69 | The right environment to grow your coaching business
There are three core foundations crucial for building a successful coaching business. Drawing from her recent in-person event and her Business of Coaching programme, Jo explores how community, strategy, and commitment create the right environment for your coaching business to thrive. Discover practical insights, real-life examples, and actionable tips to transform your approach to business building.
Timestamps:
[00:00:00] - Introduction and overview of the episode
[00:01:00] - First pillar: Community
[00:02:00] - The importance of in-person connections and casual networking
[00:03:00] - Online co-working as a community-building tool
[00:04:00] - The benefits of diverse perspectives in a business community
[00:05:00] - Second pillar: Strategy
[00:06:00] - The importance of having a clear business strategy
[00:07:00] - Financial planning and emotional aspects of money
[00:08:00] - Simplifying business growth through clear steps
[00:09:00] - Third pillar: Commitment
[00:10:00] - Creating an environment that fosters commitment and accountability
[00:11:00] - Success story: Transitioning to a full-time coaching business
[00:12:00] - Evaluating business investments and support
[00:13:00] - Closing thoughts and resources
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.
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:I'm so glad you are here.
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:I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor
and ICF accredited coach
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:Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):
and I help coaches to
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:build brilliant businesses.
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:I know that when you prepare to enter
the arena, there is fear, self doubt,
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:comparison, anxiety, uncertainty.
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:You can tend to armor up and
protect yourself from vulnerability.
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:In this podcast, I'll be sharing
honest, not hype, practical and
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:emotional tools to support you to make
the difference that you are here for.
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:Dare greatly.
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:You belong in this arena.
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:Hello, welcome to episode 69
of women in the coaching arena.
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:I am so glad you are here.
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:It's been a really busy
time for me right now.
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:I had my first large in-person event
on Friday, which went brilliantly.
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:And today at four o'clock, I am talking
at coaching summit, so it's been all go,
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:but I'm excited to share today the three
core foundations of building your business
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:that are crucial for your success.
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:And what they are may surprise you.
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:So starting with our first
pillar, which is community.
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:Nearly every case study I have says this
was really important and they didn't
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:realize how important it was beforehand.
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:But I think this lonely world you can
get into of sitting on your own all day
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:behind a computer, looking at everyone
else's shiny social media feeling
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:like you're not getting anywhere.
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:It's not going fast enough.
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:All of the things.
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:And feeling stuck without anyone to share
and be able to figure out a way forward.
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:That's why I love group coaching
for business building, because yes
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:one-to-one is great, but I think
that added extra of community helps
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:more so than one-to-one coaching.
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:On our in-person day, everyone really
enjoyed being able to say things aloud
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:to other people who actually get it.
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:Being able to brainstorm,
get ideas from each other and
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:champion each other to succeed.
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:I feel like in that room we created
a different type of space than is
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:usually displayed on social media.
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:A space where you knew that everyone was
having similar challenges to you rather
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:than feeling like you were the only one.
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:So it was an absolute joy to be part of,
I create this in my online community,
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:but it's really made me want to bring
more imperson into things because.
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:You know, you miss the chat at the T
point, for example, just things that
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:you used to be able to do with people.
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:So this Friday I've thrown in
a casual office hours chats.
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:Where people can just drop in, drop
out as they feel like, if they want
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:to say hi, if they want to chat to
me and get feedback on anything,
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:or if they want to chat to others.
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:In a more relaxed space than our official
Tuesday group call, which is usually a
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:bit of a teach, breakout rooms, you know,
it has a structure, so I'm excited to be
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:able to just rock up and see what comes.
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:And that's, really exciting.
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:My community has also started co-working
together recently, which I love.
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:So coworking.
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:If you haven't done it before online
means turning up at a call at certain time
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:where you are going to work on something.
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:So you might say at the beginning of
the call, I'm going to write my email
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:nurture sequence in the next two hours.
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:And then everyone will say
what they intend to do.
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:Then they may check in in 45 minutes,
just have a five minute break.
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:Say, how are you getting on?
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:And then everyone goes on mute and
continues and some people have fed
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:back that it's been amazing because
it's all too easy to avoid our work
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:with the washing, or the cleaning,
the organizing the school trips and
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:all the other admin tasks that are way
easier to do than writing your nurture
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:sequence or marketing your business.
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:So have a think about how you can
bring that connection, but also that
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:structure that you need in your business.
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:If you are missing that type of
structure in your business, come
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:join me in the business of coaching.
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:Ask yourself is saying yes
to this opportunity, going
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:to get me closer to my goal.
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:Along with the coworking and the
general cheerleading and supporting,
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:what I also love about community
in business is getting diverse
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:perspectives on your business challenges.
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:We have people that are acing it on Tik
TOK, others that doing great on Instagram,
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:people that are doing fabulous on linked
in, there are all sorts of different ways
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:that people use to build their business.
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:And if you are within a
community, you can say.
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:I've got absolutely no idea how to create
a real and someone will come back going.
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:I'm happy to talk this afternoon.
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:Would that help?
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:And it's just a joy to see people.
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:Especially women.
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:Championing other women, knowing that
we all want each other to succeed.
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:Our second pillar that we covered
on my in-person day, that also
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:is a key part of my business of
coaching program is strategy.
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:So knowing what you're meant to be
doing in your business and having
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:a clear roadmap to get there.
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:We had a great speaker on the day,
Jane Johnson, who gave a really good
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:analogy and said, you wouldn't just
wander out of the house thinking, I
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:hope I make it to the Roehampton club
today, which is where my event was.
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:You would have looked up the map,
looked up your train time, looked
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:up the route and ensured that
you have a plan to get there.
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:So it was really interesting.
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:And Jane shared, that 80% of
businesses fail in the first two years.
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:But only 20% of business
owners have a strategy.
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:So she said that's quite
an interesting thing.
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:So is it the 20% that have a
strategy that actually succeed?
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:So that was quite some wake
up call for many people in the
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:room, because it's something.
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:We forget.
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:You are doing something that's hard.
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:That most people have not
got the courage to do.
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:Therefore you are going to have
to get as much support and help
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:inspiration everything you can on
this journey to ensure that you
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:are part of that 20% who succeed?
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:Have you got your overall
business model clear in your mind.
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:Your ideal client.
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:Your offer, your messaging.
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:Marketing.
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:Sales approach.
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:Operational efficiency,
financial planning.
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:How are you for all of these things and
thinking about financial planning, we
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:also had a great speaker at my event.
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:Antje Langsch.
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:I can link to her in the show notes.
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:Who did a talk about how
emotional finances are for us.
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:And so it's not just the belief
that perhaps we are not good at
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:numbers that comes up for many of us.
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:It's often the emotional baggage
of am I worthy to receive.
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:So I think the financial aspect runs deep.
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:And it's something that I used to
work on a lot in the start of my
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:business, the money mindset aspect.
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:But you still always need to keep working
on it because you hit another ceiling,
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:another ceiling, and it's like, how
can we continue to develop personally?
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:So you develop your
capacity to receive more.
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:One of my favorites quotes
from a case study that I have
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:is from Kate waterfall hill.
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:Who's a leadership coach and
she just said, I just followed
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:the steps and it works.
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:So I just love the fact when
someone can make it so simple.
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:When you can distangle yourself
from the emotional side, which is
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:what generally gets in our way.
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:Business could be so simple.
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:So, it's back to, how can you get
support on the emotional procrastination?
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:All of the things that are in the
way of you following the steps
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:and knowing that it will work.
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:Our, third pillar in our dare, greatly day
and it was so in my program is commitment.
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:So, this is more than just saying
that you're going to do something.
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:It's about following through even when the
going gets tough and it will get tough.
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:But it's also the structure to
help you maintain this commitment
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:and hold you accountable.
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:It's having to show up every week and
perhaps complete an action review to
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:see what you have done that month.
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:It's about going in breakout rooms
every single week discussing what are
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:your priorities, or what is your plan?
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:All of the things on a weekly reminder
to keep giving you that inspiration,
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:keep seeing this is possible for you.
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:So, yes, you need to bring that
commitment and courage, but also you.
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:need to put yourself in an environment
which creates that commitment and courage.
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:Another great client of mine, Natasha,
who was, I was about to say lacking
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:in commitment in her business.
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:That sounds a bit harsh, but she was
wanting to do things on her business.
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:But not doing anything.
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:Through our work together, She showed up
and she has built a brilliant business.
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:She's just launched her
first group coaching program.
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:So I cannot wait to contact
her and see how that went.
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:But she has really stepped up
into this business since working
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:together, which is an absolute joy.
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:When we first started working together,
she was just bringing in 2% of her
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:income through coaching and by the end
of the six months she had switched that
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:over to 50% income through coaching.
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:So know that this is possible for you.
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:Another question you can ask yourself
if you are considering getting support
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:in your business or any decision
at all is will this investment
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:give me four to 10 times the amount
of the investment in my lifetime.
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:So it's not just throughout the program.
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:It's multiplies and every single
decision you make cumulates over time.
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:So that is how I build businesses.
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:That is the environment I believe women
in particular need to build a business.
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:That's not saying men never joined the
program because men also need this.
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:But I do think women are really tribal and
I also spoke about on my in-person day and
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:others confirmed it was true at the end,
that women clarify things through talking.
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:So.
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:So.
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:in other words, you can't just
sit on your own, writing out your
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:niche statement for the 10th time.
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:You need to be able to actually have a
conversation, keep talking, keep talking,
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:and you will gain that clarity as you go.
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:So I hope this helps you to think about
how you can get that community, that
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:strategy and commitment in your life.
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:And if you want a ready-made version,
that is what I do because I have created
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:exactly what I wish I could find.
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:And actually I'm on the brink of
just signing up to a program, which
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:makes me remember why it's so nerve
wracking when you make this decision.
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:So I do know this.
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:But it literally feels like it's
everything that I've been trying to
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:create myself and trying to find over
years of investing in business coaches.
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:So it's very exciting.
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:I will keep you posted.
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:And I have no doubt.
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:If I join this program, things
are going to change massively
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:in my business going forward.
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:So I cannot wait to keep you posted.
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:So drop me a line on
LinkedIn as Joanna Lott.
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:I would love to hear from you and
hear your insights from this episode.
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:And like I say, at the end of every
episode, trust yourself, believe
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:in yourself and be the wise Gardner
who keeps on watering the seed.
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:Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):
Thank you so much for listening to this
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:episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.
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:I have a mess of free resources on
my website joannalottcoaching.com.
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:That's Joanna with an A
and Lott with two T's.
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:joannalottcoaching.com.
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:And I'll also put links in the show notes.
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:Let me know if you found
this episode useful.
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:Share it with a friend and
leave me a review, and I will
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:personally thank you for that.
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:Remember to trust yourself, believe
in yourself and be the wise Gardner
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:who keeps on watering the seed.
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:Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.