start-ups - Inner Firewalking

Key Steps for New Coaches – Part 1

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

Here are the key steps:

Interview 2-3 coaches to find out more about the career and lifestyle you would be getting into. They can tell you the good and the bad; how easy or difficult it is; and … how they got started.

Hire a coach and experience coaching for yourself. But don’t get coached on Becoming a Coach. Not just yet. Get coached on something else you want to achieve or something you want to alter in your life. This will give you the best feel for whether or not this is the career for you. AND, it’s actually the best training you can get. Training from a live course, teleclass, book, or online environment is great. But there’s no substitute for the experience of personally being coached, and seeing how an experienced coach moves you forward.

Get Paid for Who You Are

The following is an excerpt from the book Get Paid For Who You Are.

When a baby elephant is born in a circus, they tie its leg to a stake with a strong chain. over time, they gradually reduce the thickness of the chain until a full-grown elephant is “held” by a flimsy piece of rope. The elephant is tied to a stake because it believes it is. What do you believe?

You could say a lifestyle of complete freedom, contribution and abundance isn’t possible for you, or you can test the strength of your rope.

With your permission, i’ll show you how to create a lifestyle of contribution and creativity, with financial and location freedom. Inside this book you will learn the five-step process that i used to create this lifestyle, impacting over 100,000 people and funding my travels and adventures, through an automated helping-the-world business. You’ll learn the same process that is now helping thousands of people to ditch their nine to five jobs and create the lifestyle they dream of — even if they’re non-technical or time-scarce.

i’ll show you how to get paid for what you know and love.

i’ll show you… how to get paid… for who you are.

Bob Davies on Start Up Coaching Costs

The following is taken from David’s interview with Bob Davies in 10 Super Coaches.

Roughly how much capital/money did you spend in the first 6-12 months, and on what?

Spent several thousand dollars in my certification program and other education, but most of my capital is geared towards marketing for the paid speaking engagements.

What did you charge your initial clients?

Now you’re bringing back memories. My first fee was $300 per month for four 30-minute calls plus an intake call of 90 minutes for an additional $300. Now my fee is $3,000 for the first month of coaching including the intake call followed by a fee of $1,500 per month for three 45-minute calls per month (non negotiable).

When did you first increase your fee, to what did you increase it, and why?

My fee increases all were linked to exposure and demands on my schedule. I first went from $300 to $350, then $450, then the big jump to my current fees over a period of about three years. I have the attitude that I want to be near the top of fees for coaching and that I never need a client but always want one.

You Have So Much To Share

The following is an excerpt from the book Get Paid For Who You Are.

Your passion, hobby, skill or life experience is valuable — literally. Whether it’s being married, or getting divorced. Whether having a child, or losing someone dear to you — it’s valuable. Whether you like stamp collecting, investing, riding horses, parenting or catering. Maybe you created a million dollar business, or failed at three start-ups. Perhaps you simply found a way to stick to your diet, or handle an angry spouse or upset child, or make pottery, or can help people find a fishing guide, or any of a myriad of skills, interests, or abilities — it’s all valuable.

If you already have a business, you’ll be happy to know this process is powerful for anyone with a product or service: professionals, small business owners, chiropractors, dentists, florists, potters, inventors. You can make more revenue and work less.

Now, i’m not promising you’ll make internet millions. it took hard work for me to reach $40,000 a month. I also won’t promise you a “4-Hour Work Week”. The author of that book and i work many more hours than that, although it’s entirely by choice. While it is completely possible to make a fortune and never work again by following the steps in this book, it’s also normal if you have some healthy skepticism. and i know not everyone wants to aim that high.

So let’s take a look at more down to earth goals that are easier to wrap the mind around.

How would your life be enhanced if you made an extra $3,000 per month while keeping your day job?

How would it feel to cut back to a job working only two or three days a week because your “how to” Cd or book is starting to sell really well?

What would it be worth to you to transition to doing something you really care about and receive five testimonials a week from people you have helped?

The Power of Information Products

How can you clone yourself so you can help a limitless amount of people learn your valuable information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – and get paid for it?

The secret is to create information products and sell them on your website. Products will enable you to get a passive income – to make money while you sleep or go on vacation.

If you create products that can be delivered electronically over the internet (e-Books, downloadable audio, downloadable software, etc.) then you can have a fully automated system.

Picture this… A person visits my website featuring one of my products. I “talk” to them through the audio message on my website underneath my photo, and in the text on the page. They decide to request more information. Three weeks later after reading three autoresponder messages containing valuable information, they come back to my website and purchase the product online. The download link to the product arrives in their inbox minutes after their credit card is processed – automatically.

What do I have to do to sell that product to that customer? I just build the automated system once (and tweak it to improve it occasionally). Now imagine 100 customers – or 1,000 customers, or 10,000 customers doing the same thing as the first customer. How much more time and effort did I have to exert to sell to the extra 9,999 customers? Zero. How much did delivery of the product by sending out a download link cost me? Only the small cost of the automated system to run.

Can you see the potential? I do. Sometimes I get so excited I have to hook myself up to a chamomile tea drip to calm myself down. 😉

Rachel Pryor on Building a Practice

The following is taken from David’s interview with Rachel Pryor in 10 Super Coaches.

What was most disheartening for you while building your practice?

When I first realized that I was going to be a coach, I was afraid that my friends would tease me, so I assumed a pen name (I knew I would be quite public). For 3 years I worked as a corporate training, counselor and healer, all the time coaching, though calling it something else. Though I contacted many media outlets, none of them were interested in my business.

Then I decided to use my real name – and gained instant success. But boy, those first 3 years were dreadful – I was unable to be my best, and was uncomfortable with many of the ways that I was forced to train my clients.