BUSINESS BREAKDOWN

‘IF YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT’

by Brendan Chaplin

Hey friend,

Many years ago around 2010 I remember walking into my gym in Leeds one morning and on the whiteboard someone had written the words ‘slow is smooth and smooth is fast’.

Turned out it was legendary weightlifting coach Tamas Feher. He was the GB weightlifting coach leading up to London 2012. It had been written during the weekend training camp.

Timing is everything in weightlifting. Sure you need to be strong but co-ordination and skill is what delivers the really big numbers. There are stronger athletes who cannot lift what these guys lift. It’s not about brute force.

This relates to one of my clients I began working with around 8 weeks ago, a coach in the leadership and executive space. Super bright, super motivated.

When she came to me was was making around 3k monthly through her coaching business. In line with what a lot of coaches make to be honest with you, the ones that don’t take their business seriously that is!

And in truth she was burnt out. Trying to post all day on socials, networking hard and trying to speak with everyone. Doing lots of good work, but missing the mark.

And committing the cardinal sin in our game….

Selling her time for money!

Literally selling sessions at a time.

£100 here and there (her hourly rate).

Maybe a bunch of 5-10 sessions.

She was hustling hard, but for no money.

This is completely unsustainable, for anyone. You can grind your way to 30k, 40k or even 60 and 70k, but you will burn out. You will begin to hate the very thing that you once loved.

It’s the dreaded hamster wheel. The moment you jump off the business stops. You make no money, and all you’re thinking about when you take a week or two off is jumping back on!

And worst of all clients that were coming and going, not really buying into the programme or fully committing. Transient in nature.

Not. Cool. At. All.

And in this case as you might imagine there was some real frustrations, talk of quitting, or getting a job and coaching on the side. But in reality her deep passion always has been transformational coaching.

My suggestion to her was actually to take some time off and reflect. Normally when you take time out thoughts come to the front of mind that have been buried in the subconscious.

She came back to me with a vision to be earning 10k per month within 12 months and enjoying her work.

We began working together.

Let’s talk about what we did.

Well firstly, the temptation is always to go for more.

But I need to be clear here. That is rarely the way to go. Not initially.

Don’t be the busy fool that tells everyone how busy you are but doesn’t make any money and deosn’t have time for your partner or family.

It’s a socially acceptable way to cover up your fear of facing up to what you really want. You know it and I know it.

And in this case the solution was doing wayyyy less.

And building out the core pillars of any successful coaching company.

Here’s what we built together for her:

A Core Methodology. Literally not one person cares if you are a great coach or not. They care about themselves and what you can do for them. The methodology you create is exactly how you will deliver the outcomes they seek. It’s how you work and encompasses you, your values, and your message.

A Core Programme. The thing that gets people from pain to pleasure. The thing that really means something to them. When someone joins her programme now they know exactly what will happen and they are investing in the journey and the outcome.

A Core Offer. Making it super simple for people to work with you and crucially at a price point that is impactful for you and a stretch for your prospects. Coaching works only when there’s an investment involved. In this case we created a really impactful 12 week programme for her marketplace. And instead of £100 an hour it was £4000.

The steps above are not going to be done in an hour. They need real thought, real shift, your need to be in the right environment to make this happen. You need to feel something when you create in this way.

Then you’re committed to it. Then it has real power.

And from this work you have what you need to build a really great business.

And my client from here?

She literally started talking solely about her methodology, her work, her values, her programme and finally her offer.

And that same crowd that were hearing her and not buying started to put their hands up.

In month one she made 3 sales at £4k.

Month two 5 sales again at £4k.

And we haven’t even begun the real marketing phase yet. But that’s £20k months already.

I want to say again: Coaching only works when there is a meaningful financial investment involved. It does not work when there isn't.

All those books you’ve ready that are sitting on your shelf, what difference did they make to your life? What action did you take?

What about the ‘advice’ you received when it was free? It might have given you insights and perspectives but in reality it’s usually a case of here today gone tomorrow.

That’s exactly why you need to invest significantly in your coaching. It has to bring you to the table AND bring your coach to the table. That’s where the magic really happens.

And pricing. A key area.

You can sell your coaching and consulting for £1-5k per month. Or £12-60k per year. Irrespective of the niche you're in, be it leadership, fitness, business, mindset or your specific niche.

The people who invest at this level are all in. They will get amazing results and refer their friends.

You can also sell it for £100 per session. Or even £30 per session.

You will get the clients that value what you do at that level.

Make your choice……

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

If you are not where you want to be you must take the time to build the foundations or your business. Don’t just try to use brute force, be a master craftsman instead.

Then everything changes.

Just like Tamas said.

B. Xx

PS: Want my help? I’ve just taken on 4 new clients so I’m fully booked at the moment.

If you want to be considered for the next space that’s available to work on your core pillars and begin signing high value clients hit reply and type the word ‘INTERESTED’ I will add you to the waiting list.

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Come on, be honest with me…what’s your Next BIG goal in Business or Life? Click the one that resonates the most with you :)