Ten Things Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know

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A few days ago, a colleague of mine in a Facebook group asked experienced coaches to share what they do to generate revenue in their businesses. As I replied, the words poured out of me, and I realized I had a lot to say about not only creating a profitable coaching practice, but about building a business that is in sync with who you want and what you want.

With that in mind, here are ten things I want every entrepreneur to know:

1. Consciously connect with everyone you meet. Take the time to get in their world and understand their dreams, their fears, and their passions. You never know who may be your ideal client, or who may refer you to your ideal client.

2. It’s okay to not know things. Maybe you’re 100% clear on your niche, or your approach, or your process, or your product. That’s normal — most entrepreneurs don’t know all of these things when they start, and they often change over time. You’ll define and refine these things as you go along.

3. Allow yourself some grace and space. It’s so easy to get caught up in everything you’re supposed to do when building a business. But you don’t have to do all the things, and you don’t have to do them all right now. You are right on time for your business and your life.

4. People over programs. In my first year of business, I spent far too much money on courses, webinars, and guides that promised to build my business and make me money. One or two were amazing, one or two were horrible, and the rest were average. I didn’t finish most of them, and I felt like I was throwing my money away. But when I invested in people — in a coach, in a marketing consultant, in an accountant/financial planner — that’s when my business started to grow. I’m not saying don’t buy courses or webinars or guides — but if you buy something, do so because you have a connection with the person behind it, not because of the promise it’s selling.

5. Go for no. Put yourself out there, knowing that you will get told no by a lot of people. But if you don’t go for no, you’ll never get to yes. And remember — no isn’t necessarily no, never. It may just be no, not yet. No doesn’t always end a conversation — sometimes it begins one.

6. Serve, don’t sell. Go into every interaction with curiosity, and place your focus on serving that person powerfully. It’s not about you in that moment — it’s about providing such a powerful, transformative experience, they cannot imagine moving forward without you.

7. Don’t underprice your services. Your clients may be paying you, but they are investing in themselves. They are worth investing in, and your rates should reflect that.

8. Create a relationship with your offer. Whatever service or product you provide will become the foundation of a deep connection with your client. In coaching, this means providing packages rather than sessions. The client will be implementing changes that take time to fully manifest, and they can’t do that as effectively with one-off or pay-as-you-go sessions.

9. Business coaching is an investment in yourself. You will serve your clients much more powerfully when you are experiencing powerful coaching yourself.

10. Trust your gut. You know more than your mind would have you believe, and you have everything you need to be successful. There are no mistakes.

So there you have it — ten things every entrepreneur needs to know. Leave me a comment and let me know which of these resonates most with you and your business.

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