My Clients Teach Me As Much As I Teach Them.

I was scared that I wouldn't make it through my first week of entrepreneurship. Then the first month. Then the first three months. Time flies, though.

Somehow, I've made it through my first year as an adult without a day job. It feels surreal to reflect on the fact that so much time has passed. I'm thankful for everything that I've learned, and excited for what I'm going to accomplish in year two.

I'm primarily working as a social media coach - teaching business owners, creatives, and entrepreneurs how to leverage social media as a means to achieve their long term goals. That being said, they've taught me just as much as I've taught them, if not more.

Our conversations often leave me thinking about how I can better serve future clients. It's an ongoing process. It feels uncomfortable at times, and the path forward isn't always easy. That being said, I wouldn't have it any other way. If I didn't actively work to get better at what I do, I would be doing everyone, including myself, a disservice.

Here are three of the biggest things I've learned since launching my social media coaching services platform:

Giving people a plan that they believe in enough to execute is way more important than proving how much you know.

As a coach, I'm charged with way more than simply imparting knowledge. You can get information on just about ANYTHING through the internet. Case studies. Statistics. Trends. Tips. The list goes on. If that was the only thing a coach was responsible for, I'd find another occupation and tell you to Google your way to success. My job is to not only have a deep understanding of social media, but additionally to be able to frame it in a way that will equip you to achieve your specific goals. I spend more time thinking about my clients than the information I need to convey to my clients.

A disagreement between a client and coach is one of the best things that can happen during a coaching call.

I don't want you to agree with me in regards to every single thing that I say. I want a client that speaks their mind candidly, and says, "I don't like that," "I don't think that will work," or "let's do something different" when applicable. Those moments of conflict lead to moments of clarity. Those moments of conflict lead to better solutions - solutions that you will be excited to implement to the best of your ability. When you start to implement a plan to the best of your ability, you truly see change.

Sometimes you have to tell a potential client "no."

Turning down good money as a man without a day job is one of the most difficult things I've done in the past year or so, but I'm glad that I did it when necessary. People often try to hire me for things that I don't actually do - graphic design, running PR campaigns, putting mustard on my hamburgers, etc. I can confidently say that saying "no" to those potential paying clients was the best choice. It allowed me to make room for the better opportunities that subsequently came along. I have a firm grasp of what I'm qualified to teach, and I don't take any steps outside of that.

After reflecting on these lessons and thinking about my year, I decided to a two week break from onboarding new clients to refine and improve my systems and procedures. I'm relaunching my coaching platform today, and I'm much happier with my new offerings. I think that you will be too.

Some of the biggest changes include:

• More specificity about WHO each package is for. A lot of people didn't understand which package was best for their situation, so I did my best to express that more clearly to eliminate confusion.
• More deliverables. You'll see that my new packages include more written reports and analysis, so that you can focus on our conversation during phone calls without having to worry about if you're taking notes on every single thing that we discuss.
• A price point for everyone. As an entrepreneur, I have to find balance between ensuring that I have enough income to pay my bills every month and creating price points that don't discourage people from investing in my services. I've created more coaching packages to give you more options to get you the help that you need.

Check out my new coaching packages here!

This part isn't a change, but:

I'm still ready to pay you. If you refer someone who ends up purchasing a Comprehensive Package from me, I'll pay you a $50 referral bonus (or set up a free 30 minute coaching call with you).I joke around a lot, but I'm also very serious about the work that I do and the people who trust me to help them with their goals. If you have any feedback or questions for me, feel free to reply to this email or catch me on Twitter.

Do you run a client-based business? Tell me what you've learned from your clients (or customers) in the comments section.

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