The Value of Having a Business Coach
At the beginning of 2022, I had a strong desire to find a business coach. I needed someone who had similar values and goals as me, but who was a few steps ahead of me.
How I found my business coach
Rewind to December 2019, I attended an event called ManifestHer, founded by a woman in Chicago named Stef Caldwell. Stef was gathering 10 ambitious women each month to sit at a table, set goals, meet one another, and meditate on our futures. The woman who is now my coach, Taylor Elyse Morrison, was at my table.
From 2019-2022, I followed Taylor’s work via her newsletter and Instagram. She founded a self care company called Inner Workout and now runs her business full time.
I admired that she was able to build a lucrative, bootstrapped, sustainable lifestyle business on her terms. That was my goal, too.
Who better to hire as a coach than a woman who is just a few steps ahead of me?
I found myself constantly thinking of questions to ask Taylor:
How was she getting PR?
What were her revenue channels?
How did she go full-time in her business?
It didn’t feel right to email her asking for free advice, so instead I asked if she wanted to be my business coach:
Fortunately, Taylor said yes to the idea of month-to-month coaching on Voxer. We’ve been working together for 8 months and I’ve learned so much. With her help, I’ve 10X’d my skills, got where I wanted to go faster, and felt supported the whole time.
What I wanted to achieve in 2022
Replace my income and become an entrepreneur
When we started our coaching, I knew that 2022 was the year of replacing my income, but I had no idea how. Ideally, I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I didn’t know if it was possible. What would my company be? How would I earn money?
At that point, I had only earned ~$8k over several years while trying on various entrepreneurial pursuits. But in previous years, I was always heads down working for other people. And in 2022, I had a rare opportunity:
After working for my parent’s company for three years, they offered to pay me through the end of the year while giving me space to start my own company. I knew it was an incredible opportunity. It was also scary. I was thinking:
If I don’t figure this out in 2022, I’m never going to figure it out.
I didn’t have any excuses left: no full-time job, children, mortgages, elderly parents, etc. This year has been about me and my goals only.
What I achieved in 8 months from February-September 2022
I gained career clarity. This was the number one thing I was seeking in 2022.
I created my own definition of success (more on this to come).
I became clear on my values.
I embraced being a multi-hyphenate creator and ditched the idea of finding my “one thing.”
I experimented with several business ideas and eventually found one that can replace my income. While I have one clear business that is my income portal, I have free time to work on several businesses and pursuits. Being a multi-hyphenate working on different projects feels really good for me.
Taylor recommended Wave Accounting which is free and shows my business income and expenses clearly. There’s something about seeing these numbers in a tech platform that made it click for me. I became motivated to see my business income grow.
I started billing clients through my LLC and my business income grew 🎉
I discovered the infinite value of having a support system and asking for help 🤝
I found my role and niche within the creator ecosystem: I’m a writer. I understand content marketing and ranking in Google. I create blogs and newsletters. I write books. I understand marketing from top to bottom. I’m an entrepreneur.
I’ve become more relaxed and clear about who I am in my work and in life.
I feel at peace.
How to identify if a coach is the right fit for you
“Never ask advice of someone with whom you wouldn’t want to trade places.”
I had a realization late last year that I was surrounded by a lot of entrepreneurial peers, but not many of those peers were actually entrepreneurs.
It wouldn’t make sense for me to take advice from people who had side hustles but had cushy salaries at big companies. Or to take advice from entrepreneurs who were super into social media and interested in pushy sales (that’s not me).
I needed to see myself in my coach. And I needed someone who had the type of career I wanted.
My best recommendation is to find a coach who:
Has a few similar traits to you (are they a fellow introvert? Love reading books? etc.) This will help you find common ground and see yourself in your coach.
Has something you desire (a bootstrapped lifestyle business, a great relationship with their lead investor, whatever it may be).
Is capable of holding space for you, celebrates you, and genuinely wants what is best for you.
Has accomplished something you want to accomplish (landing great PR articles, connecting with thousands of email subscribers, etc).
Has similar values as you (for me that was slowing down, taking care of myself, and building sustainably)
Consider what you want to accomplish with coaching
I had a goal to replace my income this year as an entrepreneur in a sustainable and fun way. I wasn’t sure how though. Taylor supported me while I job searched, experimented with different offers, and brainstormed ideas. She was my thought partner above all else. And with her help, I found a clear path forward. I’ve found so much peace and power in my work. I’m forever grateful to Taylor for coaching me this year. Check out her work at taylorelyse.com.
I hope this story inspires you to find a coach, build your dream team, and make progress toward your goals.
