101 | How Clare Went From “What Now” to Confidently Launching Her Style Coaching Business
Jo Lott interviews Clare Silk, a style coach who helps entrepreneurs elevate their confidence through fashion and mindset work. Clare shares her journey from coach training to launching a successful style coaching business, offering valuable insights into the psychology of fashion and its impact on business success.
Episode Timestamps:
[00:01:00] - Clare introduces herself and her transition into style coaching
[00:04:00] - Clare's experience and challenges
[00:05:00] - Development of marketing skills and client communication
[00:06:00] - Key achievements and learnings from the Business of Coaching program
[00:07:00] - Clare's future plans and networking experiences
Key Takeaways:
- Consistency and visibility are crucial for business growth
- The importance of taking action that "moves the needle"
- Market research is essential for understanding and reaching your ideal clients
- Resilience and adaptability are key traits for successful coaching businesses
Connect with Clare:
Useful Links
How to secure more coaching clients' free training
Download the 12 ways to get clients now
Learn about The Business of Coaching programme
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Transcript
Hello and welcome to Women in the Coaching arena podcast.
Jo Lott:I'm so glad you're here.
Jo Lott:I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor and ICF accredited coach and I help coaches to build brilliant businesses.
Jo Lott:I know that when you prepare to enter the arena there is fear, self doubt, comparison, anxiety, uncertainty.
Jo Lott:You can tend to armor up and protect yourself from vulnerability.
Jo Lott:In this podcast I'll be sharing honest, not hype, practical and emotional tools to support you to make the difference that you're here for DARE greatly you belong in this arena.
Jo Lott:Hello, welcome to episode 101 of Women in the Coaching Arena.
Jo Lott:I am so glad you are here today.
Jo Lott:I'm delighted to share a case study conversation with my client, Claire Silk.
Jo Lott:I'm doubly excited because she helps entrepreneurs with their styling so this is relevant to all of us.
Jo Lott:We talk about Claire's journey in setting up her business from scratch and we also cover how important it is to dress well in your business, which then flows through into how you feel and how you show up.
Jo Lott:I hope you enjoy this conversation.
Jo Lott:It certainly leaves me wanting to go shopping and upgrade my style.
Claire Silk:Clare, thank you so much for agreeing to reflect on your journey in the business of coaching with me.
Claire Silk:Please share a bit about you and what you do.
Speaker C:I joined when I was still in training.
Speaker C:When I first started thinking about joining you, I had probably only just started my training from there.
Speaker C:I thought, okay, I'll be a trained coach, but wasn't able to do with it afterwards.
Speaker C:I've always been employed and I knew that I wanted to set up as a coach independently.
Speaker C:So I thought, well, I need to know that side of things as well, which is a totally separate skill set.
Speaker C:So found you and I've come out now as style coach and helping women with their confidence through elevating their style and using my coaching to do the internal work of confidence building and mindsets to help women entrepreneurs and women in business.
Claire Silk:I think it's such an important identity shift as you become more established in business.
Claire Silk:What you wear and your style representing your entire signature look and everything you want to portray in business is such an important thing for confidence.
Speaker C:Yes, it does make such a big difference and I think it's such an underutilised tool as well.
Speaker C:I have a degree in psychology and most of my career has been fashion.
Speaker C:It does mean I'm really passionate about the psychology behind fashion.
Speaker C:I think what we wear is so underutilized in terms of image that we want to project the kind of emotions that we want to evoke in other People, and also ourselves, we can dress to change the way we feel as well as other people's emotions.
Claire Silk:I love that study where they dressed up a bunch of kids in superhero outfits.
Claire Silk:Have you heard of this one?
Claire Silk:They put a bunch of them in the room that weren't in superhero outfits and they put a bunch in a different room that were in superhero outfits.
Claire Silk:The ones that were in superhero outfits solved the puzzle and the ones that weren't didn't solve the puzzle because they didn't have the right mindset and outfit.
Claire Silk:It's crazy.
Speaker C:It is, yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Lots of studies to show that if you believe you're wearing something that capable people would wear, you kind of rise and embody that.
Speaker C:If people were wearing a lab coat that they believed to belong to a doctor and in an end a task where they had to perform, and it was a based on their performance as well as their attention, they outstripped those that were wearing the same coat but believed to be of a painter or decorator.
Speaker C:And they didn't perform as well.
Speaker C:And there was no other reason.
Speaker C:It was just that.
Speaker C:So it's fascinating the power that you've got by wearing something that you believe will help you up level and can embody that.
Speaker C:So yeah.
Speaker C:And then the coaching does the internal work to further back the top.
Claire Silk:Yeah, yeah, totally.
Claire Silk:Such a powerful.
Claire Silk:What was most helpful for you from the program?
Speaker C:I just didn't know where to start before I joined.
Speaker C:It gave me a clear focus, you know, direction and to know what to think about when I had a process to follow rather than just coming out as a coach thinking, right, well, what now?
Speaker C:Now I've got to spend another however long working out what on earth to do to build a business that gave me a really clear structure to follow.
Speaker C:That was proven.
Speaker C:You've taken so many other people through it and gone through it yourselves.
Speaker C:It was great just to have that expert guidance as well as the community of other people with, you know, lots of different experience levels as well as different perspectives to draw from as well.
Claire Silk:Yeah, totally.
Claire Silk:What did it help you do in terms of actions?
Speaker C:It really helps keep me accountable on my own.
Speaker C:I would have thought, okay, I'll do that.
Speaker C:But you don't do it then and there.
Speaker C:Or maybe you don't do it in that order or you don't do it as well as you could have done.
Speaker C:So yeah, it helped keep me accountable.
Speaker C:But module three, with the market research, it helped me understand the importance of that as well.
Speaker C:Go out, find out about it, try it.
Speaker C:Really giving it A go, trying it, seeing what it feels like, does it sell and if it's something I like doing.
Speaker C:So it's given me the experience as well as lots of draw on.
Claire Silk:Yeah, totally.
Claire Silk:And I'm asking you a leading question because I think you've really improved in this particular area.
Claire Silk:What skills would you say you've developed in the process?
Speaker C:I've developed definitely my ability to talk to an ideal client.
Speaker C:The content I'm creating has improved starting from not knowing at all what to say to actually now being able to sort of think.
Speaker C:Well, actually I need to say that, need to say that internally for me as well.
Speaker C:Resilience and the growth mindset to keep thinking, okay, I've tried that.
Speaker C:That's not worked.
Speaker C:I'll try that.
Speaker C:That's worked.
Speaker C:I'll take that further.
Speaker C:And that sort of creativity to keep going in a resilient way.
Speaker C:It's real personal growth.
Claire Silk:Your marketing is tip top, I must say.
Claire Silk:I think you're doing amazing work there as well.
Claire Silk:What did you achieve as a result of the programme?
Speaker C:I had come out of it with a clear direction and knowing what I need to do to get up and running.
Speaker C:Different ways of doing it, approaching organizations, approaching individuals, how to structure a sales call, what to take from it, how to approach it.
Speaker C:So much I would never have known otherwise.
Claire Silk:Amazing.
Claire Silk:And how would you describe your experience of working together?
Speaker C:It's been brilliant.
Speaker C:I've really valued your insights and your support as well as the challenges and your opinion.
Claire Silk:Thank you, Claire.
Claire Silk:And your biggest takeaway from the programme?
Speaker C:It's huge.
Speaker C:The importance of keeping ongoing, keeping consistent.
Speaker C:Can I think of something that's actually going to move the needle and having that thought process rather than just sitting down doing something that can be visible.
Speaker C:Can I actually do something that's going to create a result or get me out there a bit more, get me in front of people a bit more.
Speaker C:It's a different way of thinking.
Claire Silk:I love that.
Claire Silk:What an amazing answer.
Claire Silk:And it's.
Claire Silk:Yeah, it's.
Claire Silk:It's brilliant.
Claire Silk:So what's next for you, Claire?
Speaker C:So I've been going some in person networking events which is scary and exciting all at the same time, but it is great getting to know other people.
Speaker C:I have an interview with a personal brand specialist coming up on Facebook.
Speaker C:That's a new experience.
Speaker C:Getting out there a bit more, trying to get in front of other people, to audiences.
Claire Silk:Yeah, totally.
Claire Silk:And would you recommend the programme?
Claire Silk:If so, who too?
Speaker C:Yes, definitely.
Speaker C:I think it would benefit so many people at different stages.
Speaker C:So for me it was so beneficial because it got me going, it gave me direction, it got me started which was exactly what I needed when I qualified recently.
Speaker C:It's got me off the starting blocks, the focus and our direction.
Speaker C:I think also if you're years into it, it helps you streamline and simplify everything.
Speaker C:So I think it's great.
Speaker C:Wherever you are in your journey, everybody's going to gain from it.
Claire Silk:What should others know about working with me?
Speaker C:It's been so supportive and so helpful so I think other people know that you are a huge support.
Speaker C:You have a kind approach, also a challenging approach.
Speaker C:You're going to help me direction and little pushes when you need it.
Speaker C:And then also you come with this ready built community which is so valuable.
Claire Silk:Thank you so much Claire.
Claire Silk:It's been a joy to be part of your journey.
Claire Silk:Where can people find you online if they want help with their styling?
Speaker C:So I'm on Instagram at Underscore Silkstyling.
Claire Silk:Yes, love it.
Claire Silk:So Underscore Silk Styling and I will find the link and put it in the show notes.
Claire Silk:Also thank you so much Claire for chatting.
Claire Silk:Can't wait to keep in touch and follow the rest of your journey.
Jo Lott:Isn't it great to hear that journey of leaving your job, training and then the steep learning curve of building your business.
Jo Lott:I don't think there is anything harder than your first six months in business when you have so much to learn, you have so much visibility and confidence hurdles to make manage.
Jo Lott:And Claire has shown up with so much resilience and is building her business more and more each day so you can find her if you want help with your styling which can completely elevate your brand on Underscore Silk Styling and I will also link to it in the show notes.
Jo Lott:I hope you enjoyed the episode and like I always say, trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seeds.
Jo Lott:Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.
Jo Lott:I have a mass of free resources on my website.
Jo Lott:JoannaLottCoaching.com that's Joanna with an A and Lott with two Ts.
Jo Lott:JoannaLottCoaching dot com and I'll also put links in the show notes below.
Jo Lott:Let me know if you found this episode useful, share it with a friend and leave me a review and I will personally thank you for that.
Jo Lott:Remember to trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seed.
Jo Lott:Get into the arena, dare greatly and try.
