This year we finally took the plunge and did something we’ve wanted to do for years: we hired a business coach! But unfortunately, it took us so long before we found the right person who fit our brand and values. Now that we have, we have to say we wish we’d found her so much sooner!
Today we wanted to share why we made the step to hire a business coach and what it’s looked like so far. We even asked fellow business owners if they had any questions for us, so we’ll be answering those throughout this blog too.
Why We Wanted a Business Coach
If we’re honest, working on and in a business for so many years takes a lot of your energy. When we first started the business it felt like we had a never-ending supply of it. Now, especially after the pandemic, we’ve found ourselves running on empty more often than we’d like. Starting new ventures sounds tiresome because our business needs that precious energy we have just to maintain it.
We knew we wanted someone with fresh energy and a different perspective to come in and evaluate where we were at. Running a business just isn’t something you can do alone. Having help and encouragement was something we knew we needed.
Plus, we had some big goals and dreams we didn’t know how to implement. We needed someone to come in and show us the next steps to take and to give us structure in it. That’s why one of our main goals was finding a coach who had experience in helping with launching new ventures.
How We Met Our Coach
We found out about her through a friend in the industry. She had been using her for months while she worked to launch a print shop. Then, one day, she talked about her business coach on Instagram, and we instantly dmed her to learn more. We’d been hoping to find a coach since 2019 and just didn’t know where to start, who all coached businesses like ours, etc.
After a pretty extensive messaging thread, she shared how amazing her coach was, and we knew we had to reach out.
The Matching Phase
We quickly reached out to Allee, the coach, and set up a meeting. We wanted to make sure she aligned with our values and goals and that she could really help us.
A quick confession, for the last two years, we felt like we’ve been holding ourselves back on big dreams, mainly I have (Katie). I can come up with them but get nervous to actually pull the trigger for fear of failure or embarrassment. However, during our initial call with Allee, she instantly had us dreaming and shared ways to implement those dreams. Better yet, she was encouraging us on how we could be successful and encouraging our abilities.
These were all things we desperately needed to hear as small business owners, especially after these pandemic years in business. We left our call feeling so much peace, excited about the future, encouraged, and ready to tackle anything. It just felt like God’s timing and blessing were surrounding the call.
What Coaching Looks Like
Allee has been so helpful in getting us set up. Our first step was setting up a 90-minute intensive call to talk through what our business looks like, pain points, where we’re functioning best, and what our overall goals were for coaching. After that, we set up weekly meetings to check in on our goals, work through our homework assignments, and talk through practical steps to reach those goals. It’s like having a cheerleader, accountability partner, and coach all wrapped into one.
So far, every week, we’ve left feeling uplifted, cared about, encouraged, and like we have the practical steps and tools to move forward. It’s given us a lot of passion back in areas where we’d found ourselves running dry.
We still have 2.5 months of coaching to go and some big launches coming up during that time. We can’t wait to see what God does through this big step of faith! After waiting for so long, the timing of working with Allee just feels right, and we know that this was when we were supposed to take these next steps.
Feel free to post any questions you might have about the coaching experience in the comments. We will actively be responding to them as well as updating this blog as the process progresses!
Blessings,
Katie & Alec
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