I was thrilled when I signed my first coaching client. After months of presenting my new coaching services to networking groups and business associates, my hard work finally paid off. I was employed. The new found confidence I had in myself and my business was quite infectious. Before long, I had several new clients, moved from my home-office to a “big girl” office in the city and had money to spend.
Exactly one-year after I began my coaching business, my husband came home and told me we were moving to another state. “Yikes!” “Another state?” And, on top of that, the other state was so far away it felt like we were moving to another planet. I finally had my dream business and I did not want to shut it down just because I was moving away. So, I got “smart.” I negotiated a deal with my clients that I would meet face-to-face with them the first two weeks of each month and the third week we would coach over the telephone. They all agreed and I began driving back and forth between the two states (868 miles) every two weeks.
I kept up that arrangement for nine months. It was in that last month I realized that I could not run my business that way any longer. When I was in town with my clients, I routinely worked from 7:00 am until 9:00 pm every day. I was exhausted, not growing my business, neglecting my friends and family and generally not taking care of myself. I began daydreaming about quitting it all and going back to a quieter, gentler life…
At the end of the ninth month, my husband and I moved my office back to the home in our new state. Because my clients were used to meeting face-to-face, only a few wanted to continue coaching strictly by telephone. The good news was that I had worked with them long enough to see them through tremendous growth and most were ready to “fly” on their own. The bad news was that I felt like a big failure; I had to practically start over with my business and was exhausted physically and mentally. It was at that point I discovered the importance of developing a strong personal foundation.
What is a personal foundation? It is, “a structured basis to support an individual in living an exceptional life*.” I wanted to be an excellent business owner and live an exceptional life. The thought of getting there in a planned fashion was very appealing…
Stay tuned next month for Part 2 of Confessions of a Business Coach.
*Coach University – CU 500 – Personal Foundation