Well I think I pulled it off!

I visited the coaches’ support group on Wednesday and tried to be very good. That’s kind of hard for me.

I listened carefully and said very little. I commented only when I was asked and I tried to make sure I shut up just before I started rambling. I flew in under the radar.

So I’ll be joining the group! They meet by phone every other week for an hour to support each other building their coaching businesses. One very good thing I discovered—coaching businesses look very different for different people.

For some it’s a small secondary part-time practice for a full-time professional. For some it’s having enough individual clients to make it the sole source of income. For others it includes group coaching and training and live events. For others it includes books and internet radio shows and a long-term plan to become a nationally known expert doing little or no individual coaching other than in demonstrations.

I did a little more connecting in other ways this week. I was on a teleseminar about using Facebook and LinkedIn. I searched pretty thoroughly to find people I know on the sites. Then I sent some invites to people I know who weren’t on the sites yet.

Using these sites correctly requires putting up plenty of information on my profile, the teleseminar told me. Plus I need to have a good picture taken and post it. Know any good face doubles?

I moved forward in another way when I brought together ideas from different places and came up with a plan. Barbara Sher recommends having a “Leonardo DaVinci” styled book or binder for keeping lots of creative ideas. She especially recommends this for people who have several ideas going at once and get worried they’ll forget an idea or forget to work on it.

In a strangely related concept, I’ve been discussing with colleagues what sort of business plan a solopreneur needs, especially if no loans or investments are being sought. My third source of inspiration was a collection of interviews, articles, and books that extol the benefits of making visualization boards or keeping long-term goals on computer screen savers so you’re constantly reminded of them.

I put these ideas together and bought a three-ring binder to start collecting all my written ideas and mind maps for areas of my business. (I also got one for any creative ideas that show up.) It’s my visual reminder of all the things that need my attention, a place to gather new ideas and flesh out old ones. Going through it will also help me see where I’ve made progress and accomplished some things.

Could this become the blueprint for a great info product for people wanting to start a small business as a self-employed service provider? I’m not sure, but there’s going to be a page in my binder for that idea.

May You Know the Joy of Sharing Your Gifts,

Steve Coxsey