David Wood | Inner Firewalking

About David Wood

For 20 years David has helped entrepreneurs around the globe to grow their results, by growing themselves. A former consulting actuary to Fortune 50 companies in New York, David quit corporate life to pursue his inner journey, which now deeply influences his work. A digital nomad, David is currently dancing salsa, paragliding, and coaching his rock star entrepreneur clients from Colombia. His specialty is doubling your productivity and profits, while halving your stress. If you become a highly authentic and inspirational leader in the process, well….that can’t be helped.

Jim Earley on Coaching Start Up Costs

The following is taken from David’s interview with Jim Earley in 10 Super Coaches.

Roughly how much capital/money did you spend in the first 6-12 months, and on what?

I already had a computer. I would have purchased my time and billing software ($200), and initial business cards ($30). My ongoing expenses would have included, paper, envelopes and postage, membership dues, meals, and automobile expenses.

After a year or so, I spent the best money ever on a high quality business card with a particularly evocative label. I bartered the design, and spent $400 on the cards. They were cool. Made a statement. Got noticed every time I used them. Bolstered my confidence, big time.

Some time later, I had a brochure printed. My attitude towards brochures is that they might be an important process to experience, but they’re probably not an important tool to have.

Your Coaching Bio

The following is taken from Get Paid University.

The purpose of your coaching bio is to answer the question, “Are you qualified to be my coach?” That may sound scary, but remember, you only need to be one step ahead of your clients in order to help them and in order for them to want what you have! It does not mean that you need a million academic de- grees or a thousand hours of coaching.

When you put together your bio, you might be surprised at how qualified you are. I’ve seen many coaches blossom once they put pen to paper and see for themselves how professional and accomplished they not only sound but are.

Marcia Reynold’s Most Effective Methods to Find Clients

The following is taken from David’s interview with Marcia Reynolds in 10 Super Coaches.

What method did you find most effective in getting your initial clients, and what advice would you give to coaches trying this method?

Go be visible, whatever this takes. Tell people what you are doing. Network wherever you can. Speak, write, and give seminars. The more people that know you and like you, the more the referrals will come in.

Also, get your own coach immediately, even if funds are low. Your coach will get you up and running quicker than if you try to do it by yourself. And your coach will help you clean up your own life so that you are more attractive to others.

Adding Product to Your Website

The following is a transcription taken from Explode Your Practice.

Product. You have your programmer going, newsletter up and an offer ready. You are getting a high hit rating. I am getting about 15 sign ups a day and 300 visitors. That’s 5% of people signing up, which is probably pretty good. You want at least a 5% sign up ratio. Then free web traffic. #3 is to get your product. And then #4 are you going to the Pay Per Click Engines. The best one I found is Google. I spend about, not sure it it’s per month, if it’s per month, about $400 per month. And I get $1000 in revenue through Google. So I’m making $600 per month through Google.

And it’s so easy.

Start Writing

The following is taken from Get Paid University.

Once you’ve answered these questions, see what theme or key points pop out at you and start writing your bio. Remember to include items that will help people form a connection with you. For example, if you’re a mother, mention it. Or, if you’ve been married and divorced and made it through the process, include that. Make sure that your bio is not just a list of accomplish- ments but that it shows who you are as a person.

You can also draw a tie between your prior work and coach- ing in your bio. If your background and training are a close fit with coaching, mention how it was a natural progression. If they’re completely at odds with coaching (is there such a field?), you can mention why you’ve made the switch.

If you get stuck, surf the internet and find other coaching bios that appeal to you. Do you have something in common with these people? Reading their bios might help you remem- ber experiences or accomplishments you have that relate to your coaching practice. Use them!

Using Credit Cards

The following is an excerpt of David’s interview in Top Coaching Techniques.

Ingrid: Should we even have a credit card?

David: You can have a credit card, but only if you can control your spending and pay it off every month. If not, you can rip up your card or freeze it in a block of ice so you can’t charge at the spur of the moment.

Ingrid: I know someone who has done that.

David: Only use it in a real emergency.

Ingrid: Do you have a credit card?

David: I have two, actually. I love my credit card for the frequent flyer miles. But, only have one if you are controlling your expenses and saving. Next, list everything that you spend money on. Next to it write, ‘Is this something I could easily cut with no pain, with some pain, or I would rather cut off my left leg?’ Then look at how much you would save each month if you slashed this expense.

Posts by David Wood