The Top 5 Mistakes I Made in My First 2 Years of Business...(and how to avoid them)

While social media can be quite the highlight reel, I'm here to keep it real with you- my first couple of years in business were full of ups and downs!

Mistakes that cost me time, energy, and money...

Things that can be easily avoided.

So why am I sharing these?? I want YOU to avoid making these mistakes.?

A lot of these mistakes contribute to coaches quitting their business early on!? ?

I want every woman to know that they can be successful in their coaching business… it isn’t a coincidence that some are very successful and some are not.??

So let's get into the 5 Mistakes...

Mistake #1: Not understanding the importance of NICHING DOWN

This means getting crystal clear and specific on who you are helping, the challenge/problem you are helping them overcome, and the result you help them achieve.

Why is niching important? Here are 5 reasons:

? In a very saturated online market, niching down will help "stop the scroll" as your niche/marketing message will allow you to stand out in a sea of coaches. People are used to seeing general life coaches who help everyone with everything- and they scroll right by. When you can be specific about who you help and the problem you help solve, that catches their attention- they want to stop and learn more and see if you are the right fit for them

? Niching down allows you to be seen as an expert authority in your space. When you focus on helping a specific population with a specific problem/challenge, you are now seen as an expert, not a generalist who helps everyone with everything.

• People want to know that YOU can help them (especially if they are about to invest in a high-ticket service).

? Niching down allows you to create coaching services very specific to helping your population go from pain point to dream outcome.

Imagine if you helped several different people with different pain points- you would either need to create multiple programs for each pain point OR keep your services very general (i.e., a # of coaching sessions versus a clear client journey that shows them how you get them pain point to dream outcome).?

? Marketing becomes difficult when you don't define who you help and what you help with. Your marketing can seem very generalized or haphazard, and your audience may not fully understand your coaching services or if you are the right person for them.

• *One of my favorite sayings: "When you market to everyone, you market to no one."

? Not only does niching down help your audience better understand what you do (and if you are the right coach for them), but it also helps your NETWORK understand what you do so they can better refer people to you!

Let's face it: you only refer someone's services if you know exactly how they help someone. Make it easy for your network to know who you help and what you help with as it relates to your coaching business!

Mistake #2: Not dialing into a specific expertise

Now that you have discovered who you want to help and the challenge you want to help them with, you’re trying to help them with EVERYTHING.? You're focusing on every pain point your audience has and trying to be everything for them.

What you should do: Focus on ONE RESULT/SOLUTION.

Don’t try to solve ALL of their problems- this will get you back into generalist territory, AND you likely won’t be able to get them all of the results within the timeframe you work with them- and they'll likely be disappointed.

Mistake #3: Selling a # of sessions versus a coaching program

This is HUGE!? If anyone reading this hasn’t transitioned from selling session packages to high-ticket programs- let’s talk!

This was the single most important piece of me being able to leave my 9-5.?

Hands down. No question.

I STRESSED OUT when I was selling low-ticket, wondering how I would ever replace my 6-figure income when I sell session packages for $1-2K….

When I did the math, I realized I would need over 100 clients/year….and that gave me a pit in my stomach.

High-ticket programs allow you to replace your salary with 1-2 clients/month….SO much more feasible and stress-free.

It’s also easier to SELL- quite a few people still don’t understand what “coaching” is or what it does. When you have a program, you tell them the expected outcome they can achieve and the PROCESS you bring them through to achieve the outcome.? It feels more real- they see themselves doing the work and accomplishing their goals.

Mistake #4: Investing in things I didn't need...

Things that didn’t contribute to MY growth or BUSINESS growth.

Things that I wasn't even ready for that early on in business.

My biggest advice for anyone thinking of investing is this...

KNOW what you need and why you need it.

Ask yourself, what will it do for you? Will it give you more time in your day? Will it provide expertise you don’t have? Will it elevate your business? Will it help you achieve specific goals?

If you are unsure of these answers, then hold off!

Don't listen to others and what they've invested in- your business journey is unique to YOU.

Mistake #5: Inconsistency in revenue-generating activities

Oooof this is a big one!? Once you go public with your coaching business, you must be consistent, so choose a cadence for conducting sales activities that allow for that!

Choose what you have the capacity for and keep it consistent.

When you determine what your sales activities are (hint: it should consist of activities such as growing your audience, nurturing your audience, and talking to your audience), what can you do each day consistently versus doing a lot one day and then missing a week or 2 of not doing anything?

My current mentor loves to say, "Consistency = Cash," and I couldn't agree more.

And for any new coaches here, you need to be consistent for 3-4 months to start seeing the compounding effects of your actions.

You aren't being consistent today to get the results tomorrow; you're doing the work now, so it pays off in 90 days.

In summary...

If you find yourself already making any of these mistakes, it's OK! These are common mistakes for coaches within the first few years. Stop, assess, and tweak to start seeing the desired results.

Additionally, I would love to hear which mistake surprised you most! Drop a comment and let me know!

***Don't forget to register for the upcoming "Create High-Ticket Programs that SELL" 2-Part Masterclass in October!

I'll be showing you how to:

1. Design a unique framework that leverages your expertise and focuses on the result you help your clients achieve
2. Inject high-value components that support your client's success
3. Develop an unbeatable client experience that keeps your clients engaged, heightens their results, and increases client retention
4. SELL your high-ticket program without the sleaze or slime so you can replace your 9-5 income in less time and with fewer clients

When:

1. PART ONE: Thursday, October 5th, 7:00pm EST
2. PART TWO: Monday, October 9th, 7:00pm EST

Where: Zoom HERE