Let me ask you something. Do you know where you’re going? Do you have a set of coaching business goals that are going to take you from point A all the way to your ultimate destination?
The truth is, in order to get anywhere in life, you’ve got to create goals. Your coaching business is no exception. If you don’t have a game plan with objectives and milestones, you’re going to struggle to move forward. In fact, you’re most likely going to wander around in circles.
With a set of achievable goals, on the other hand, you can make sure that your coaching business is constantly moving towards that result that brings you a deep sense of fulfillment.
And today, I want to help you build and achieve those goals so that you can finally have the coaching business you’ve always wanted. Keep reading for four essential tips you can use to create your own set of coaching business goals!
1. Develop Your Vision
If you’re struggling to create coaching business goals, it might be because you don’t have a clear or unique vision.
Why? Because the relationship between your vision and your coaching goals isn’t a chicken-or-the-egg type of scenario. Coaching goals simply can’t exist without a vision!
A vision shows you where you want to go while coaching goals are the different milestones that help you get there.
Sounds simple enough, right?
Unfortunately, this is an area where so many coaches make a wrong turn. And 9 times out of 10, it’s due to this reason: the coach’s vision isn’t actually theirs.
A coach can easily fall into the trap of looking to another successful coach, employing all of their strategies, and imitating them in nearly every way imaginable. As a result, that coach takes on a vision that isn’t even theirs!
And do you know what happens with that vision? It almost always falls flat because it’s not something that excites them or something they’re passionate about.
So, as you’re developing your own vision, it’s important to look inwards and ask yourself some of the tough questions.
Do I really want this? Why do I want this? What is it going to bring me?
Take a six-figure launch, for example. In the coaching world, this is the holy grail for some coaches. Perhaps you’ve heard other coaches talking about wanting their own six-figure launches, or maybe you’ve seen them being promoted across social media.
If you blindly follow the crowd and adopt “having a six-figure launch” as your big vision, you might be working towards a destination that doesn’t bring you any real sense of joy or fulfillment.
You see, for many people, that six-figure launch isn’t gratifying. Instead, it only increases the pressure to have another six-figure launch.
My vision? It’s to have ultimate flexibility. By having an online coaching business that practically runs itself, I can spend more quality time with my family and three kids. That’s what’s most important to me at this stage of my life.
But guess what? That might be wildly different from what you want to get out of your coaching business. And that’s OK!
In fact, that’s a good thing. When you have a vision you’re truly passionate about, the coaching goals you create will be that much easier to achieve. Not to mention, the journey will be much more fulfilling.
Find out what makes you tick, identify what you really want to achieve, and don’t settle for someone else’s vision. Develop your own vision, make sure it’s crystal clear, and—I can’t stress this enough—write it down.
Then … run with it!
2. The Right Way Is Your Way
Listen, I love a good strategy as much as the next guy. In fact, I’m constantly learning new strategies and teaching the strategies I know to coaches all over the world.
But I’ll also be the first person to tell you that there are countless ways to create a successful coaching business and strategies are just one element. The reality is that there’s no magic map or secret formula you need to conjure up success.
Remember this, though—while there are many roads that might bring you success, there is one path that undoubtedly gives you a leg up.
Can you guess what it is? It’s your way—the one that is in alignment with you.
Let’s face it—running a coaching business comes with all types of challenges, headaches, and stresses. The last thing you need is to be following a road map you don’t believe in or enjoy.
You can only deal with the constant dissatisfaction for so long before you run yourself into the ground or grow tired of coaching altogether!
So, yes, by all means—keep learning, try out different strategies, and feel free to take advice from other coaches. But as you’re developing your vision and your coaching goals, make sure you always filter them through your own passions, values, and intuition.
Having a roadmap you believe in is one that you’ll be able to see through to completion, and that’s the most important factor for your success.
3. Set Three Months of Coaching Business Goals
Next, it’s important to plan … without over-planning.
Now, I know there are plenty of people who will tell you that you should be planning out your goals at least 12 months ahead of time.
Personally? I think that’s way too long. In working with hundreds of coaches all over the world, I almost always find that a 12-month plan causes coaches to burn out or lose the motivation to see that plan through.
Instead, I highly recommend creating a much more digestible roadmap of three months. Three months is more than enough time for you to achieve some of your coaching business goals, yet it’s short enough that you don’t feel completely defeated when you happen to fall behind. You can always get back on your bike!
What’s more, three months actually allows you to develop a more detailed plan. With a three-month plan, you can really start breaking coaching goals down week-by-week—day-by-day, even!
And the truth is that you can create a whole lot of momentum in just three months—enough momentum to propel you into the next three months, and the next three months, and the next three months.
Before you know it, you will have achieved 12 months of coaching goals without having to wait an entire year to see any payoff!
4. Start Moving Forward Today
Ready for a challenge? Now that you have developed a three-month plan and some of your coaching business goals, start working towards these things—not next week, not tomorrow, but today.
There are all types of distractions that threaten your productivity and momentum from the moment you wake up. You know what yours are!
For some people, it’s social media. For others, it’s negative thoughts. For certain people, procrastination and excuses prevent them from ever moving forward. Rather than allowing these things to invade your mind and slow you down, steer clear of them.
And then, I recommend taking this one step further. Name your intentions for the day. Each morning, tell yourself that you’re going to stick to your three-month plan, work towards coaching goals X, Y, and Z, and not let any obstacles get in the way of that.
Genius, right? I wish I could take credit for this practice but Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was doing it nearly 2,000 years ago! He planned for each day, acknowledging the distractions that would try to interfere with his goals but staying laser-focused on what he wanted to achieve.
Why is it so important to practice this each morning? Because of this one simple truth: wherever your attention is, that’s where your energy goes; and wherever your energy goes, that’s where you get all of your outcomes.
Finally, I recommend taking another 10 minutes at the end of each day to reflect on everything that occurred. Ask yourself the following:
Was I productive? Did I make progress towards my coaching business goals? Did I let distractions or obstacles prevent me from moving forward?
It’s critical that you be honest with yourself and acknowledge the different areas where you can improve. Even a day filled with failure has a silver lining—you have the chance to remedy these things the very next morning, as you plan out a brand new day!
Create and Achieve Your Coaching Business Goals
If you feel like you’re not making any forward progress with your coaching business, it’s time for you to create a clear set of coaching goals and start working towards them.
Of course, this starts with your vision. Once you’ve discovered what it is that you want from your business, flesh out the different coaching business goals that will help you get there.
If you stick to a three-month plan and remember to make each day count, you’ll be able to generate enough momentum to grow a fruitful and fulfilling coaching business!
