This episode is short and sweet. And it’s part of the Smart Mindsets & Habits series.
In these early days of your coaching business, before you are booked with clients, it may be tempting to fit your coaching business into whatever time you have left in the day.
The truth is that you can’t build a business on fumes. And you certainly can’t grow a business that way.
There’s a mindset that goes with that fit-it-into-the-downtime approach. And it’s usually not a conscious one.
It’s the hobbyist mindset. Or the perpetual student mindset.
Please know that I get it … if you’re a stay-at-home parent, adding in a new business to your day is totally disruptive. You have a rhythm of what you do day to day. You know your priorities. Now, you have to re-make that rhythm to a new beat.
It’s also super challenging to add a new business in when you’ve got a full-time job.
And, if you’re adding a business to a full-time job plus caring for children, it’s downright heroic, if you ask me.
Even so, if you want a thing to thrive, it needs regular care and feeding. It needs a rhythm. Find one that works for you now and build up from there as you can.
Coaching Business Office Hours
When I decided to become a coach, I negotiated my job into a part-time consulting position to have time to build my coaching business.
But, I’m embarrassed to say, even with the clear boundaries on my job and more at-home time, I didn’t use my “free” time well on behalf of my business.
And I didn’t make much progress for that first year.
I realized that I needed office hours. That I needed to think of myself going to work for my business. That made an immediate difference in my earnings and satisfaction as a coach.
Setting office hours was my first step into the CEO role of my coaching business.
It signaled to my friends and family that I was no longer in student mode. And it motivated me to get creative and productive on a higher level than I was before.
Now, you may only have one hour each day for your coaching business. If that’s the case, that is your office hour.
Tell your family, your friends and colleagues that you’re not available to them during that hour unless it’s a true emergency.
Then do the power hour.
Know before you sit down to your desk what you’re going to do with that hour. Make the most of it. Turn off your phone, close out your email and get focused.
Block Your Time
Obviously, the more time you find for your business day to day, the faster you’ll grow so that you can replace your job with coaching.
You’ll need time for serving clients, client management and in first few years, you’ll need significant for marketing and getting the word out to your target audience that you have something valuable for them.
Having a rhythm for your coaching business means you’re highly productive and work less.
Here’s my rhythm:
- I’m open for client calls only Tuesdays through Thursdays from 8:00am to 3:00pm my time.
Sometimes coaches worry about having to work weekends and nights because they think that’s the only time their clients will be available.
I’ve come to learn that clients will make themselves available when I’m available.
- I never take clients on weekends or after 4:00pm.
- I use Mondays for creating podcasts and other projects.
- On Fridays, I just check and respond to email, otherwise I’m free.
That makes it really easy to take a 4-day weekend whenever I want to. And I schedule doc and hair appointments only on Monday or Friday.
- When I am working on tasks, I break my time into power hours.
- I fit the small tasks in between client sessions.
- I leave at least 1/2 hour between my sessions.
I check in with my body to determine what’s full for me right now. If a day or week is starting to look too full, I mark the day as busy in my Google calendar so that no one else can book the time with me through TimeTrade.
What could your coaching business rhythm look and feel like?
What would fit with your natural rhythms?
How could you set office hours and block time for specific tasks and appointments?
What boundaries will you set on your time to safe guard it?
If you’re in the Prosperous Coach Club, my Facebook group, chime in there about your set rhythm. And if you’re not in the group, you can easily join. Go to https://prosperouscoach.com/fb.
The Next Episode is: Set Smart Boundaries with Coaching Prospects & Clients
