CLCI Live is back in action and absolutely refuses not to launch with a bang!
There is no worse feeling, NONE, that is as bad as setting out with a goal in mind and then never doing anything about it.
Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but a failure to launch can be depressing, frustrating, and seemingly insurmountable. Whether it's moving out of your parents for the first time, making a big career move, or starting up your own coaching business, failures to launch come in a variety of forms.
Sometimes you have a well founded plan and you are ready to launch your business, only to see zero results once you do.
Other times you only have a vague idea of what needs to be done but are afraid to take the first step to make a concrete strategy.
What's similar to all situations is the feeling of failure before you could even start. Which is why CLCI Live is back again to tackle the question, how do we move on from failure? This week Lisa Finck (A.C.C.), Brooke Adair Walters (M.C.P.C.), Anthony Lopez (M.C.P.C)., Jerome LeDuff Jr (M.C.P.C), and Daniel Olexa (P.C.C) sit down with two awesome alumni, Nicole Hennessy & Jiri Crowder, and discuss how to get going when the going gets tough. So stick around, listen, and read to get our 5 tips to beat a failure to launch.
5 Ways to Beat a "Failure to Launch"
1. Accept Defeat
So you didn't get your business off the ground, so what? The first thing a new business owner should do in the face of failure is to learn from the situation. Take the time to really analyze what did or didn't happen that got you to this point and what needs to change. This will help you to get your priorities straight and give you an area to focus your attention on. With acceptance also comes forgiveness. Now is not the time to dwell on failure or to beat yourself up. You have a real opportunity to improve that shouldn't be squandered on doubt and anxiety.
2. Turn the Big Objectives into Small Goals
Business can be overwhelming. You have to worry about websites, SEO, getting clients, budgeting, marketing, producing content, social media, partnerships, taxes, the list goes on and wait! we forgot one thing...actually coaching our clients! It is easy to get paralyzed as a new coach because there is so much work to do. Often we try to handle everything at once and then become easily overwhelmed because the to-do list becomes insurmountable. Instead, break apart your tasks into discrete and bite sized packages. Pick something, literally anything, and then stick to completing that singular goal in a dedicated amount of time. Want to build a landing page? Okay, what steps do you need to take and when will you get it done? Take a day to take inventory of each step and set a hard deadline. Example: "To build a landing page, I need...
A business name
A URL
A place to host my site (Squarespace, Wix, Wordpress, etc.)
A clear call to action for visitors
Time to build a site or to purchase a template
Website copy
A section for services
A section for an "About Me"
A section for contact information
...and I will get this done in exactly 1 month from now". 3. Save Time and Get Professional Help
You know what should be done but don't have the time or the knowledge to do it yourself? Find a professional to assist you.
Why spend precious mental energy and time learning how to do something "good enough" when you can easily hire a professional to do the work in a drastically shorter amount of time?
Here is one good objection, it's too much money!
Before you hide your wallet and credit card, really evaluate how much time it will take you to complete a project you don't have the current skills to execute? Is it better to bite the bullet and let an expert handle your needs?
As coaches, we take on far less risk than other businesses do when we first start. So why not take the money we save on not having an office or physical product and invest saving time. You don't need to break the bank hiring a decent copywriter or SEO expert, many can be found on Thumbtack or Fiverr that offer competitive rates.
4. Fail Forward
Failure in one area can actually be a signal you are doing well in other areas.
Here is an example from a real coaching session:
Susan in her first business coaching session and confesses that she has no real direction with what she "should" do. There are a lot of areas to cover but by the end of the session she promises to dedicate her attention to making content for her blog. She is confident that she won't procrastinate and will have all of next month's (4) blog posts ready by the next time her and the coach meet.
Queue next session. Susan meets with her coach again and it turns out she did not do any of her blogs. She 100% put it off and instead worked on her business plan, talked to clients, made social media posts, and started building her website. In her mind, she failed in her goal of making the blog posts.
The question the coach asked in response..."Did you really fail?"
While Susan didn't originally do what she set out to do, she unknowingly used procrastination in a way to really go above and beyond her original plan. Put simply, she failed forward. Learning how to do this effectively means you get to define what failure actually means towards your overall business journey.
5. Get a Coach
A coaching blog recommending it's readers to get a coach, seems a bit on the nose right? It is surprising though how many coaches out there want to coach, yet neglect to be coached themselves. Many coaches think they can go at it alone and while there are some benefits to being your own life coach, the best way to organize your thoughts and find the motivation to go forward is to work with a coach; yep, a real life human being you have to talk to.
Many times a failure to launch is because we make all these nice goals in the privacy of our own heads. But to actually speak them out loud, to another person, and own your dreams as your own; that might just be the kick in the butt you need to launch into the stratosphere.
ACTO is Accepting Applications for Student Scholarships Now!
The Association of Coach Training Organizations (ACTO) is pleased to open the application for its annual (2022) Coach Training Scholarship.
As in years past, two Scholarships will be awarded – each in the amounts of $2,000 USD – to the individuals who best meet the established criteria of the Scholarship Award.
This opportunity is open to both new coaching students, as well as students currently enrolled in an Accredited Coach Training Program to complete a coach training program from one of the ACTO member participating schools.
The criteria for the ACTO Scholarship Award are narrowly focused as follows:
Applicants must express a commitment to pursue a career in coaching, ultimately credentialing through a recognized professional body. The award must be accessed (but not necessarily completely used) within a one-year period and training completed within two years.
Applicants must express a clear and specific intent to use their acquired coaching skills to positively impact society by working with underserved and/or historically excluded populations. (Examples of underrepresented people and communities include, but are not limited to: Black, Brown, Indigenous and other people of color, ethnic or religious minorities, lower socio-economic or caste status, LGBTQIA+ persons, youth, elderly, economically or educationally disadvantaged, incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals, immigrants or migrants, etc.)
Applicants must share a credible expression of financial need for this award.
Completed scholarship applications must be submitted to ACTO by April 1, 2022. Scholarship Awardees will be announced at the 2022 ACTO Conference (June 15-17, 2022).
Important Dates
January 1, 2022 – Scholarship application process open
April 1, 2022 – Completed scholarship application submission deadline
June 15-17, 2022 – Scholarship Awardees will be announced at the 2022 ACTO Conference
Thank you,
Lisa Finck, Brooke Adair Walters, Jerome LeDuff Jr, Daniel Olexa, and Anthony Lopez! Special thanks to our special guests Nicole Hennessy & Jiri Crowder
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