Our Top 7 Book Recommendations for Health Coaches

Our Top 7 Book Recommendations for Health Coaches

Our Top 7 Book Recommendations for Health Coaches

Karen Pattock and I love to read, so today we’re sharing a few of our favorite business and personal development books that we think you’ll like too.  These are books that have made an impact on us personally or in our business (or both). 

In this episode, you’ll discover: 

  • A list of our favorite business and mindset books that made a lasting impact on us and how we show up each day as coaches and entrepreneurs
  • Insight into what we loved about each book and why we believe they will have an impact on you too
  • Personal stories of what we were struggling with and how these books pushed us to change and grow

Good books are meant to be shared and we’re excited to share our faves with you.

1. The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran. You’ve likely heard us talk about this book on the podcast before because it is one of our all-time favorites. If you’re a planner like we are then you’re going to love the premise of this book. Essentially, the author shares a strategy for planning and running each 12-week increment – or 90-day interval as a year in your business. If you’ve ever tried to put a one-year plan in place on January 1st, chances are by the end of May you were already off track. Projects took longer than expected, new opportunities presented themselves, your personal life had something unforeseen come up. When you plan in 12-week increments, and they are considered their own individual profit and loss centers, it’s easier to stay on track with meeting your goals.

2. The Power of Less – By Leo Babauta

I read this book a few years ago and I just picked it up to read it again recently.  I like it because it’s really about simplifying things to get the best results – in business and in our daily lives.  It’s about setting boundaries and goals, so you can have better focus, less stress and live a more fulfilling life.  Rather than feeling like you have to do it all, when you focus on less and you go all in, you’ll make more progress. 

The author talks about choosing the tasks and actions with the most impact – he calls these high-impact tasks.  He also covers something we both know to be true, but it can be difficult to stick to sometimes and that is focusing on the task at hand instead of multitasking, because focusing on one thing at a time, makes you more productive because you can take things to completion, and see progress faster.

In a nutshell, it’s about streamlining your life by determining what is essential while ditching the unnecessary, so you can accomplish the goals that can change your life for the better.

  • You’ll learn how to break down goals into manageable tasks.
  • Focus on fewer things at one time.
  • Create more productive habits.
  • Improve your focus.
  • Increase your efficiency.

The book is only 170 pages, so it’s pretty easy to get through. 

3. The One Thing by Gary Keller. If you tend to not finish projects or are easily distracted by shiny object syndrome this book is for you. It is an amazing book that outlines the necessary steps to be your most productive self.

In The ONE Thing, you’ll learn to:

  • Cut through the clutter
  • Achieve better results in less time
  • Build momentum toward your goal
  • Overcome that overwhelmed feeling
  • Master what matters to you

The most amazing thing about this book is you can apply the principles to not just your business but your personal life also.

Our Top 7 Book Recommendations for Health Coaches

4. Rise of the Youpreneur, by Chris Ducker. The subtitle of the book is: The definitive guide to becoming the go-to leader in your industry and building a future-proof business.

This book is kind of like your A-Z guide for starting and growing a business for your personal brand.

I’ve met Chris in person, we’ve had him on the podcast a couple of times, and he’s a great teacher. He has a way of breaking things down in easy to understand and implement steps, so the book is very actionable.

Here’s some of what he covers in the book:

  • Defining your perfect customer
  • Positioning yourself as an expert
  • Growing your business circle – making connections and networking
  • Building your email list
  • Developing your pricing strategy
  • Launch strategies for your promotions

It’s a really good book for anyone who is starting out in the online space or they’ve been at it a while and want to fine tune things a bit.

5. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes.

Shonda Rhimes is a television writer and producer of some of the most popular shows ever created. Shows like Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, and Private Practice. Needless to say, she is a very busy and focused woman. She also has 3 kids at home so staying in her lane became her formula for success for years.

Then through a conversation with her sister she realized that she was always saying no to the opportunities that came her way. That’s when she decided to embrace what she called a Year of Yes.

Karen loved this book because it’s so easy to double down on building a business once you’ve made the decision to become an entrepreneur and forget everything else around you. After reading Shonda’s book, Karen realized how isolated she had become since starting her business in 2011 because she was focused on building the best business she could. After reading this book a few years back she has reprioritized the things that are truly meaningful to her, opened herself up for the unexpected, and to say ‘yes’ more than she says ‘no’.

6. My next book recommendation is another one by Chris Ducker, called Virtual Freedom. The subtitle is: How to work with virtual staff to buy more time, become more productive and build your dream business.

This book was instrumental to me when I was looking to start outsourcing things in my business.  It’s a complete step-by-step guide that walks you through how to decide what to outsource, how to find the right people, writing a good job description, communicating with your virtual team and much more. One of the trickiest things for me in the beginning was trying to figure out what to delegate, and this book was really helpful. I highly recommend it if you’re ready to find people to help you in your business, so you can focus more on the income-generating tasks rather than getting lost in a sea of endless tasks that others can take off your plate.     

7. Perception: Take Charge of How Others View Your Brand, Become Irresistible, and Make a Bigger Impact by: Christo Hall & Franziska Iseli. Karen loved this book, and she has read it a few times over the years. The author uses 3 different entrepreneurs at different stages of their businesses, to illustrate their marketing strategies. This is not your everyday boring marketing book. Instead, the authors brought their teachings to life through the telling of a day-in-the-life of three friends that are all business owners. It’s a quick read and will have you turning the page to find out what happens next.

Perception teaches you to take charge: to define and then create the perception of you or your business that will lead you to the lasting success you desire. It is aimed mainly at small business owners and entrepreneurs who are looking towards defining a brand strategy targeted at increasing business growth. The strategies behind influencing perception outlined in this book also work to shape our personal lives as well.

We hope you enjoyed our book recommendations, and you take the time to read at least one of them.

Enjoy! 

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Getting Help Sooner Rather Than Later – 5 Steps to Take When Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Getting Help Sooner Rather Than Later – 5 Steps to Take When Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Getting Help Sooner Rather than Later – 5 Steps to Take When Hiring a Virtual Assistant

One way to make progress in your business a lot sooner, is to outsource some of the tasks that other people can take off of your plate. When you focus on the things only you can do such as work with clients, run your programs, show up on video and expand your circle of influence, you will feel less stressed, more productive and can actually earn more money.   

But how do you get started when it comes to hiring a virtual assistant?

In today’s episode of The Wellness Business Podcast, you’ll discover…

  • The 5 steps you should take when hiring a virtual assistant that will set that working relationship up for success right from the start
  • A list of questions you can ask past references to get a feel, ahead of time, if this virtual assistant is a good fit for you
  • Our very best pro-tips that you should consider when hiring a virtual assistant whether they will be filling an ongoing support role or taking care of one-off tasks for you

Karen and I both use multiple virtual assistants in our businesses. If we didn’t, we would never be able to keep up with the daily and weekly tasks that are demanded by our businesses.

As an example, for this podcast alone we have a podcast editor, someone else that posts our weekly episodes to the podcast blog, and then we each have our own VA’s that post our weekly podcast episodes to our individual websites, as well as we each have our own social media managers that create our podcast graphics and schedule our posts accordingly. That’s six virtual assistants between the two of us just for the podcast.

To be transparent, in the beginning of our businesses we both waited way too long to get virtual support. Knowing how that negatively affected our businesses and health we felt it was important to give you these 5 pro tips so you can hire help sooner rather than later.

Here are 5 Steps to Take When Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Step #1 – Determine your business needs – While it would be great to outsource almost everything in your business there are some things that only you can do. The flip side is that there are certain tasks that should be outsourced because your time is better spent elsewhere.

To figure out where you should begin, start by making a list of day-to-day or one-off tasks that you would like support with. This will not only help you get clarity about where you want help, it will also help you decide if there is overlap between tasks so one person could handle more than one thing.

Step #2 – Set clear objectives – In order for you to establish a win-win relationship with your virtual assistant, you need to set clear objectives from the start. When we first began our journey in hiring a VA we tried to find someone that could do it all for us. The idea of having one person that knew the ins and outs of our businesses felt like a dream come true. But we quickly realized that not only is it unrealistic to expect one person to be an expert in all things, it also set the virtual assistant up for failure. Not a great way to kick things off.

Now, when we hire someone, we look for someone that specializes in a certain area that meets the needs of our objectives. The clearer you can be about your job description, due date, and pay structure the more likely all of your objectives will be met.

Step #3 – Check their communication skills – Searching for virtual support is now a global opportunity. You have the ability to connect and work with people from anywhere in the world. That is a tremendous opportunity as long as there is clear communication between the two of you.

One of our favorite ways to make sure we’re a good match for a virtual assistant is to do a test project. As an example, when Karen was searching for a new social media manager she posted a job description, went through the applicants previous work history as well as the portfolios they submitted and then she chose her top 3 candidates. She reached out to each of them and asked if they would be willing to create 3 social media posts and graphics for her Instagram account. She offered to pay them 1 hour of wages based on their preferred hourly rate from their application and she gave them a due date.

Believe it or not, one gal missed the due date and never reached out to Karen. When Karen contacted the VA the next day, she offered a reason why she was late so Karen set a new due date for her. Once again, she missed the deadline. When she did finally submit her posts and graphics, Karen already knew that she was not a good fit because she could not meet a promised deadline. Communication is key and at no time did she take the initiative to let Karen know she was going to be late in submitting her posts. Not a great first impression.

Maria on the other hand, went above and beyond. She researched Karen’s social media and her website. Her trial posts and graphics were ideal client specific, and incorporated her marketing message, so she was hired. 

Step #4 – Ask for their portfolio and/or references – One of the easiest ways to find a great virtual assistant is to ask your colleagues. Karen and I have shared our virtual resources with one another for years and it’s always been a great fit.

If the work you want done is something visual, like social media graphics, pdf creation, or video editing, then it’s easy to ask them to provide a portfolio that includes multiple examples of projects they’ve completed in the past. If they are truly a professional virtual assistant they will already have this created ahead of time which means they can supply the link easily.

If you’re looking for general virtual support with things like email management, calendar bookings, organizing Dropbox, customer service replies, etc. then that’s not as easy to put into a portfolio. This is a great opportunity to ask for references. References are people that you can reach out to that have worked with this person in the past that will share their feedback about what they think of your potential hiring candidate.

Being prepared with a few questions ahead of time that you can ask the reference will make this process go more smoothly.

Here are 5 sample questions you can ask:

  1. How long did you work with the virtual assistant and what tasks did they perform? This question will help you understand the length and nature of the previous working relationship and the tasks the virtual assistant has experience in handling.
  1. Can you describe the virtual assistant’s communication skills and responsiveness? As communication is a crucial aspect of any remote working relationship, this question will give you an idea of how well the virtual assistant communicates and responds to queries and requests.
  2. How well did the virtual assistant adapt to new tasks and challenges? This question will give you an idea of the virtual assistant’s problem-solving skills and ability to handle new tasks and challenges.
  1. Can you describe the quality of the virtual assistant’s work and attention to detail? This question will give you an idea of the quality of work that the virtual assistant delivers and whether they pay attention to detail.
  1. Would you recommend this virtual assistant to others, and if so, why? This question will give you a sense of the reference’s overall impression of the virtual assistant, and why they would or would not recommend them.

Step #5 – Start small and build your skills as a project manager – In any good employer / virtual assistant relationship, both people need to bring their A-game to the table for it to be a win-win. I’ve found that oftentimes, the quality of the work being delivered to me is determined by how well I’m doing my job as the business owner and project manager. That’s why I like to start with smaller projects and progress from there over time as we build a relationship.

Here are some things to think about when hiring virtual support:

  • Are you clear in what outcome you want to receive by providing examples, clear specifications, due dates, pay structure, milestone check-ins, etc.
  • Are you meeting any expectations put on you by the project such as delivering sample screenshots, brand colors, user names and passwords for necessary platforms, etc. If you aren’t meeting deadlines you’ll be showing your virtual assistant that you do not put a priority on deadlines so why should they.
  • Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will the relationship you have with your virtual assistant. It takes time to build trust on both sides so starting with smaller projects, getting great results, course correcting as needed, and moving forward in incremental steps is a recipe for success.
  • If your working relationship with your new virtual assistant is going to be ongoing, rather than a one-off project, let them know up front that you’ll start them off with a 90-day probationary period. After 90 days plan to have a meeting to see how things are going on both sides. Is it a good match? How’s the communication? Is there anything you can do to make their job easier? Great communication works both ways and this is a great way to set clear expectations and parameters of the first 90 days.

What is one task or project you can start outsourcing in the next 30 days? Once you get started with outsourcing, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner!

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The Business Growth Formula We Swear By and Why It Will Work For You

The Business Growth Formula We Swear By and Why It Will Work For You

The Business Growth Formula We Swear By and Why It Will Work For You

We often get questions from coaches that start with the words, “What’s the best way to ________?”

You can fill in that blank with whatever it is you’re trying to figure out …

…the best way to grow my email list?

…the best way to attract new clients?

…the best way to get people excited about my paid program?

…the best way to fill my program the next time I open the doors?

These are common questions that usually have more than one option or answer, but it all comes down to having a SYSTEM that works for YOU. 

In this episode of The Wellness Business Podcast, you’ll discover:

  • The 4 main components that make up our business growth formula and how you can implement them into your coaching practice
  • The individual and successful process several coaches took to move from struggling to enrolling new clients in a short period of time
  • Why planning ahead, at least 30 days before a launch, can significantly increase the number of clients you enroll during the open cart period

BTW…

The doors to the Wellness Business Accelerator are now open, but only through this Friday (April 21st).

This is our signature course that we have just fully updated for 2023, where you will discover a proven system for reaching your ideal clients online, growing an engaged email list, and consistently enrolling new clients within 60 days. You will also get support from Karen and me for 8 weeks inside a private Facebook group, so you’ll know exactly what to do every step of the way to start getting clients consistently.  Click the link above and come join us! 

Systems and processes are what we teach in The Wellness Business Accelerator. We know our system works because it’s worked for so many coaches before you. When they work through our lessons and implement what we teach they start getting clients consistently and filling their programs. 

There are 4 main components to our business growth formula.

  • Identify
  • Attract
  • Convert
  • Repeat

We’ll explain why each component is important and share the stories of coaches, just like you, who took action with our system and completely transformed their business.

Component #1: Identify

IDENTIFY is the first step in our 4-part process because it’s all about identifying your marketable ideal client. A marketable ideal client is someone that knows they have a problem, is in the process of seeking a solution, and has money they can invest in that solution.

The reason this is important is because if your ideal client is missing any of those three attributes, you’ll struggle to get clients. You have to have a crystal-clear marketing message that speaks clearly to the problem and symptoms your dream clients are trying to find a solution to.

For example, when we worked with Courtney inside our program she got these results:

Using our unique process to dial in on and identify her ideal customer was a game-changer for Courtney. Once she applied what we teach it was clear to her dream clients what she had to offer and how it would help them reach their goals. We’ve worked with many clients just like Courtney that have been close to giving up so many times on their business. Maybe you can relate to her experience of struggling for years before finally having the right coaches like us and the right formula to dial in on her marketable ideal client which finally had sales rolling in.

Another similar story in this category is our student, Sherly. Here’s what she had to say about working with us inside the Wellness Business Accelerator program.

The Business Growth Formula We Swear By and Why It Will Work For You

She took the initiative to change her niche and then work through our system one module at a time. When she implemented what we teach using our proven signature program she not only enrolled 5 new clients into her diabetes program so believes the WBA is the best investment she’s ever made.

We don’t take those words lightly because we know how frustrating it can be when you’re working so hard day after day but the clients aren’t enrolling in your program. Here’s what we know for sure. It isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter and following a step-by-step system that has been designed specifically for those building wellness businesses.

Component #2: ATTRACT.

Once you’re clear on who your marketable ideal client is, now it’s time to decide how you are going to attract those people, particularly when you are launching your program.

Creating a launch plan ahead of time makes all the difference in whether you have a successful launch or one where you hear crickets and walk away feeling defeated. In the Wellness Business Accelerator program, we teach you the exact steps necessary to execute a prelaunch runway that will not only get your followers and subscribers excited about your program before opening your doors, but will increase your overall number of sales during your open cart period.

That’s exactly what happened for our client Ann-Marijke. Here’s what she had to say about her launch when she implemented a prelaunch runway. 

Those are amazing results, right? A successful launch starts with what you do 30-45 days before the doors open and when you follow the step-by-step prelaunch runway system we teach in the Wellness Business Accelerator program, you’ll experience increased sales just like Anne-Marijke.

Component #3: CONVERT.

Convert simply refers to anytime you guide a new email subscriber or social media follower to take action with you in incremental steps that eventually leads to that person becoming a paying client.

A couple of the biggest challenges that we know many health coaches face is that they aren’t making offers often enough and they aren’t exactly sure how to make sales without feeling salesy.

We get it, none of us want to feel salesy but when you have a program that you believe in and you know it gets results you have to build up the confidence to invite people to join you. For instance, we believe 100% in the power of our Wellness Business Accelerator program to change the trajectory of your business to one that is profitable and scalable. We have testimonial after testimonial from past clients sharing their personal stories of struggle to triumph using our unique system and coaching support. We know it worked for them and will work for you too if you follow what we teach.

A great example of this is one of our past students, Brooklyn. Here’s what she had to say…

We love to hear this because so many of our students come to us trying to do all the things, blinded by shiny object syndrome and never feeling like they accomplish what they start out to do that results in paying clients. Inside the Wellness Business Accelerator program, we love to keep things simple so you can get organized and set up your systems. Just like Gianna you’ll be able to flush out so much of the unnecessary nonsense leading you to a more streamlined business that gets results and makes sales.

Recap

We’ve shared some important details today about the business growth formula we believe in and teach our students. We’ve built the foundation of our Wellness Business Accelerator program around this formula and are excited to share it with you. We use it in our own businesses and teach what we know works for our clients. The doors to the Wellness Business Accelerator are open right now and you are invited to join us. We have completely updated, rerecorded and streamlined this entire program for 2023 as a way to get you profitable faster than ever before.

If any one of these stories resonated with you, we invite you to join us! The doors will be open through the end of the day on Friday, April 21st and it would be our pleasure to work with you in our Spring WBA cohort.

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Feeling Like Your Coaching Business is Stuck? 3 Ideas for Giving It a Boost

Feeling Like Your Coaching Business is Stuck? 3 Ideas for Giving It a Boost

Feeling Like Your Coaching Business Is Stuck? 3 Ideas for Giving it a Boost

​There are times in every business when things seem hard or confusing, and it’s often at the very beginning because there is so much to figure out. If you’re in a place right now where you’re feeling stuck, we have 3 ideas that can help.

Even though Karen and I have each been in business for about 10 years, there are still times when things don’t go as planned and we have to take a step back to evaluate what happened and figure out how we can improve for next time. It’s all part of the process.

Today, we’re going to cover 3 specific areas of your marketing that you want to look at closely because these are the most common places where we see coaches struggle.

We see it with coaches in our Facebook groups and we see it with coaches when they first join our Wellness Business Accelerator program – our signature course that teaches a proven system for reaching your ideal clients online and consistently enrolling new clients within 60 days. We’ll be opening the doors to the WBA on Monday, April 17th, and if you’d like to be notified when the doors open, just message me on Instagram here.

Let’s dive into the ideas for giving your business a boost.

When we look at the health coaches who are struggling to get clients, one thing we notice is: 

1. They don’t have a marketable ideal client.  A marketable ideal client is someone who:

    1. Knows they have a problem – they are aware of their struggle or issue.
    2. Wants to solve the problem – they are looking for a solution.
    3. Has money to invest into that solution – this is important, so you have people who are willing and ready to invest in the solution.

This is one of the first things we cover in the Wellness Business Accelerator because it’s so foundational and critical for reaching the people you want to help. Once coaches have this in place, everything else get easier because they are attracting the right people.

You could be trying to reach people on social media who may be aware of the problem they have (let’s say it’s high blood sugar) but they aren’t actively looking for a solution and they don’t have money to invest, so those people will never become paying clients no matter how amazing your marketing is or how often you show up for them. These people definitely need help but until they are ready and willing to invest in solving the problem by hiring you they aren’t the people you are trying to connect with.

One way to solve this problem and make sure you are attracting the right people that have all of the attributes of a marketable ideal client is to be very clear in your messaging and the content you create – are you speaking to the people who already know they have a problem, they are looking for a solution and they are ready to take action because they have money to invest?

So, you could choose a niche, but you also want to be sure it’s a marketable ideal client.  We cover all of this in the WBA to make it easy.

Another common struggle coaches have is:

2. Not getting the attention of their dream clients on social media.  This is typically due to 3 reasons:

    1. Not speaking clearly with the words and phrases your ideal clients are using – you’re using industry jargon or words they are not actually using so there is a disconnect
    2. Not creating content around their pain points – maybe you’re covering more general content but it’s not specific to your niche
    3. No clear theme in your content creation strategy – you’re posting graphics and other content but there is no real path for taking followers to the next step of the customer journey which leads them to working with you.

Let’s look at not speaking clearly with the words and phrases your ideal clients are using because this is very common.  One example would be if your niche was helping women improve their menopausal symptoms through diet and lifestyle.  These women may be thinking about their frustration with hot flashes, waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, sudden weight gain around their waist and mood swings. If you’re focusing more on words like ‘balancing hormones and hormonal imbalances” they may not resonate with that because it’s not speaking to the pain points they have – it’s going over their heads. That doesn’t mean you can’t use those words in places like your sales page and other areas of you copy and your content, but you want to focus on using more of what they are already thinking and saying, so they can relate to you more and see that you may be the one to help them.  We covered this topic in detail on episode 296 about How to Find Out What Your Ideal Clients Really Want, so check that one out if you need help with this.

Remember, you’re not trying to reach the masses with your social media content. You are trying to get people to say, “Yes, this is for me” or “No, this is not for me”. You do that through creating content that speaks clearly and concisely about what you believe, your unique approach to solving their problem, and consistently inviting them to work with you.

Let’s move on to #3, which is…

3. Lack of consistency in making offers. This includes things such as:

    1. Opening and promoting spots on your calendar for discovery calls
    2. Opening the doors to your program/services at least once per quarter (open/close cart launch)

This is a big one! We know health coaches don’t want to come off as being salesy, but what often happens is the other extreme – they never or rarely ever promote their programs or invite people to book discovery calls. It would be amazing if our followers and subscribers automatically knew how we can help them, but they need reminders and they also need us to have direct calls to action such as how to book a call, how they can sign up to work with us, join a membership or other program.  There has to be an intentional strategy with this where you plan it out on social media, and you map out any launches or promotions you want to do.

How often are you making offers – inviting people to take the next step in one of your paid programs?  If you don’t have enough clients right now, chances are, you aren’t doing it often enough.  One of the things we love helping our Wellness Business Accelerator students accomplish while we are together is to do a deep dive into how to make offers, how to map out their launches and the best way to get your followers excited about working with you before you even open the doors.

We know there is a lot to learn when it comes to growing your business with online strategies such as social media and email list building, but the good news is you CAN learn exactly how to do it. We love sharing our proven strategies to systematize and scale your efforts so you’ll save time and we’ll help you get the best results in the shortest time possible.

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Managing Your Energy Vs. Managing Your Time

Managing Your Energy Vs. Managing Your Time

Managing Your Energy Vs. Managing Your Time

When it comes to your business, there is a lot to do. You are likely already busy in your personal life, so managing it all can feel a little overwhelming sometimes.

We are all familiar with the concept of time management, but there is also something else to consider which is managing your energy. 

When you’re conscious and intentional about how you’re spending your time and you’re aware of what is draining your energy vs what makes you feel happy and energized, you’ll notice a big difference in how you feel – your mood, your productivity and enjoyment of what you do.

Today, we are talking about managing your energy vs managing your time, and we’re having an open and interesting conversation to give you some ideas on what you may want to implement or try. 

In order to manage your energy, it’s important to start with the things you know tend to drain you, vs what doesn’t. Things that drain you can also be things you enjoy doing, but because it takes mental or emotional energy, you have to limit how much you do in a day or a week.

Kathleen: For example, I enjoy doing livestreams in my Facebook group, but after 30-40 mins, I need to take a break. I could not do livestreams every day or probably not even every week, and I’m aware of that and I schedule accordingly.

Also, because I know I will feel tired afterwards, I know not to schedule other appointments or tasks that take a lot of brain power. So, after doing a livestream, I wouldn’t plan to outline a podcast episode or do something that takes a lot of creativity.

Another thing that helps me manage my energy is not overbooking my calendar.  I spread out appointments during the week – whether it’s lunch with friends, doctor appointments, interviews, recording podcast episodes, I’ve learned that if I overbook my day, it wipes me out.

Karen prefers to work in longer blocks of time, so she can power through and get the most important things done by noon. 

We have some helpful tips to share to help you better manage your energy, and we’re going to cover 7 of them:

  1. This is obvious, but still important to point out – get enough sleep. If you don’t prioritize sleep, you are going to start your day feeling tired, and it goes downhill from there. 
  2. Tune into what gives you energy, so you can incorporate that, such as exercise, meditation, spending time in nature or whatever you enjoy.
  3. Arrange your schedule whenever possible to focus on maintaining your energy rather than overbooking and overscheduling yourself. If you notice you are wiped out by 3 pm each day, it’s a good sign to listen to your body and take a break or end your workday then if possible. 
  4. Take mini breaks during the day. This could be doing something as simple as stretching, doing some breathing exercises, stepping outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air and sunshine or it could be going for a quick 5-10 minute walk.
  5. Limit multi-tasking and focus on completing one task before moving to the next one.
  6. Limit distractions as much as possible – this means leaving your phone in the other room when you’re working or turning off push notifications.
  7. Look at tasks that you can outsource to free up more of your time and protect your energy.

When we focus on managing our energy, managing our time tends to fall into place because we will likely get more done while feeling better. 

Tune into the things that deplete your energy and decide how you can work around it, delegate it or break it up during the week.

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Successfully Building A Health Coaching Business While Working Another Job – Part 2

Successfully Building A Health Coaching Business While Working Another Job – Part 2

Successfully Building A Health Coaching Business While Working Another Job – Part 2

Many coaches that we talk to believe that they don’t have the money to invest in virtual support but truth be told, you can find help for a lot less than you may think, and it will free up your time to work on more of the income-generating tasks and projects for your business.

We both wish that we would have outsourced things much sooner than we did. It took us quite a while to realize that there are tasks in our own business that anyone can do and there are some that only we can do. If we are focusing on the tasks that only we can do then we are able to make more money because a big portion of those tasks are related to working with paying clients.

Today we’re sharing 3 budget-friendly ways to get virtual support.

Option #1: Project Only Support.

This type of help would be related to a certain project, for example, having a pdf created as a freebie, video editing for your paid program, or graphics created for your next promotion.

Option #2: Promotion Only Support

This type of help would be for a certain period of time. For instance, you bring someone on for a 14-day period during your next launch. They would help you during the hectic periods, (right before, during, and right after the launch). This type of support can be invaluable during a launch period because there are so many moving parts that are happening all at the same time.

Option #3: Pre-Established Number of Hours Each Week/Month

This is an option that offers more consistent help for you and your business but can still be budget friendly when you plan ahead with the tasks and job description of what you want support with. This is a great opportunity to pass along repetitive tasks that need to be done but don’t require that you handling them. It’s also a great way to add accountability and consistency to your business because you have a set schedule with another person.

The top 5 tasks that we recommend outsourcing when you’re first starting out are:

  1. Blog posts – formatting and uploading to your website
  2. Social media – scheduling posts, creating graphics
  3. Uploading and scheduling emails into your email management system
  4. Client resources – recipes, PDF guides
  5. Graphics for your website and/or social media

We’re sure your next question is… where do I find virtual support. That’s a great question. We’ve found amazing people through the years using a couple of different resources.

The first one is Fiverr.com. This website is great for finding contractors for one off projects like PDF creation or creating graphics.

The next resource that has served us really well over the last few years is a Facebook group called: Virtual Assistant Savvies. This is an excellent group to find virtual support in every possible area of your business.

You can also try onlinejobs.ph. This is a virtual assistant finder website for help from people who live in the Philippines.  You can find people who charge as little as $6 – $8 an hour because the cost of living there is so low.

Oher options include Upwork.com and asking your colleagues for recommendations. 

The key to getting great help is to take the time to figure out exactly what you are looking for, (including a task description, number of hours per month, or if it will be periodic help/one-off projects).

Karen has a free download that will help you be successful in hiring virtual support no matter what your needs are. It’s called Outsourcing Like a Pro: 10 Steps to Outsourcing. It will be a valuable resource as you work through this process.

Here’s the thing, when it comes to successfully building your health coaching business while working another job it’s important to realize that there is only so much of your time to go around and while you can build your business at a slower pace, which is fine, it’s still important to pull in virtual support as needed so you can focus on the things that actually get you clients as well as leaving time in your calendar to actually work with clients.

As we wrap up this two-part series, we want to address one more topic that we get asked about all of the time.

How will I know when it’s time to transition my coaching business full-time so I can quit my 9-5.

This is such a great question.

While we can’t give you an exact formula because it’s different for everyone we can give you some parameters to help you make your own decision.

  1. Decide how much income your business needs to make for you to live the life you want to live. That may require some sacrifices for a while but the decision has to be yours. Once you figure out what that income needs to be you’ll then have a target for your business revenue to make the switch.
  2. You’ve tested and proven your business model. It’s important that you have some consistency with attracting the right clients as well as testimonials with client successes. Until you’ve built processes and habits into your business routine, (everything we’ve talked about in these two episodes), our recommendation is to not quit your job. Having a proven method that is getting results is a key indicator that you can transition.
  3. You’re willing and ready. Just because you can go all-in on your coaching business doesn’t mean you’re ready. Having a proven business model, building a cash cushion, and bringing in consistent income are great financial signs that you may be ready to take your business full-time, but that doesn’t mean you’re mentally or emotionally prepared. Wait until you’re ready. If you like your business being a side-hustle and don’t really want to make it your full-time gig then honor that. Trust your gut!

Decide what action you will take based on what we covered part one and part two of this series and see what a difference it makes. 

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