I recently completed a ten-part blog series that highlights the major reasons why I think coaches fail at a full-time career.  I had misgiving about using the word “failure” in the title, seems so un-coachy (yet so real!).

OK, so here is my coach penance, a positive spin.  I have included my five favorite supplemental tips for business success, any business, from coaching to catering.  These are counterintuitive lessons I learned from my experience with Velocity and from several other enterprises throughout the years.

Make a Liability Your Asset

Lesson from The Sullivan Detective Agency:  Stop giggling, for I was 11 years old.  I have always loved anything related to solving a caper.  I wanted to grow up to be a combination of Barnaby Jones, Magnum, P.I., and James Bond.  The lesson I learned from this venture:  Take advantage of your disadvantages.  My parent’s divorced the year before I opened up my first business.  I was devastated for awhile.  However, I soon learned that from a business perspective, two separate parental neighborhoods meant more “crimes” to solve!  Suddenly realized I had more turf to exploit.  Transform a crisis into an economic windfall.

Take Advantage of Local Zeitgeist Shifts

Lesson from The Sullivan Security Service: Chuckle all you want, for I was 12 years old.  I took care of people’s homes when they went on vacation.  The lesson I learned from this venture:  Understand the shift in local perspectives.  I started this business the week after my neighbor’s home was burglarized.  I made a killing and when I also started to take care of pets too while my fearful neighbor’s were away, well, it helped me buy my first car, brand spanking new.  Taking advantage is not wrong if it’s a win-win.

Be the One Stop Shop

Lesson from Home Maintenance and Repair:  During my later high school and early college years I founded a handy man company with my buddy Glen.  Our motto was “we will do anything.”  And we meant it.  Many of our clients were relieved to find one team that could fix a window, paint a house, drive a loved one to the airport, build a retaining wall, and babysit.  If we did not do it we contracted it out and made a cut.  We were always connecting the right people to the right jobs.  We saved our clients money, time, and they knew the buck stopped with Scott and Glen.  We differentiate ourselves too much in business, and this often leads to fewer clients and fewer happy clients.

Buck the Trend

Lesson from Kapital Inn:  During my 30s a former partner and I created a posh boutique inn in the middle of a bustling European capital.  This was the era of “big”.  And hotels were no different.  Boutique had not taken off yet and we took full advantage of what we saw as a massive gap in the market.  People want to feel welcomed and pampered beyond just impersonal amenities.  Many crave the relational touch.  We were the amenity other places could not provide.  Big is not always better.  But smart and savvy always are.

Market Your Way

Lesson from Kinetic:  Find a healthy balance between listening to the “experts” and trusting your method.  First, many “experts” told me that coaching only makes financial sense if done over the phone.  That’s nonsense, my practice thrives face-to face.

Second, many “experts” told me it was hard to market yourself as a coach.  On the contrary, I joined one regular networking group and frequent one other and I have been quite successful.  I prefer to focus like a laser and not be all scatter-brained about how I sell my services.

Third, I employ my marketing secret to great advantage.  Each weekday when I wake up I email one person I have had contact with recently.  This is a person I think would benefit from coaching.  It usually leads to a coffee or meeting and more often than not, a client.  It is so painless, just one email a day keeps working for a boss away!

—

If you have any questions about coaching please feel free to contact me at scott@kineticcoaching.co, and remember I always offer a complimentary 30-45 minute session to prospective clients to determine if we want to work together.