When I think of how to become a business coach, I always go back to the wisdom of Thomas Edison.
Thomas Edison was once told “he was too stupid to learn anything,” but he didn’t let that stop him. He went on to become one of the greatest inventors of all time. But before he became a household name, he had more than 1000 failed attempts at creating a working light bulb.
Behind every successful story there is an embarrassing first effort, a stumble, or a setback. But it’s through these first clumsy steps that we learn everything we need to know in order to succeed.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a business. Allow me to share with you my rocky journey to success…
Once I realized I had to get serious about sales to have a viable coaching business, I began each morning on my back porch, pacing. I prayed like crazy for new clients, crying out to God for help. Literally.
But I didn’t just pray.
I poured my heart, soul, and cash into growing my business.
Back then, the franchise I was with made new coaches escrow $5,000 into a designated account to invest in marketing to get the business started. It was all the money I had left in the world, and I put it to work.
In the first couple months I tested every single type of marketing you can think of.
And at the end of 4 solid months of this, what do you think I had to show for it?
ZERO. Zilch. Nada.
Well, actually, that’s not true. I had a notebook full of “lessons learned.”
Like, which approaches seemed to get the warmest responses…what NOT to say when prospecting and closing (thanks to 20 painfully unsuccessful face-to-face sales meetings!)…which headlines seemed to pull better than others, and so on.
And finally, in September of 2001, I broke through.
I landed my first client!
Or so I thought…
In the middle of our initial consultation, the client’s accountant stormed in with fire blazing in his eyes. He began interrogating me about my background and competence as a coach. He was obviously protecting his domain, and he came down on me–hard.
It was a humiliating moment.
I wanted to fight back, but the truth was, I had no professional track record. No experience, very little formal training, no success stories to speak of. Heck, I couldn’t even point to my own success in business–because, up to that point, I had nothing on my resume but a big fat bunch of failures!
Needless to say, five minutes later I was out on the street, my head in my hands.
The next day, the client called me on the phone, demanding a full refund, and threatening a lawsuit if I didn’t comply. As painful as it was, I complied. I couldn’t see any other option.
So why am I telling you this?
This was one of the most discouraging moments of my entire life. I’d put in thousands of dollars…MONTHS of effort…hours of struggle and strife…
Just to be kicked out and publicly embarrassed.
To be completely candid, I don’t share this story very often. This was the lowest of the lows. It was the closest I ever came to throwing in the towel. It’s a moment I try very hard not to think about–even to this day.
But I’m telling you now so that you understand: I know EXACTLY what it feels like to fail.
To stare in the face of a tremendous challenge, give it your all, and still come up short.
I’ve been there. And it totally sucks.
When it happened to me, I had a huge decision to make.
I could retreat with my tail between my legs, shell-shocked and angry, humiliated that I’d even attempted something so far out of my comfort zone…
OR, I could suck it up.
Pick myself up, dust myself off, and try again.
Since you’re reading this right now, I think you can guess what I picked.
You see, that decision to stick with it was a major turning point for me. It infused me with a sense of focus and resolve I’d never experienced before. And less than a month later, I closed four sales in a row and banked my first $10,000 month…I was on my way to building a $1 Million business coaching practice in 4 short years.
How close are you to that breakthrough?
The truth is, the mere fact that you’ve sought out expert information means you’re closer than you were yesterday. And by implementing just a few of the strategies I’m about to show you, your breakthrough could literally be right around the corner.
But if you quit, you’ll never know.
You have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build a meaningful business and make a real difference in your life, your clients’ businesses, and in the lifestyle of your family. They’re all counting on you.
Don’t squander it.
Your big breakthrough is just around the corner.
You can take the bull by the horns and be the winner you know you were always meant to be.
My decision to never, ever give up was pivotal to my success…and it paved the way for the next of my incredible discoveries…
Who knows what great discoveries of your own are right over the next hurdle. How to become a business coach? Don’t be a quitter, quitters never win. Instead, be a failure. Fail, then keep going.
So tell me, what pops out most to you? What step (or steps) can you use in your business to see the most benefit? Tell me in the comments below. I want to hear from YOU!
Follow my journey and grab some of my best kept secrets to success. It’s all available in my ebook Secrets Of A Business Coaching Rock Star. Download now, it’s free!
