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How to tell when you need a coach

Are you a solopreneur or small business owner?

Are you finding that the process of building and creating a business can be both exciting and daunting at the same time?

It feels like this because the whole process of building a business is about change. More specifically, growth and learning. It can become a frustrating and difficult process when you are navigating this journey alone. The important thing is to recognise when you are needing support.

Whether you’re you’re just starting out and need to create a sense of direction, or, if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, there are specific signs that indicate you need a coach.

I’ve tracked the most common scenarios that lead to clients reaching out for coaching and I’d like to share them with you here. If you can relate to any of these scenarios, you you definitely benefit from coaching:

1. You feel overwhelmed or stressed about your business
The main causes of overwhelm and stress relate to how you manage your mind and how you manage your time. Your coach can help you develop specific strategies to address this issue and work with you on managing your mindset to reduce overwhelm and stress.

2. You don’t have a written vision, written goals and a plan for your business
You need the big picture for your business defined in a business vision as well as a written set of goals with a specific plan to achieve them. Your coach can work with you and provide resources that assist you in this goal-setting process.

3. You’re so busy and don’t see how you can keep managing it all
If you feel like you have no time, then you should definitely seek outside help. Your coach has an “outside” perspective which can help you see your way through this. Together you can implement a time management plan to get on top of things once again.

4. You feel like you’re doing it all alone and need some support/feedback/someone to keep you on track
It’s SO much easier having someone to talk to about your business. Imagine if you had someone whose job it is is to listen and support you, someone who will help you keep on track and be the sounding board you need. This is what your coach can do for you.

5. You haven’t defined your values and the purpose of your business
If you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you can end up with motivational challenges the moment you hit a bump in the road. Additionally you need to understand your personal values and confidently know that they align with your business goals. This ensures that you’re creating the life you truly want, not just the business you want. Your coach can help you define your values and keep you focused on your purpose.

Like this post?
Get The Solopreneur Coach Weekly Coaching Email direct to your inbox every Tuesday by clicking here.

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Staying Calm Under Pressure

Running and building a business can present us with some challenging situations. How we handle those those situations doesn’t just impact our results but also our health. Think: stress and overwhelm. While we can’t avoid stress altogether, we can certainly manage it better. Learning to stay calm under pressure is the key to managing stress and avoiding overwhelm.

Over the years I’ve developed a number of key practices that have helped both myself and my clients to remain calm under pressure. Here are the basics:

Pause before you react

This is key. Once we react to the situation or source of stress, then it’s a slippery slope into overwhelm. Just pausing at the moment when you receive that difficult email or at that moment when someone says something to make your blood pressure shoot up, is the key. This is the first step in awareness and the first part of any CBT approach to changing your behaviour. If you can practice pausing before you react to something that is difficult, you will have more choices. This is one of the most powerful things that we can learn, not only to better manage stress but to transform our choice and lives. It makes us more self-aware or what is also termed “conscious”.

Take a few deep breaths

This tip ties in with the pause tip just mentioned. It helps create that pause but it also creates other benefits. Taking the time to take 3 deep breaths will not just give you more time but make you more aware of your inner body. Temporarily you focus on something other than the problem. Focusing on your breath will actually help to calm you as it takes out out of your mind (your thoughts) and brings your focus into your body. As our muscles naturally tense when we’re stressed, our breathing also shortens. When you take deep breaths it helps to slow your heart rate and increases the oxygen in your blood.

Watch your thoughts

All stress is created in our minds. It is on our minds that things begin as a slight irritation and grow into a huge problem that overwhelms us.  So it’s important to watch your thoughts. Notice what you are thinking after you read that horrible email. Notice what you are thinking about your workload. Is your self-talk creating a bigger problem? With practice, you can notice the thoughts that come up. For example: “I have no time for this” or “I’m never going to get this finished” etc. Being able to notice your thoughts is a big step in being able to better manage your stress. Once you notice your thoughts you can ask yourself a simple but effective question: “Does this thought serve me?” If it doesn’t, simply let it go.

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Top 5 reasons why solopreneurs hire a coach

office-336368_1920Thinking about getting some support in managing your business and your time? Here are the top 5 reasons why Solopreneurs hire a coach. See if you relate to some of the scenarios below:

1. You feel overwhelmed or stressed about your business
The main causes of overwhelm and stress relate to how you manage your mind and how you manage your time. Solopreneurs work with a coach to develop specific strategies to address this issue and learn ways to manage their mindset to reduce overwhelm and stress.

2. You don’t have a written vision, written goals and a plan for your business
Structure is important. You need the big picture for your business defined in a business vision as well as a written set of goals with a specific plan to achieve them. It’s common for Solopreneurs to work with a coach on this. The coach provides resources that assist them in this goal-setting process.

3. You’re so busy and don’t see how you can keep managing it all
Having no time is one of the most common reasons for seeking out a coach. A coach has an “outside” perspective which helps you to see your way through the busyness. Together you can implement a time management plan to get on top of things once again.

4. You feel like you’re doing it all alone and would prefer some support/feedback/someone to keep you on track
Solopreneurs hire a coach so they have someone that listens to and supports them, someone who will help keep them on track and be the sounding board they need. This is what a good coach can do for you.

5. You haven’t defined your values and the purpose of your business
If you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you can end up with motivational challenges the moment you hit a bump in the road. Additionally you need to understand your personal values and confidently know that they align with your business goals. This ensures that you’re creating the life you truly want, not just the business you want. Solopreneurs work with a coach to help them define their values, keep them focused on working on purpose.

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5 signs you need a coach

Can you relate to any of the 5 scenarios below? These are common situations that solopreneurs and small business owners often find themselves in. But if you relate, you don’t have to stay stuck there trying to figure it all out on your own. Consider hiring a coach if you can relate to any of the following scenarios:

1. You feel overwhelmed or stressed about your business

The main causes of overwhelm and stress relate to how you manage your mind and how you manage your time. Your coach can help you develop specific strategies to address this issue and work with you on managing your mindset to reduce overwhelm and stress.

2. You don’t have a written vision, written goals and a plan for your business

You need the big picture for your business defined in a business vision as well as a written set of goals with a specific plan to achieve them. Your coach can work with you and provide resources that assist you in this goal-setting process.

3. You’re so busy and don’t see how you can keep managing it all

If you feel like you have no time, then you should definitely seek outside help. Your coach has an “outside” perspective which can help you see your way through this. Together you can implement a time management plan to get on top of things once again.

4. You feel like you’re doing it all alone and would prefer some support/feedback/someone to keep you on track

It’s SO much easier having someone to talk to about your business. Imagine if you had someone whose job it is is to listen and support you, someone who will help you keep on track and be the sounding board you need. This is what your coach can do for you.

5.You haven’t defined your values and the purpose of your business

If you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing, you can end up with motivational challenges the moment you hit a bump in the road. Additionally you need to understand your personal values and confidently know that they align with your business goals. This ensures that you’re creating the life you truly want, not just the business you want. Your coach can help you define your values and keep you focused on your purpose.

Like this post?
Get The Solopreneur Coach Weekly Coaching Email direct to your inbox every Tuesday by clicking here.

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Feeling out of your depth?

Feeling Out Of Your Depth?

Ever get that gnawing feeling inside and find yourself thinking “I don’t know what I’m doing”? I get it a lot, usually as I’m embarking on a project I haven’t done before. The idea of starting the project was exciting and then as I decide to start working on it…anxiety strikes. I suddenly feel out of my depth. I have a plan but it somehow seems uphill all of a sudden. I feel uncomfortable and can already see overwhelm approaching… and I’ve only just started. Do you know what I’m talking about? When your drive and confidence melt into doubt.
Well, the good news is, this is not just us. This is what most people experience when starting something new. How do I know? Because it’s the natural workings of the human brain. Your mind is the most powerful resource you have and also the one thing that can and will prevent you from achieving the life and business you really want. Feeling out of your depth is actually a natural response from a thought you are having in your mind. The thought might be “I don’t know if I can do this” (this is a popular one) or as I mentioned before “I don’t know what I’m doing”. These thoughts are just thoughts, not facts. Our challenge in these situations is to learn to notice these thoughts and then move on without buying into them. The more we can practice doing this, the better we become at it. Next time you start to feel anxiety creeping in, ask yourself “what am I thinking right now about this situation?” If it’s something negative, just gently remind yourself that it’s just your human brain’s response to something unfamiliar. Don’t let it stop you from moving forward.