Shortcut #2: Yoda in your Pocket

What if you could have Yoda in your pocket and you could ask him questions and for advice when you needed it?

THAT is what a business coach is supposed to be like…. In my not so humble opinion.

When people ask me what they should outsource first I tell them this:

If you aren’t making six-figures yet, then outsource whatever is currently standing between you and money whether that is getting your product up for sale, your sales copy written, tech, or getting a webinar set up.

If you don’t know what that thing is yet, then the only thing you need to hire is a GOOD (be picky) business coach.

I suggest you write down criteria that you’re looking for so that you don’t jump into a coaching program just because it’s got great marketing. Some of the worst coaches in my experience have the slickest marketing, unfortunately. And then after they spend thousands of dollars on the flashy coach, they end up finding me or one of my friends and they say “Oh how I wish I had found you, (insert name), sooner, before I wasted all this money.”

Take your time in making this decision. Don’t feel pressured and if you do, run. Make a wish list, kind of like dreaming up your future spouse. You have to take enough time to figure out what you want in order to go find it, right?

For instance, this is the list I wrote several years ago when trying to find my next coach. (And yes, everyone should have a coach, whether it’s for a specific goal like “I want to write and publish a book.” or “I want to become a better public speaker.” Or if you want a general business coach or even a life coach. Always be growing, and don’t try to figure it out on your own.)

My criteria for a coach in 2014 included:

1. My coach must have built at least two successful profitable businesses, and also have a great relationship with his/her list.
2. My coach could not be working 80 hours a week. I’ve built my business so that I can work when I want to but I have plenty of recurring income streamsand systems in place so I make money ongoing. Having a coach who was flying all over the country and working 8-18 hours a day wasn’t going to be a good fit for me – at all.
3. Similarly, I wanted someone who doesn’t work off a jam-packed calendar. I like to have my schedule mostly free except for a few coaching calls and any interviews that I’m doing. Basically, if I want to go to yoga, I don’t want to have to look at my calendar and say “Oh crap. I have those 8 calls today.” Otherwise, I feel trapped by my business.
4. Someone uber-productive.
5. A businessperson with low overhead. I didn’t want someone who had a staff of 15 employees and an office building. I wanted someone running a tight, lean, profitable business.
6. A person who rocks at positioning. I felt stuck in a decision about rebranding and how to move forward with it.  So, I wanted someone who was very clear in his/her positioning and in putting themselves out clearly in the marketplace.
7. A great public speaker/presenter. I am getting more and more speaking opportunities and I know that I can improve in this area.
8. A person who I trusted to not blab to others and who I felt comfortable being honest and open with. (Someone safe and kind.)
9. Someone who was familiar with and who would understand my business model, with my NicoleontheNet.com business, and also CoachGlue.com, and Beachpreneurs.com.
10. He or she must offer email coaching as an option. Again, I’m not a fan of scheduling calls and I prefer flexibility. Plus, I wanted private coaching, not group. Sometimes more opinions are not necessarily better. And, as I mentioned, I prefer to be private so I like one-on-one coaching.
11. Funny helps. I wouldn’t mind having some laughs, too.
12. My coach must also have MASSIVE amounts of integrity in business and in personal life. This is not optional.
13. He or she must also be making the world a better place with the platform that they have built. (Using the opportunity of having an audience to get the word out about ways to impact the world.)

I highly encourage you to create a similar list. You can’t get what you want until you KNOW what you want, right?

But why have a coach?

First of all, a roadblock, whether real or perceived, can hold you back for 6 months or a year. That’s six months or a year of NO profits from a project that hasn’t come to completion.

Why do I say “real or perceived” in regards to a roadblock?

In my experience, most roadblocks for one person are not a roadblock for others. And many roadblocks are only a roadblock because of mindset and not an actual “needs fixin’” issue.

So, while a roadblock may stall you on a project, the same issue could be nothing but a pebble in the road for someone else.

My personal rule is that I don’t stay “stuck” for longer than 15 minutes. After I’ve tried to google the answer and attempted the fix, I call in someone with more experience. Whether that is a friend, someone on my team, or, yes, a coach.

Usually it’s humbling and wonderful to find that they can get me back on track in minutes.

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Go do awesome stuff.

Warmly,

PS. Did you miss shortcut #1? If so, you can catch that here: Shortcut #1: Put Down the Nail Clippers.