Fit before fee
There's a saying that every coach should commit to memory: "Fit before fee" It means that you work with people who are a right fit for you, and not any Tom, Dick or Harry who's willing to pay you. I know it's hard to say that if you need the clients. I understand the...
Use your noodle and get the boodle
Napoleon Hill's classic book "Think And Grow Rich" almost had a very different title. Hill was having trouble deciding on a name for it, and his publisher was losing his patience. Finally, he told him that if he didn't give him a title by the next morning that they...
Help for your business this week
Here's what I'm up to this week: - This Saturday I'll be speaking at the TP3X Conference for entrepreneurs in Toronto (my talk is about how to use daily emails to grow your business). The event is being put on by Julia Katsivo, and other speakers include Craig Major,...
The “magic number”
I have a question that I ask on every call with a potential client. I ask them: "What's your magic number?" Their "magic number" is the ideal monthly revenue that they want to be earning from their coaching business. There's no one right answer, but I look for a few...
Some thoughts on the four year anniversary of my podcast
Today marks the four year anniversary of "Natural Born Coaches". Back when I launched the podcast on November 17th, 2014 I thought I was late to the party. As I was launching, there were plenty of successful shows that had been at it for a long time. Some that I...
Non woo-woo help for aspiring authors
I'm not a big woo-woo guy ... Which puts me in the minority in the coaching world (it would seem). Sure, I think there's something to be said about staying positive rather than moping around all day long. And some of my favourite books (including "Think and Grow...
Is this one of your 2019 goals?
With the new year fast approaching, people are starting to think about their goals for 2019. I recently read an article which listed the most popular goals as: - Exercise more - Lose weight - Get organized - Learn a new skill or hobby - Live life to the fullest - Save...
You don’t have to bleed on the page
Here's something that I pulled from a book that I once read about George Lucas: Lucas isn't known for his writing (if you heard the dialogue in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, you can tell that it's not his strong suit). Lucas is better at editing, and enjoys that much...
Your money … or your life!
There's a classic Jack Benny skit where he's walking down the sidewalk and is suddenly confronted by a mugger. === Mugger: Don't make a move - this is a stick up! Jack: What? Mugger: You heard me ... Jack: Mister, put down that gun. Mugger: Shut up. Your money ... or...
How to avoid manic Mondays
When I started my coaching business, I didn't enjoy Mondays that much. I wasn't clear on what activities I would do the rest of the week to generate new business, and was unsure whether I would get any new clients that week or not. That's not the best way to start a...