, family, and colleagues who can all support each other. If you rely too much on any one person then you’re bound to have conflict when one of you isn’t in the right place to provide support.
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There is no doubt that you will encounter struggles on your journey to business ownership. If you’ve read this far, I’m confident you have the knowledge you need to ask for support and make it through any roadblocks so that you can revel in the abundance that being your own boss brings. If you’d like to talk to me more about this, or if you need support please book a free Coaching Business Strategy Call. I’d love to help you run a successful coaching business.
Check out this blog for some mindset beliefs that successful coaches have to get inspired and take action!
