Coaching Business Builder - 1% Rule

Coaching Business Builder Tip – The 1% Rule

It’s really easy to fall into the trap of overwhelm. For the last decade I’ve worked with businesses globally in the start up and growth phases. Especailly as a solopreneur working by yourself it may become easy to think that you have to do everything today. What happens when we lose the focus? Very diffuse energy.

I like to talk about the 1% rule. Think about one of the key areas you would like to take some focused action on in your business, which you feel is important at the moment.

Consider what you would like to have accomplished in this area by August 31^st. Write it down.

Now think about what the 1% step would be to move you towards this goal? What is that one step you could take today, right now, to move you forward towards the goal. Write it down and schedule it in your calendar for a specific timeslot today.

Here’s an example – I want to have a new blog up and running by August 31^st.

Today’s 1% may be to spend 10-15 minutes brainstorming/MindMapping on all of your ideas. Tomorrow’s 1% may be register a blog site. The following day’s 1% may be to start drafting an article.

The 1% rule can be really helpful in chunking things down to more manageable tasks, rather than spinning our wheels trying to get our heads around huge activities. Over time the daily 1% adds up.

Ask yourself:

Where would the 1% rule benefit your business right now?

What 1% project would you want to take on?

What does your 1% look like today?

Have a great week,

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC

Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program (6.75 CCEs) and the Group Coaching Intensive (15 hours)

Group Coaching Niches

To niche or not to niche, that is the question. Whether you have been coaching for a short time, or a long time, the question of "who do I serve" is a big one. The same holds true in the group coaching context. It is much easier to market and tailor a group coaching program when there are common themes tying a group together.

"A niche market is a focused, targetable portion of a market.

By definition, then, a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. You can think of a niche market as a narrowly defined group of potential customers." - Susan Ward

Here's a quick list of niche areas I've seen coaches run group coaching programs in:
- New business owners
- Women business owners
- Career transition
- New parents (moms/dads)
- New managers
- New retirees
- Musicians
- Teachers/Educators
- Students
- Professors
- Professionals in specific industries (i.e. financial services, safety, transportation, education etc)
- Virtual Assistants
- World Changers
- Social Entrepreneurs

This list is by no means exhaustive. You may also notice how each one of these niches can be broken down into subsets. For example, career transition - may include a group of people who are moving from career to self-employment, or entry level to supervisory roles, those staying in the same field, those moving to a different industry.

Being as specific as you can who the program is for will help you with your program design, how it is offered, when it is offered, pricing and what else is included (i.e. additional individual coaching sessions, manuals, e-manuals, audio). As you undertake your work, notice who you enjoy working with, who is being pulled towards your programs.

We spend some in the Group Coaching Essentials program looking at what your particular clients really want. What do you want to ask your clients about their needs this week.

What other group coaching niches have you heard about? Who do you want to work with? As always, please feel free to comment below.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com
Phone: 416.996.8326
Join me July 14-15 in Huntsville, Muskoka for the 2 day Group Coaching Intensive. The focus of this program is to give you tools you can use immediately in your own group coaching work, as well as opportunities for practice and feedback on your skills. A couple of spaces are still open - would love to have you join us.

Coaching Business Builder: Blogging Tips for Coaches

If you are a coach building your business, one of the core marketing strategies you may wish to consider is adding a blog. Blogging can be a wonderful way to connect with readers, and become known and trusted by prospective clients.

I often get asked by coaches, how you do you blog successfully? As a coach who has been a blogger since 2005, I know that blogging has led to important business for me, and has been a factor in allowing people to KNOW, LOVE and TRUST Me.

If you are a coach looking to start your own blog here are 4 core tips I recommend:

1. Be specific - One of the best things I did at the start of my blogging journey was to sit down and make a list of all the potential topics I could blog about. In fact, I spent 15 minutes MindMapping, which became enough potential post ideas to keep me busy for several months.
Think about - What are the topics you want to write about? What are you passionate about? Who are you targeting? What are the things they are concerned about?

2. Build up momentum - In my mind, blogging should be fun. Build up a momentum with your writing. I've found over the years that I've only had time to do 2-3 posts maximum every week or every other week. Notice when your creative energy flows, and for that booster shot of inspiration look back to your initial list, or surf the web.

3 Create a Column - Consider what types of similar themes you can make into a column. A few years ago I had a Teams on Thursday column at my BizToolkit blog. This year I've added the this column - The Coaching Business Builder to the Group Coaching Ins and Outs blog. Columns or theme areas are another way to create momentum for yourself and your readers.

4. Use your blog as a communication and relationship channel - Blogging is a wonderful way to communicate and build relationships with your readers.

5. Offer value - Make sure that you remember that blogging is a communication and relationship building channel. What value add do you want to provide for your readers?

Enjoy these blogging tips and let us know which ones you find most useful by commenting over on our Facebook page.

Warm regards
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Potentials Realized
Host of the Group Coaching Essentials program (an ICF Accredited CCE program)
Join us for 2 days of in person group coaching training - April 2-3 - Toronto: Group Coaching Intensive (16.25 hours of training)
Email: info{at}potentialsrealized{dot}com
Phone: 416.996.8326

Are you Dreaming Enough with your 2011 Plans?

I'm running my year end Virtual Business Planning Retreat today and am having a blast. Part of the day has been spent on envisioning and planning around where people want their business to go during the course of 2011.

Have you started your planning? Are you dreaming as well as setting goals? Are you really creating a big enough vision for yourself during 2011?

I'm reading a great book right now called the Orange Revolution by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. For those who work with teams it is an absolute must-read.
I also really love what they say about the difference between Goals and Dreams:

“Let’s not get confused by the difference between a goal and a dream. A goal is something measurable, trackable and is built on analytics. Goals have realistic timelines, are measured by weighing out the data, the risks, and the current assets. They are essential to success, but they follow dreams. A dream is bigger – it has no boundaries, rules or past history. It’s focused on transforming business as we know it, and approaching from a direction never pursued- or at least never attained. In dreams, we seek the outstanding change – not just within the products we create but in the results those products inspire”

– The Orange Revolution, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, pp.91 and 92

If you missed today's Year End Virtual Business Planning Retreat, don't worry! I'm going to be running it again in the new year for those who are eager to create some time and focus on their business.

Have a terrific weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author of Effective Group Coaching

Follow the 100 Days of BizSuccess Questions at Twitter

Earlier this month I started a new Twitter experiment - tweeting business development questions once a day for a 100 days. We're now into Day 10 and I hope that you will follow along at http://twitter.com/jennbritton.

So many coaches continue to struggle on the business side of things. For the past three years I have been running the 90 Day Biz Success program for coaches, trainers and other service based professionals, and have seen what focus, and some practical business development resources and exercises can do to boost a business. The fall group will be starting next Friday September 17th at 11 am and will run until December 17th.

I'm encouraging "followers" to carve out time on a daily basis to reflect on the daily questions I am posing, as well as setting goals and taking action on these goals.

I hope that you will join me on Twitter for the next 90 days, and prehaps even in the more intimate environment of either the Group Coaching Essentials program (starts Thursday Sept 16th at 10:30 am ET) or the 90 Day Biz Success Program (starts Friday September 17 at 11 am ET).

Here's some of the first 10 questions I've tweeted for coaches and other business owners to consider since the start of the month:

Biz Success Q 3: Who haven't you connected with lately in your network?What's the 1 step u can take today to reach out?
Biz Success Question 4: What skills make you stand out as a business owner or leader?
Biz Success Q 5: What's the 1 activity you have been shying away from this week?What would be the impact if you did it
Biz Success Question 7: What's on your not-to-do list today?

Have a great weekend!

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010)

BizTips on Thursday: Twitter

This year I am starting a new column for the Group Coaching blog on BizTips. Many coaches continue to struggle from a business perspective. This is particularly true in the current economic climate. Keep posted for BizTips which will be posted on a semi-monthly basis to support you in a different aspect of your business success. Many of these topics are ones that I passionately have lectured on as a former Business Faculty Member, cover in the 90 DayBizSuccess program, and work around in the small business coaching work that I do.

This week's post is all about one of the latest social media crazes -- Twitter.

Wikipedia describesTwitter as:
" a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length".

If you've heard about twitter and are wondering what it might do for your business, here are some great web resources to get you started:

Duct Tape Marketing has produced a short Twitter for Business booklet which you can download here.

Some Tips from Claire Chapman: http://fabulouscoaching.typepad.com/growasacoach/2008/12/back-to-basics-22-basics-for-getting-up-and-running-on-twitter.html

The Twitter Handbook: http://www.twitterhandbook.com/


How are you using Twitter? What success stories do you have about it? What's the downside?

As always, please feel free to comment below. You can find me at Twitter at http://twitter.com/jennbritton.

Have a great week!

Warmly
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Group Coaching Essentials