The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
Time Frame
I suggest a time frame of 3 or 6 months. If you’re working with this time frame, write the date 3 or 6 months from now. Target Date: ______.
Target Clients
Pick a target number of clients to have at the end of that period (suggest 2-10 for 3 months): ____________.
Target Income
Now write down the monthly income you would like to be aiming for (suggest $150pm to $3,000pm, or £100 to £1,000). Pick something that feels like a stretch, but realistic. It will depend on your experience and training, confidence, network, commitment, and mentor coach: $____________.
Supporting Structures
Now, write down the supporting structure(s) you will use to keep you in action (e.g., mentor coach, buddy doing this with you, regular time scheduled in the diary, registering in coach training program): ____________.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Michael O. Cooper in 10 Super Coaches.
What words of advice would you give to a coach starting out?
Double the amount of time you estimate it will take to build your business.
Practice EXTREME profitability on every project you undertake (profits can be virtual metrics, not just cash).
Establish enough reserves to be financially solvent and emotionally secure for at least one year.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Anna Dargitz in 10 Super Coaches.
Would you advice coaches to pursue certification?
Yes and no. If you have no other forms of credibility to the public, pursue certification immediately.
The thing that makes pursuing the International Association of Coaches’ certification most attractive to me is the sophistication and progressiveness of the 15 proficiencies that the exam is based on.
The IAC doesn’t care how many hours of classes you’ve taken or different clients who will attest to your competence. They rely on real world demonstration of your skills and knowledge with the world’s most highly researched set of proficiencies for advanced communicating and relating. No hoops to jump. Just “show us what you’ve INTEGRATED in your life in a rigorous written and oral exam”.
On the other hand, if you’ve already integrated the high level of relating that is illustrated in the 15 proficiencies, along with knowing how to listen for a couple hundred different things and you’ve ripened your ego to such a level that most people would say you don’t have one… You definitely don’t need any other designations. You are a powerful facilitator of human evolution and a magnet for what you want in life.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Andrea Molloy in 10 Super Coaches.
What are your coaching niche(s)? How did you discover this?
Our practice specializes in personal (mainly socio’s 1&2, primarily 25-40 year olds) and corporate coaching (within organizations that respect coaching as a discipline, predominately market leading organizations and 3 month contracts for a team rather than individual executive coaching) – we identified these areas in our original business planning process.
Personally my niche is in personal coaching and media related fields (ie writing books, magazine articles).
How would you suggest coaches find their niche?
Look at your background and experience, the areas where you already have respect and a healthy reputation…that will easily lead you to your niche. In a way, you need to analyse your personal ‘brand’ – people do judge you on what you look and sound like, so make sure you reflect how you want to be perceived, and that will lead you to your niche too.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Anna Dargitz in 10 Super Coaches.
What was the most interesting or exciting thing for you about building your practice?
Most exciting thing for me about practice development was learning this truth:
Self-awareness + interdependence on others + supportive environments = Successful Practice Development.
I am indebted to my own long-term coaches over the years who inspired me to soar with my strengths and reach farther than I believed I could. They are truly gifted coaches and mentors and include Craig Carr (PCC), Steve Davis, Jennifer Anderson (MCC) and Phil Karl.
What was perhaps the biggest mistake you made in practice building?
Not jumping into interdependent mode sooner. I never do anything important by myself anymore.
The following is taken from David’s interview with Philip Cohen in 10 Super Coaches.
I believe the certification offered by the International Coach Federation is the most rigorous and the most widely respected. Certification is more than a certificate. The value of a certification lies in the credibility of the certification process. ICF requires a candidate to have formal training, document the number of hours they have coached, and to demonstrate their competency as a coach through live and taped coaching sessions. The assessors are all senior level coaches who know how to administer the exams. The certificate isn’t for just completing a program, the candidate must be able to use the skills. Numerous coaching schools around the world have created their programs based on ICF’s Core Coaching Competencies.
