131: 5 Critical Skills to Be Successful in Your Coaching Business

This episode is short and powerful. Find the show notes at prosperouscoach.com/131.When I was in coach training all I thought about was coaching skills. And after coach training I just wanted to use those skills and help people.I wasn’t thinking about the other skills that are equally important for me to succeed.The reality is that coaches need coaching business training as much as coach training. I learned this the hard way and it became my mission to supply this support to coaches.Now, all skills have to be learned. AND it’s okay to be a beginner.So let’s start with that …The #1 Skill You Need to Be a Coaching Business OwnerIt’s the ability to learn from your mistakes. And that means you need to be willing to make them.Learning how to run your business well never ends. It’s like learning to be your true self or learning to be a contributing and compassionate human being. All the best things in life require continuous improvement.And, I know this for sure … if you aren’t willing to learn how to run your business DO NOT start one.It’s okay if it’s better for you to find a different way to coach than to have your own business. Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone.There are some organizations that hire coaches as either employees or contractors. You’ll likely earn less than you can as an entrepreneurial coach but you won’t have the hassle of marketing and the like. Expenses will be low too.I knew that I wanted to have my own business from the get go. I didn’t want to ever have a boss again. I wanted to do things my way and enjoy all the freedoms that come with entrepreneurship. Did I fully understand the responsibilities of running a business at first? Not at all!So that’s the 2nd most important skill. Take responsibility for your success. That means you do what must be done day in and day out and learn not to sweat it. It’s not just showing up for clients. It’s showing up for ALL OF IT. I can’t shirk creating a weekly podcast episode, social media or paying my expenses IF I want to be financially successful and feel good about what I’m doing.Few people love marketing although I’ve learned to enjoy it because of the non-salesy way I do it. And loads of coaches hate the idea of social media. But unless you have a ready made network of people longing to hire you already, its part of being an entrepreneur and attracting clients.If you decide to be a business owner, be responsible for yourself and your success.Timely, Thoughtful and RespectfulThe #3 skill is communication – timely, thoughtful, respectful communication. Seems obvious right but it’s interesting how good coaching doesn’t necessarily translate to good communication in other ways. Quality written communication is just as important as those verbal moments with a client in a coaching call. Set a goal to get increasingly better at written communication. It’s a HUGE part of running a coaching business.#4 is respect. Respect yourself and respect others. This isn’t easy and I fail all the time. I’m working on it.How do you show yourself respect? ·      Give your full attention to what’s important to you. (And if that doesn’t include your coaching business don’t start one.)·      Set strong personal boundaries. Don’t let anyone walk on you.·      Do what’s right for you and learn to be yourself.How do you show respect for others?Read about the 5th skill and the 4 ways to improve decisiveness here.