by Brian Bennett, CCNI Board Member
When you are starting a business, like a coaching practice, “things” rarely go up in a straight line.
Often, the opposite happens, things go down before they go up.
- This is true of the finances around starting your coaching business. Logo, website, business cards, incorporating, tax support, designer costs, classes, training… more money has gone out than is coming in, no matter how lean you operate.
- Often coaches starting their practice experience some form of discouragement about interest in their coaching and getting client traction. For me, the phone didn’t ring for 6 months. You start to wonder if the phone is going to ring. Discouragement was deepening.
- The effort put into telling the world you are a coach and able to serve others doesn’t seem to be moving the ball forward in the way you thought it would.
We need to normalize this experience. Sure, there are some who come out of the gate and experience a rocket launching into space trajectory. That is not the experience for most of us. Instead, we go on a journey of learning, growth, and transformation. If we have eyes to see, God is doing a deep work in us at each stage of the coach’s journey from training to serving clients. We feel like we have so much to offer the world if “they” just knew we were here, and we do. But God is shaping in us, what he will pour out of us to bless others. The journey we go on starting out as a coach isn’t wasted.
The learning curves, adversity, and everything else on the journey is redeemed and utilized by the master builder. Nothing is wasted. All of it is formative in his skillful hands.
During this period God is not only shaping something in us, we are also exploring the four levels of fit that are critical to traction.
- Coach Fit: Understanding who we are and our signature style as a coach.
- Client Fit: Gaining clarity on who we serve, what their core pain points and goals are, and how we can bet serve them.
- Service-Program Fit: Designing and relating our services, programs, and products to potential and current clients in a manner they find meaningful.
- Client Experience Fit: Facilitating a client experience that supports client’s success and ultimately leads to referrals.
What an incredible time to be here, for such a time as this, to serve and bless the world through coaching. As you continue on your journey, remember, it all matters in God’s hands. You are not alone on the journey. In addition to the incredible community of CCNI and other Christian coach programs, guides, and networks, you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to run your race with great purpose!
Blessings on your journey ahead!
Brian seeks to be a blessing in the world by empowering leaders and organizations to perform today and prepare for tomorrow. He brings management and executive perspective from his experience as the Director of the KCLI Leadership Institute, Executive Coach, & Executive Pastor. He holds an MBA, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and an M.A. in Christian Ministry. He is a Certified Behavioral Analyst by TTI Success Insights and is a certified Professional Life & Leadership Coach by PCCI. Brian resides in Missouri with his wife and two sons.
