A Day In The Life Of An Entrepreneur

I want to have an honest and open chat with you today. Let’s cut through the BS right now, being an entrepreneur and building your coaching practice from scratch is hard. Yes, it can be incredibly rewarding, but no matter how good the good times are, there will always be the tough times too. 

Someone once told me that being self-employed and building a successful coaching practice is completely possible and doable, but it’s also one of the fastest paths for personal development. So, even though we know it’s tough, we still choose this adventure. 

Depending on where you are on the roller coaster you’ll probably have a laugh about this graph.  It looks familiar, doesn’t it 😊?

I’d like to share six tips to make the ups and downs a little easier.

1. Keep your perspective.

First, keep your eye on the long game. Don’t focus on today and whether it’s a good or bad day. Know that no matter what today looks like, it’s not permanent. If you’re having a crappy day, maybe you lost a big client or your offer wasn’t accepted, remember it’s not the last chance you’ll ever have. 

It’s also important an important perspective to remember when things are going well. Enjoy them, but don’t fool yourself into thinking it will be always this way. Remember, you’ve chosen the entrepreneurial roller coaster and there are guaranteed to be ups and downs

2. Accept help

You don’t need to do it all yourself. One of my mentors told me early on “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.  This goes for all kinds of help.

If your husband offers to make dinner, say “yes, thank you that would be great”. Don’t tell him how to do it, allow him to support you.

When one of your peers invites you for a cup of tea or a glass of wine just so you can hang out and talk about your businesses. Say yes. These other coaches are the only ones who know what it’s really like. And because they are walking the same path, they can give you the supportive words you need to keep going.

Hire a virtual assistant to help with some of the administrative work. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Even one or two hours a week can make a world of difference.

When you’re resilient, the ups and downs are not as stressful. You bounce back so much more easily when you’re rested, and you’ve taken care of yourself.  Some of my favourite self-care activities:

-journaling

-taking a hot bath

-walking the dog

-going to bed half an hour earlier than normal

-meditating

-getting or giving a big hug

-buying flowers

-working in the garden

-knitting

I recommend you keep your own list. So when you’re exhausted and frazzled, you don’t have to invent a way to nurture yourself, you just have to choose one and do it.

Stay connected to your big “why”. I recommend you take the time and write down all the reasons you became a coach in the first place. What is it about coaching that you really love? What difference do you want to make in this world?

Keep that list close at hand so you can read and reread it whenever you feel frustrated or discouraged.

5. Have your own coach

You’re a coach, right? You know how much your clients value their sessions with you. So, make sure you have your own coach too. They’ll help you stay in touch with your purpose, support you and remind you of your strength and courage and they’ll listen to you without judgement and help you get back on track

6. Keep a “celebration” file

Every time someone sends you a thank you note writes you a great testimonial or tells you how much you’ve helped them, capture it in your “celebration” file. 

Print out every email and text. And if someone gives you a compliment, write it down the details on a piece of paper including the date and who said it. 

When you’re having a tough day, go back through that file and look at those notes. They will bring a smile to your face and it will make you feel so much better to know how much you’ve helped someone.

xo

Candy