Intro: Welcome to the Masterful Coach podcast, with Molly Claire, where coaches learn skill mastery, business mastery, and life mastery at a whole new level. If you’re serious about creating a meaningful coaching business that makes a difference, you’re in the right place. And now your host, master life and business coach, Molly Claire. Molly Claire: Hey, Coach! All right, we’ve got an awesome episode for you today. If you’re wanting to get traction in your business and wanting to make sure you’re growing personally while growing your business, this episode is for you. Yesterday, by the way, was my oldest son’s 20th birthday. And it is crazy. I can’t believe it. He’s finished his second year at Berklee College of Music. And I’m still trying to figure out how I have an adult son—and multiple adult kids, with our blended family of eight kids. It’s quite a ride. And there’s a lot of kids coming and going all the time, but just a really fun experience. And for those of you that have kids, I don’t know about you and what it’s like for you as your kids get older. I know that it’s harder for some than others, to see their kids grow up and really miss those younger days of their kids. For me, I am actually really grateful to my mom for kind of instilling this in me or inspiring me in this way, that I really love and appreciate knowing my kids as they get older. I always remember my mom saying how much she just loved as we became teenagers and grew into adults, because it’s like, you see these unique human beings that your kids are, and I definitely feel that way. So, I don’t know if she instilled that in me, or if it’s something that just comes naturally to me, or maybe a combination of both. But it’s so, so fun and interesting to see, you know, me and my husband to see all eight of these really unique kids and their gifts and talents that I do not share, by the way. And just to see how they just come with it. So anyway, really exciting, exciting day yesterday, and pretty surreal, so… All right, today’s podcast is going to be focusing on some key elements to helping you thrive and growing personally while also growing your business. And this podcast is inspired by the work my coaches are doing in the 90 Day small group. Big shout out to all of you. I love working with you every week. I love those calls. I love really seeing what’s going on in your business and helping you. And I’m always so inspired by them. And in this episode, I’m sharing with you some key elements of this program that we’re working through for two main reasons. Number one, some of you are ready for a little TLC from me in your business. And I have amazing news that I will be sharing with you in the coming weeks. 90 Days with a Master Coach is expanding into a year program, where you can plan your year 90 days at a time, all while having total support in your life, business, and coaching skill mastery. And part of what this means is bringing in experts in each of these areas. So, I really want to provide an opportunity where I can work with you and also offer up to you, expertise from others, so you can create exactly the business you want with great success. So that’s coming up. Those of you that I’ve worked with before, all of my alumni, hopefully you’ve heard by now, you can enroll early in the program. If you have not heard, message our very favorite, Christina, [email protected] can get you the details. So, some of you may want to join with me this fall, and for all of you, these key elements we’re talking about today, will be relevant to you as you build your business. Likely, if you’re a coach listening, you have some level of each of these key elements we’re talking about today already going on for you. You already have some awareness of them. But in this episode, I’m going to emphasize each of these points with you and give you more depth into each one of them, help you personalize them, so you can begin to uplevel your business. And I hope to remind you as to why these keys matter and encourage you to see what small changes you can make to move your business forward with even more fun, momentum, vision, all of it. So, get ready! If you want to build that meaningful coaching business and the freedom you want, let’s dive in. The key elements we’re focusing on today are going to help you have more focus. They are going to help you to have balance in your life. And they are going to allow you to move forward. Not only as you grow your business, but growing personally and becoming more confident along the way. How many times do you see someone working really hard to build a business and their personal life is suffering? Or maybe instead of becoming more confident and more sure and more decisive, they’re actually feeling more and more self-doubt and less capable of really building their business. Now, I want to clarify that it’s normal to have these fears and doubts come up. However, if you feel like your personal life is suffering, because of your business, or your business is suffering because of your personal life, I want to offer to you that these keys I’m talking about today are going to help you with just that. So key number one, simple as this, make a plan with effective focus. So, the first thing I do in working with my clients is help them to decide what your focus will be for the 90-day period that’s coming up. How many of you listening plan your business for 90 days at a time or maybe 30 days at a time, or some kind of timeframe? Honestly, there’s no set timeframe that’s better than another. I am a big believer, a big fan of the 90-day timeframe. I believe that gives you just enough time and space to accomplish a lot and be very focused, and also allows you a short enough timeframe that you maintain your momentum. So, when I start with you, we want to identify the main goal. And it’s usually pretty easy to identify that next step for your business with the right process. And knowing that goal is crucial to creating focus. So, as you’re listening, think about how you typically plan; what is the timeframe you typically plan on, and how do you ensure that it is focused time? I want to add something to that. So, while I’m working with coaches to set a 90-day process, and as you are, you want it to be very focused and very productive. But it should never be an overworking environment for you. In fact, if you’re setting a short-term goal or a longer-term goal, whether it’s 30 days, or 90 days, or whatever it is, and you dive into that with the outlook of really just getting it done and overworking, you’re never going to set yourself up for success long term. In fact, I consider each 90-day timeframe that you’re working in, to be a microcosm of what you want in your life and business. Because think about it: whatever you’re creating now, whatever you’re practicing now is what you will be doing going forward. And so as you set your goal in a 90 day time period, it should always mean focusing on what’s important in your business, using constraint, meaning focusing on whatever is most important. This is much different than doing everything all the time. And focusing on what’s most important using constraint, while also building in time and space for what you want in your life and honoring your priorities is the best way to create success long term. So, think about this for a minute. Imagine that you plan your business tasks in a 90-day timeframe, you decide what’s most important, you create focus there, you let go of the rest of the things and make sure to build in time and space for what you really want in your life. When you think about that being on your calendar for 90 days, where it’s not overworking, it’s not over stressing and it’s creating what you want, how do you imagine that’s going to impact you long term? What do you believe that will create for you long term? What this does is it allows you to create a steady energy in your business. It prevents you from burnout and allows you instead to stay focused in your business. Because the reality is that if you overwork and allow your life to get out of balance, it will not benefit you long term You will burn out, quit, or end up having to pause everything just to get your life back in balance. So, for you, creating an effective plan with focus, does not ever have to mean exhaustion. What it can mean is intention, purpose, and boundaries. It can mean spending your time where it’s most effective and letting the rest go. So what about you? As you listen how well are you doing with making a time bound plan in your business with effective focus? Are you clear about your plan and your goals? Do you jump ship when it seems to not be working? Do you think you’ll have to do it all now and get lost in overworking? Or are you able to trust that your steady plan is enough? Now this is not a one and done, right? I’m sure that as I’m asking you all these questions, maybe some of them you’re thinking, “Yes, I do a pretty good job.” And for some of them you might be thinking, or having that negative voice in your head telling you, you need to do better and you’re never going to figure this out. But remember, this is not a one and done. Rather, this is a learning process of setting a plan and creating effective focus, and doing it again and again, and again, it’s a practice, because I would be lying if I said that everyone that’s done my 90 days with a master coach does this perfectly—or that I do, by the way. But there’s so much value in clearly setting your plan with intention, creating it, improving it, developing a practice of effective focus, and doing it again and again. Which is really why I want to be working with coaches long term to implement the system over and over to create success. All right, next key - have support as you build your business with strategy and accountability. Now, I will be one of the first people to say that I don’t believe there is one way to run a business, absolutely not! And when you hear someone say, “This is the way to have a successful business plan,” what that really means is they’ve tried all the ways that didn’t work for them personally, and they finally landed on one that did, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the way for you. Now, I also believe there is value in strategy and learning from someone who has gone before and succeeded. There is a big reason why I give strategy to my clients and why I bring in a variety of experts as well. You need specific guidance and strategy support, so you have direction. And as all of my clients can attest to, I’m never going to tell you that I know what is best for you in your business. There is this magical combination of taking in what I share with you or what you’re getting from an expert, and really understanding what’s going to work for you and your business. So, take a minute, what is your answer to this? Do you have adequate support and strategy in your business? And do you take guidance from an expert or experts? And are you able to make it your own? Now, the next part of this key is accountability. So you want to make sure that you have support with strategy. And you have to have that accountability? How do you keep yourself accountable to you and your business? Now, sometimes I think accountability gets a bad rap, kind of like, I’m getting into trouble if I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. And in fact, I’m curious to know when I brought this up, what feelings come up for you, when you think about accountability. A lot of people have feelings of angst come up, maybe even dread, maybe a tightness or a little bit of fear. And in our community when we talk about accountability, one thing I know without a shadow of a doubt, is if we are talking about accountability with a foundation of self-trust and self-love and a growth mindset, it is always going to be effective. That’s the kind of accountability that invites personal growth, questions, solutions, and a much more steady growth process for your business. So go ahead and think about it before we move on. What does accountability mean for you? How do you use accountability to your advantage? There is power in being connected with others who support you and believe in you, which actually is going to lead us to our next key. But take just a minute for you and notice the ways that accountability is effective for you, the ways that it hasn’t gone so well for you, and also what you may do differently to make it even better. All right, key number three - surround yourself with people invested in your personal mission. Every coach whom I work with is passionate about what they do. And I’m guessing that is true for you listening. Yes, you can build a business and you can make money. But the mission and the meaning behind what you do is what gives it the power to succeed. I am so passionate about helping women to see what you are capable of creating. I want to give you permission to decide what your ideal work life balance is. It doesn’t have to look like mine or anyone else’s. You can overcome your financial limiting beliefs. I want to teach you that you can set boundaries, that you can own your time, your wants, and your desires. You can honor who you are, honor your values and priorities, and you can be so proud of that. That, right there, is a part of my mission. So, what about you? What is your mission? Really think about why this work matters to you. And as you do, think about who you have around you that believes in you and your mission too. One of my favorite parts about our community is that we all know each other, and we know the mission of each coach. Isn’t it fun when you’re invested in someone else’s mission, and they’re invested in yours? That’s the kind of support you need. And I believe it is crucial to have, as you are forging ahead in your business. So, make this happen for you. You’ve got to be with the people who are going to have your back. All right, key number four in your life and in your business. As you are getting help growing your business, you need to feel seen and heard. And that includes by you, and also those helping you. Being seen and heard matters in your personal relationships, doesn’t it? Oftentimes, we get frustrated and upset when we think someone we care about in a friendship or relationship or spouse, doesn’t really understand us, doesn’t see our needs, doesn’t really know how we feel. We all want to be seen and heard personally. And I believe that in our business, it is no exception. I feel so grateful for the experiences I had when I started my coaching business. Because on one hand, I had a fraction of the resources and experts that are so easily available to all of you listening, my certification and coaching was a class of 12 on a conference line, with absolutely no business support at all. My master coach training was a small group as well, there were about 12 of us. And we experimented a time or two with this new thing called Google Hangouts. And it didn’t go very well. None of us could figure it out. I think we spent 45 minutes trying to get everyone on there, and then we just gave up altogether. And so it was very different for me, and I had to learn a lot and figure out a lot on my own. But I love that I had that experience where I felt really seen and heard. And because of that, I’ve worked to recreate that every time I’m working with my coaches. Because that personal aspect will always be a part of what I offer. I see so much value in it for you. When you feel a part of something in a meaningful way, I believe that’s also where you can really grow belief in yourself. Coach, pay attention to how you feel when you are with people as you consider your support system. Whenever I talk with a new contractor, or coach or someone I’ll be working with, how I feel always matters, how I seem to align. And if I experience that person as being interested in knowing my needs and seeing what I care about, and actually helping me in a personal way, that relationship has the foundation it needs, right? And I promise you that that relationship that you have with your mentors, coaches and experts, matters. Okay, ready for the last one? Have a mentor or coach who will coach you personally. And I don’t just mean specifically individually. I actually mean, coaching you on the things that are personal. Whenever I’m coaching my clients on business, there’s always a personal element to it. And oftentimes, it’s our personal life that actually needs a little TLC in order to move our business forward. You have to have support in both your life and your business or one will always slow the other down. Your feelings matter, your health matters, your relationships matter. Sometimes we have this idea that we need to set those aside and get to work, but actually having support with those personal areas will complement your business growth. You are a whole person with many different sides and aspects of your life. Make sure you take that into account, the whole picture of you, and stop believing that one part of you or one side of you should be in competition with the other. As I work with clients who struggle with feeling torn between work and home life, the issue is always the view that those two parts are in competition. It’s an either/or. And it’s riddled with conflict and guilt. And I know this can seem true. I know that you experience some degree of this, but I promise you, all parts of you can fit together in a way that create internal harmony for you and a sense of alignment. So, make sure you not only have support in your business, but the total picture. Okay, Coach, this is what I’ve got for you. How are you doing this? How will you do more of it for you? And if you’re wanting a little TLC this fall as you create a plan with focus and do it again and again, implementing strategy and getting total support, make sure to stay tuned. I’m going to be sharing details with you. We are opening enrollment. If you want help this next year, building your business you 90 days at a time, stay tuned. Thanks for being here with me, coach. Happy coaching! Outro: Thanks for listening to the Masterful Coach podcast. If you’re ready for complete support as you build your coaching business, check out Molly’s collaborative community, The Masterful Coach Collective. It’s a place where you’ll have access to the best experts in the biz, community support and guidance as you build your perfect business 90 days at a time, visit www.mollyclaire.com for details.