Some of the most notable questions we receive from our students who are on their coach-education journey, are “Will acquiring an International Coach Federation (ICF) credential really make a difference in my coaching career?” It is a legitimate question, worthy of exploration. One might also ask, “Why obtain a coaching credential when a license in this profession is not required by law?” Again, this is another great question, and based upon our experiences here at The International Coaching Group, Inc., dba Coaching Out of the Box®, we believe the following adequately and thoughtfully answers these questions for all aspiring and current coaches – especially those who are committed to the profession.

 
Sixth in the What’s Next? Series
Business name, the last in our series of What’s Next? but definitely not the least important task. Niche, tone, branding, marketing, social…all are important and over the course of the last few months, we’ve looked at each individually.

To recap, here are the tasks to consider when focusing on what’s next in starting your business:

Website- August newsletter
Niche- September newsletter
Tone, branding, personality- October newsletter
Marketing – November newsletter
Social – December newsletter
Business name

 
Fifth in the What’s Next? Series

As a small business you will be wearing many hats. Getting lost in the rabbit hole of any one of them can easily derail your day and your week.

To recap, here are the tasks to consider when focusing on what’s next:

Website- August newsletter
Niche- September newsletter
Tone, branding, personality- October newsletter
Marketing – November newsletter
Social
Business name

The last newsletter left you with some homework…Where does your ideal client scroll? Facebook? Instagram? LinkedIn? TikTok?

First step is knowing who your ideal clients are. Who are they? The demographics of your audience will influence what you say, how you say it and where you say it. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a broad audience, just that you need to be consistent in who you are and what you say.

As usual, there is a lot to think about in this blog post but it’s up to you to search further depending on who you are and who your niche is. It’s not a cookie cutter situation.

Marketing

Where to start, budgeting, social or print, and word of mouth.

At this point of our series, What’s Next?, we’ve discussed your website, niche, as well as tone and branding. Marketing is next on our list.

Tasks to consider when focusing on what’s next:

Website- August newsletter
Niche- September newsletter
Tone, branding, personality- October newsletter
Marketing
Social
Business name

This can seem like an overwhelming task. Before you dive in, break down your goals and plans.

What is the purpose of your marketing?
How is your marketing plan aligned with your purpose?
Who is your prime audience/ client?
How much time do you want to spend on marketing?

 
Tone, Branding and Personality

If you’ve been following along in our What’s Next? Series, you’ll have considered your website (nuts and bolts not actual design completion) as well as your niche. We’ve covered both of these in our August and September newsletters, and both are posted on our website blog page.

Tasks to consider when focusing on what’s next:

Website- August newsletter
Niche- September newsletter
Tone, branding, personality
Marketing
Social
Business name

You may feel that marketing is the next step. But before that, you’ll need to know the intent behind your words, how to convey who you are and who you aren’t to your potential clients.

Tone, branding and personality.

Why are they important?
Which comes first?
What is affected by your decisions?
Where to start?

People have been quietly quitting for years, just without the trendy term. Whether they’re looking for a new job, are struggling with their career path or with unacceptable expectations; quietly quitting isn’t new.

What is new, or at least more in the forefront, is searching for meaning and better work-life boundaries. The pandemic has increased our stress and led to higher rates of burnout in most job sectors.

Then enters remote working, showing us different ways of working that also allows us to enjoy some personal time and flexibility.

Do a quick Google search and you’ll find articles and opinions from McKinsey to any news publication you follow. Rethinking and rejecting, hustling and quitting…in comes the passion economy. Where you do more of what you love. Regain control. Plan your life on your terms.

The second topic in the series, What’s Next?, may be a question that’s been on your mind since you started thinking about entering the coaching world.

What’s your niche?

Who do you want to be as a coach?
Who is your ideal client?
Who do you NOT want as a client?

If you’re following along in our series, the first topic (task I called it for the sake of accountability) was about your website. The topic covered budget, ease of use, ownership and much more. If you’re new to our newsletter community and missed the first newsletter, reach out to me at advisor@coachingoutofthebox.com and I’ll send it along.

Tasks to consider:

Website- August newsletter
Niche- September newsletter
Tone, branding, personality
Marketing
Social
Business name

What is a niche?
Your niche helps you focus on a path. It also tells your potential clients where you specialize. A clear niche will help you not only focus yourself but also your branding and your message.

On the issue of taking notes during a coaching session…

This is a question that often surfaces in coaching training. Is it ok for the coach to write while conducting a coaching session? What are the pros and cons of taking notes in coaching?

When it comes to coaching, I usually try to stay away from “black and white” answers.
Coaching is a human-to-human interaction, and as so, full of gray areas.

Writing while coaching is possibly one of them.

Oh, the Back to School ads are dreadful,
But the summer is so delightful,
Since we’re coaches in-the-know,
Feed your soul, feed your soul, feed your soul.

Corny yes, but also true. As coaches and coaches-in-training, we are learning how we need to coach, what we need to do as a coach, and who do we have to be as a coach.

As summer comes to an end and we reflect back on a fruitful season, ask yourself three questions:

How did you use your white space this summer?
Did you get in your state of flow?
How did you feed your soul?

We get focused on our daily schedule, family life, and career goals and sometimes forget about taking care of ourselves.

That’s the big question. Whether you’re starting your coach training, are in the midst of it or you’ve completed your training, What’s next? is a big question that’s probably on your mind. What’s right in front of you? Using your new coaching skills in your current role? Adding a side gig? Or starting your new path as a credentialed coach and offering your services? Two out of three of these options are bigger than the other. Let’s talk about that.

Where to start? Personally, I’m very task-oriented, however, in the mindset of coaching the term task can be translated to everything from assignment, burden, responsibility, calling, or headache to mission. Let’s stick with tasks for the sake of ease and positivity. In the first of this series of blog posts, let’s talk first tasks. Below is a list of some (but not all) tasks to be considered when starting to promote yourself as a coach. The list is by no means complete and will also be altered to suit your needs. Some tasks will be easier than others depending on your experience and who’s in your network that you can call on (a key point to remember!).

Coaching Topic Fatigue: How to Overcome It You are taking a coach training program, and part of this is tons of practice. This is all