If you had told me a couple years ago that I needed a mentor or a coach for my business, I would have laughed and said NO. Don’t think so… why the heck would I want or need that? I run successful businesses and do not need someone else telling me how to do things. ( I am super bossy and sometimes don’t play well with others lol) I realize now, that I was so wrong. My ego was standing in the way of my future. You see, we all think we know what to do, how to do it, and do not need other people telling us how to do things. The thing is, we actually all run on our own gerbil wheels, running along just doing what we do. We only know what we know, and having a coach or mentor is (and has been for us) a critical pivotal element that anyone that wants to succeed needs.

If you are stuck or moving backwards in your business, it might be time to hire a coach. A couple years ago, my husband and I noticed a big shift in how our industry was selling products. It is not that we were not aware of it, it happened slowly. We realized the way we had been doing things and the way things were moving was not working as well as they had been in the past. So what did we do? We worked harder and harder, traveled more and sacrificed our personal lives and sanity until we realized we needed to figure something else out. The reality was, we were too busy and too tired and really too invested in what and how we were doing things we did not know what to do next. I am sure over the course of time we could have figured it out, but to what cost? How much time and money would we lose figuring it out? & would we really figure it out for sure? We were invited to a friends (and future mentors) marketing event. We decided to go and see what it was all about. Boy were our eyes opened! We gained so much perspective from that one event, that our heads were spinning. We realized we needed to learn what these guys were doing and start applying that to our own business. Just because we were having success, did NOT mean we were working smarter. We were doing things old school, the hard way. We were missing the boat and definitely needed to learn to do things differently in order to run our businesses instead of them running us. Having a mentor can give you that perspective. They can provide clarity and confidence to help you accomplish your goals. They don’t in any way do anything for you, but having one can make the difference between success and failure. You can only take yourself so far on your own. A coach or mentor will help you move from where you are to where you want to go. They focus on your goals and help you strategize on how to get there.

You’ll never really know what you are capable of until there is someone to push you outside your comfort zone. Look at professional athletes for example. If a business coach or mentor is someone you’ve thought about but aren’t quite sure on getting one yet, here are some reasons why you should.

–  Clarity: You may not even know exactly what it is you want to accomplish. You may be so far inside your business that you have no perspective. A good coach can help you gain clarity on what your actual goals are and help you figure out what it is you need to do to get there, and identify places where you might be holding yourself back from achieving them. If we can change our perspective then we can change what stops us from getting where and what we want in life.

–  Accountability: We could all use an accountability parter to strategize and develop your goals while aligning your efforts towards getting there. They can hold you accountable to a higher standard of growth and performance.

–  Guidance: A coach offers insight that you would not otherwise have. They help you create a path towards your goals. It is important to identify your weaknesses & find a coach that will help you turn your weaknesses into strengths. You may realize you need certain skills you need to upgrade in order to be successful.

–  Action: Once you identify what your goals are, they need to be broken down into obtainable actions. That way you stay out of overwhelm and know exactly what to do to work towards your goals. Your coach will push you to get outside your comfort zone, take action, and just get started.

Look for someone who you look up to and trust. Someone who has accomplished what you want to accomplish and who’s strengths are your weaknesses. They should be a friend, coach, teacher, cheerleader- someone you can turn to when things aren’t quite going as planned. I often refer to my own mentors as my “Yoda”. They are wise, and accomplished. I trust them and their advice. I love this quote: “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda . That is the best quote ever, and it is so true.

People often tend to mold their lives around their businesses instead of the other way around. Breaking free of the cage of working for someone else, but then trapping themselves in a cage of their own making. I wish I had started sooner. I wish I had sought out advice and mentorship several years ago. It would have saved so much time and energy. I am just so glad that I have it now. The ability to resource amazing minds and information that would’ve taken a long time to acquire. Information I didn’t think I needed. I wasn’t even thinking about. Is coaching worth it? That depends on how willing you are to take action. The better question is how much time, money, and energy are you willing to waste trying to do everything yourself?

If you would like more information on personal coaching or mentoring, please message me and I would love the opportunity to help you!