Small Business Coaching: Need People Who Support You?

By Allison Babb

I’ve found my clients to be brilliant, talented, and full of fabulous money-making ideas for their business. But because they are solo entrepreneurs, they tend to remain isolated for the most part in their business life.

But even though you need to get connected with others, WHO you choose to connect with can either make or break you. It can lift you up or drag you down. And if you think gathering with others in your industry is the way to go, what I share here may surprise you.

YOUR INDUSTRY PEEPS

OK, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with attending industry-focused meetings where you're hanging with your peeps. Coach memberships if you’re a coach, accountant memberships if you’re an accountant, photographer gatherings if you’re a photographer.

But here’s the thing… if that’s the ONLY meetings you attend, you can tend to get very self-focused in your business. Sure, you keep discover how to do your craft or skill better, but who’s teaching you marketing, sales, etc. Worse, folks end up following what everyone else in their industry does which means you’re not doing anything to set yourself apart.

I tend to hang with folks who are in multiple industries and industries completely different than my own. And I watch what they do. I steal successful ideas that seem like they could never be used in my industry and I find a way to tweak it and apply it to my own industry. One of my best ideas for example, came from a grocery store owner. And that my friends may be one secret to standing out as unique and different in your field so that you attract a whole lot of clients. It takes a level of open-mindedness and tremendous curiosity to get there.

MENTORS

I believe you must have some type of mentor in your business life. A coach, or someone who has walked the path that you’re on. Someone who has gone before you and can help you avoid unnecessary and costly mistakes. Every single one of my coaches has a coach. Whether it’s paid, bartered, or befriended, it would be in your best interest to find a mentor or coach to help you succeed much more quickly in business.

YOUR FIVE

It is said, you are the sum of the 5 people you hang around with the most. So who are your five? When I left corporate America, all my friends had 9-5 jobs. And I realized if those were my only friends, I’d probably end up right back in a 9-5 job.

I needed other people around me to inspire me to be hugely successful as an entrepreneur. So I went out and found them and made sure I was surrounding with success-minded entrepreneurs so that I can create the success I desired. I needed to be with like-minded people - entrepreneurs.

EVALUATE

So take a look around you. Do a quick assessment of who you spend most of your time with, who you are surrounded by and where you are getting your business advice. Are you surrounded by whiners, procrastinators, complainers, small thinkers? If so, it may be time to make a shift or that description will very quickly become you.

You don’t need to ditch your friends per se (although sometimes it’s necessary to make a clean break and ditch the dead weight). But when it’s time to talk business (or life for that matter), find people who inspire you to think BIG and succeed BIG. People who “get you” and support you in achieving the big goals you have for yourself.

One of my customers over in the UK just shared with me that it’s been hard for her to find people who get what she’s trying to do in her life and business. She somehow found me… in an entirely different country. I’d be willing to bet she was pretty darned determined to find the resources she needed to succeed even though she couldn’t find it in her back yard. And when you’re that determined, you will no doubt find the right people to help you achieve your vision.

If you enjoyed this article, you'll love hanging out in Allison's Solopreneur Success Coaching Club, a hub for solopreneurs who are ready for a steady flow of revenue-generating ideas for their business.

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WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Allison Babb is an author, speaker and Small Business Coach to solo entrepreneurs. Allison publishes the "Small Business Success" weekly Ezine on how to create a steady stream of clients for your small business at: www.GreatSmallBusinessAdvice.com

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