Here at the-Coaching Blog-run by Gerard O’Donovan, our aim is to constantly bring value to those seeking to improve their lives. Therefore we have a policy of publishing articles and materials by guest authors whom we value and appreciate. Today’s guest author is Ken Keis (Canada).

The research varies, but in general, about 80% of people do not enjoy what they do for a living. Is it possible that we, as coaches, could be a part of that 80%? Perhaps we go through the motions, but we do not necessarily love it as much as we used to—or even at all. We know the opportunity is there for us to help ourselves and others become successful. But to do this, we need to love what we do, and then we can leverage and strategize our personal capital when opportunities arise.

Here are some tips and strategies to help you coach with Purpose, passion, and Business success!

Coaching with Purpose

The first focus of your business is not to make money, or even to provide a service, but rather to live your purpose. If your work is not driven by your purpose and passions, then, in my experience, the business is not sustainable over the long-term.

If we do not love what we do, working harder and putting more hours into our day will not produce new results. Successful results come only from a change in how, or what, we do. Just because we have 10 years of experience in a particular field, does not mean that we should work harder in order to achieve desired outcomes. Instead, we need to diverge ourselves from that background and discover our true passions.

Coaching with Passion

We cannot try to motivate ourselves to work or let other influences affect us in a negative way. As coaches, we need to play to our strengths and our passions. Other customers or colleagues can try telling us to do things differently. However, if we were to listen to everything that everyone else says about our business, then eventually, the business will not be ours anymore. On the other hand, when our direction is clear and true to us, then we can make the right decisions.

Use your inherit talents and serve as coaches to the clients who motivate you! It is important not to underestimate the effect that toxic clients can have on you and potentially your other clients. We need to learn how to say no to clients that don’t fit our passion. Keep your business model and stay focused so you can achieve sustainability and success.

Leveraging Your Personal Capital

When thinking about intellectual property, we want to think about how we can repurpose it. For example, we might consider allowing people to engage our content through a different methodology other than coaching—such as eLearning tools, web-based resources, partnerships, telecom training, co-branding, e-commerce, etc. There is software available to distribute your knowledge. You can leverage content, relationships, articles, checklists, and handouts.

The highest-paid coaches do not rely on only coaching for pay, but also their additional product offerings and/or additional resources. You must first develop your skill set to get there, but the idea of only being paid to coach is simply too limiting. You can decide what direction your intellectual property takes you, but be sure to investigate what is available and be aware of what you can leverage.

You Need to Develop a Coaching Business

Here are some reflective questions and statements for you to consider:

• Coaching is a business like any other entrepreneurial venture and your mindset and how you think about the coaching profession is critical to your long-term success.
• Do you think about your business development strategies as much or more than the coaching process?
• Do you have a marketing plan and sales funnel in place for your coaching business?
• Do you love sales? Yes or No?
• How are you including the concept of leverage into your coaching business?
• What passive and residual cash flow do you have in your coaching business independent of your coaching services?
• How do you add value or how you are different (better) than the hundreds of other coaches in your marketing place?
• The top coaches use assessments as part of the added value and systemising a process while creating additional revenue -what about you?

Have you asked these questions of yourself?

Rethinking Your Success

Success is not always what we might think it is. If we are not doing what fulfills us, we are not going to be successful in the way that we hope.

You need to be playing to your strengths and passions and be intentional about what you want to do. Just take one step at a time and become clear about your purpose. Honour your pace, but move forward.

You are creating a coaching business, not a coaching practice – take the required steps to move in that direction.

Your journey needs to reflect you, and, in the end, you have to live with your business. Design it, create it, and intentionally put it together so that it feeds your needs. Live on purpose and, when you do that, your ability to contribute will increase significantly.

Start now! Take your personal or business life to the next level with the right assessments for your needs.

Attention: Coaches and Development Professionals

The entire family of CRG assessments in the Personality Development Factors Model© can help you benchmark the condition of your clients easily and quickly. CRG’s assessments include the Personal Style Indicator, Sales Style Indicator, Stress Indicator and Health Planner, Self-Worth Inventory, Entrepreneurial Style and Success Indicator, Values Preference Indicator, Learning Style Indicator, Instructional Style Indicator, Job Style Indicator, and the Leadership Skills Inventory-Self or the Leadership Skills Inventory-360°.

About the Author

Ken Keis, Ph.D., President of CRG, is a global authority on developmental assessments and on how assessment strategies increase and multiply success rates. In 28 years, he has conducted over 3000 presentations and invested 10,000+ hours in consulting and coaching.

His latest book, The Quest For Purpose: A Self-Discovery Process To Find It And Live It!, is available at www.thequestforpurpose.ca. He is also the author of Why Aren’t You More Like Me? Discover the Secrets to Understanding Yourself and Others, and co-author of Deliberate Leadership: Creating Success Through Personal Style. He co-created CRG’s proprietary development models and has written more than 3.5 million words of content for 40 business training programs and over 500 articles. Ken’s expertise includes assisting individuals, families, teams, and organizations to realize their full potential and to Live On Purpose!