Ep 115 - Software to Manage Your Life Coaching Business
Business Success + Life Coach, Debbie Shadid, is talking with you about a select few pieces of software that will make running your life coaching business simple, streamlined, and professional.
With all of the different tools, teachers, and strategies out there, knowing what you need to run your business is a challenge in itself.
We’ve talked about how you can run your life coaching business on less than $50 per month by using software like Google, Canva, and Flodesk. These are some of the work-horse type programs that can do most of the heavy lifting for you.
But there are a few more little things to explore that will take business maintenance to the next level of ease.
Listen in on this week’s episode to learn what little pieces of software can make a big impact on your life coaching business.
Software I Recommend
(The following contains some affiliate links - if you purchase through my link I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Calendly for free scheduling
Acuity for more robust scheduling
Loom for video & screen recording
Flodesk for email marketing
Canva for scheduling social media posts
PayPal for free invoicing
Freshbooks for more robust invoicing & financial management
GarageBand on Mac for audio editing
Camtasia for video editing
Kajabi for membership platform, email marketing, website, etc.
Transcript
00;00;06;04 - 00;00;24;04 | Debbie
Welcome to the Business Building Boutique podcast for New Life Coaches. If you are a newly certified coach who's trying to figure out how to grow your business, you're in the right spot. Join me each week to learn simple business growth strategies, along with step by step marketing tips to get you seen by clients in your niche. I'm going to be your guide,
00;00;24;04 - 00;00;44;10 | Debbie
I'll tell you what to do so you can feel confident in your business. And here's the truth, ladies. You can build your dream coaching business without paid ads and without a fancy sales funnel. So if that sounds interesting and you're ready to get more paid clients then let's get started. Hello, how are you guys? Welcome to the podcast.
00;00;44;25 - 00;01;14;15 | Debbie
I hope that you guys are finding this series about software and technology helpful. Today we're going to talk in this last week of this series about some other software tools that you need for your business and some that are just helpful to have. I mentioned to you previously about Canva. I'm going to start right there again. I'm sure you guys are tired of hearing about Canva, but let me just tell you one of the things that I didn't talk about was using Canva for scheduling your social media.
00;01;14;29 - 00;01;41;19 | Debbie
If you use Canva Pro, the scheduling software is included in there. And it is brilliant, honestly, because you can create the graphic in Canva and then you can schedule it directly through there. So I highly recommend that you use some kind of scheduling software. If you guys are on Facebook, you can actually schedule through Facebook on your business page, on Instagram, you can use your Canva to schedule whatever you do.
00;01;41;19 - 00;02;11;21 | Debbie
I do think that scheduling, pre-scheduling your social media post is very, very helpful. Sitting down and doing your social media ahead of time honestly, you guys, is the way that ensures that you'll be consistent in what you're doing. And you guys know, I preach about consistency when it comes to marketing, so use the Canva scheduling software. You're already paying for it to schedule Instagram or Facebook or whatever it is that you would like to choose to schedule through there.
00;02;12;14 - 00;02;32;18 | Debbie
All right. The second piece of software that I want to talk about is associated with Google. I know we already talked about Google as well, but I did not mention this one is something that I think is so good. And it's a piece of software called Loom. It is also free. Now there is a little catch here,
00;02;32;18 - 00;02;57;04 | Debbie
I actually use the paid version. It's free for you to record a video up to 5 minutes. Now, my videos are always longer than 5 minutes. I think I pay $8 a month for unlimited time on my videos. But what Loom is, is it is a way for you to record your whole screen. So you could do a training just like you would do on Zoom.
00;02;57;04 - 00;03;23;04 | Debbie
You could do a training, but you can also record a message for a client. So if you guys were one of my clients and you said, I am, you know, you sent me a message and you said, I'm stuck in Flodesk. I don't know how to do this next step. I reply back to people on a Loom video so I will open up Flodesk on my computer and then I'll turn on Loom and I will actually record myself.
00;03;23;04 - 00;03;48;27 | Debbie
I will show you how to get whatever it is fixed inside of Flodesk. That is super helpful. So if you have anything to do with showing somebody something, Loom is awesome. The next way that I use Loom is that I communicate with people that I've had consultation calls with or that have reached out to me via email that I want to send a more personal message.
00;03;48;28 - 00;04;09;25 | Debbie
So today, for example, I received a message from somebody who's on my email list who's interested in working with me. She had some questions. We haven't had a consultation call. She had some questions about my coaching and she sent me an email and said, before I get on a consultation call, would you mind answering these questions for me?
00;04;10;15 - 00;04;28;23 | Debbie
So I decided to do a Loom video back. It's like I'm having a chat with my girlfriend and I was like, hey, how are you? Thanks for reaching out to me. And then I answered her questions on Loom. The thing about the Loom video is when you are done recording it and again, less than 5 minutes, it's free.
00;04;29;05 - 00;04;52;14 | Debbie
When you're done recording it, there's just a link. You get a little link and you just email the link to somebody. So she receives that link from me, she doesn't have to download anything. She can do it on her phone. You know, there's no waiting time for her to get my reply. She clicks on that link and it opens up and she starts playing the video response that I sent to her.
00;04;52;14 - 00;05;13;13 | Debbie
So it's lovely if you guys are working with clients that maybe you want to be encouraging along the way or you want to send a thank you message after a consult or, you know, maybe some guidance. You've been thinking about them. It is such a really amazing way to stay connected with your clients and to nurture the relationships that you have is to do those
00;05;13;13 - 00;05;40;02 | Debbie
Loom videos. I also have use Loom for social media and for marketing purposes. So if you guys have been in my world very long, you might have seen where I actually took you inside of my client portal, where all of the content to the Business Building Boutique is housed. And I take you on Loom through a tour, through what's inside my website, like what you'll get with me when you work with me.
00;05;40;14 - 00;06;01;22 | Debbie
That is really a useful way to do that. You could actually send somebody, a client, a follow up message with like, hey, these are the things I know we talked about last week. I'm just checking in with you, thinking about you, wondering if you might do this as a next step. So this is going to be according to the type of coaching that you do.
00;06;02;01 - 00;06;29;15 | Debbie
But just know it's a very, very personal way to be able to connect with somebody. You can do this same thing for social media. So if you want to share, let's say something about setting boundaries or something about the manual or some concept that you teach in coaching, you can record this online and you could share it on your Facebook page and you could be talking, you know, without going live on Facebook.
00;06;29;15 - 00;06;50;04 | Debbie
You could be talking online and then just share the link on your Facebook page. Again, nobody has to download anything. They just click on the link and it starts to play. So there you go. Another one of my favorite tools. Of course, you are also going to need to have scheduling software because we're all doing consultations, we're all talking to people about our coaching.
00;06;50;19 - 00;07;17;29 | Debbie
So you can use the free versions of just about any scheduling software that could include acuity. I actually use Acuity scheduling. You could also use Calendly. I will leave links for these things in the show notes. You can use the free versions of those. So you guys know that's where you go get your appointment scheduled on somebody you know from their website and then you'll get those reminders.
00;07;17;29 - 00;07;41;01 | Debbie
Either text or email reminders of your next appointment is coming up at this time, when you have the paid version of these, you can actually have an intake form. So if you guys schedule a time with me DebbieShadid.com/schedule when you get there to schedule your appointment with me, I have like four or five questions that I ask you as pre-consultation questions.
00;07;41;13 - 00;07;59;21 | Debbie
Tell me you know where you're at in your business dollar wise. You know, if you're just a beginner or up to this dollar amount. Tell me what your biggest challenges are today. You know, if you have a website or a social media presence, share that with me, your name, your phone number. Those kind of questions are pre-consultation questions.
00;08;00;19 - 00;08;24;20 | Debbie
What I love about that is that I can go and do a little preparation before we get on a consultation call. I want that consultation to be the most effective call for you and I want to be the most confident in my consultation call. That's why I use the pre-consult forms. You guys could do the same thing, you know, you could ask somebody for your weight loss coach, what are the biggest challenges they have?
00;08;24;28 - 00;08;44;14 | Debbie
And that way then when you get on to have a consultation call with them, you're prepared. You know what their pain points are, you know what their problems are, you know what their goal is, let's say, and you can talk about it directly like that. So you'll definitely want to have scheduling software for now. You guys, the free software is perfect.
00;08;44;25 - 00;09;07;26 | Debbie
If you want to upgrade and do those intake forms, you know, that might be a small monthly fee. It's going to be less than $10 a month for you to do that. There are also going to be at some point accounting software that you're going to use, invoicing software that you're going to use. Right now. Let me just tell you, you can use free invoicing software through PayPal, so you don't need to buy anything else.
00;09;07;26 - 00;09;30;16 | Debbie
Just invoice through PayPal. There's several other free platforms, but invoice through there, you collect money through there, you can have credit cards processed through there, whatever it is. That would be a way for you to invoice. At some point you might have a complex enough business that you will have invoicing software. So I had been using for years, 20 something years, FreshBooks.
00;09;30;21 - 00;09;54;05 | Debbie
I'll even link to that. It is accounting software. The thing that I love about FreshBooks is that when I have a problem with my technology because I'm just like you guys, I'm not a pro at all the technology, but when I have a problem or an accounting question, I can actually call FreshBooks and they can look at what I'm doing on my computer that is brilliant.
00;09;54;17 - 00;10;10;08 | Debbie
So they can actually access it so they can't get in and do anything I don't want them to do, but we can be looking at the same screen and I can, you know, prepare whatever it is that I'm going to be sending to my accountant in a proper way. So that is brilliant. For sure, you want to do that. (eventually)
00;10;10;12 - 00;10;35;05 | Debbie
I'll make a mention of just a few other pieces of software that at some point you're going to want to use. One might be editing software like I'm using right now for the podcast, and that is GarageBand that comes with your Mac computer. I edit what I'm doing with the podcasts and I upload from GarageBand into another piece of software that I use for my podcast.
00;10;35;05 - 00;10;58;06 | Debbie
So that might be one I also use on occasion something called Camtasia. I will leave links to all of this in the show notes. Camtasia is another piece of software that you can edit video on, so if you guys are in the beginning stages of your business and you are nervous and awkward, you're not prepared, you're uncomfortable doing video, which my goodness, everybody is.
00;10;58;06 - 00;11;20;04 | Debbie
It took me a long time. I used Camtasia so much because I had to keep editing out all the times that I was like, Yeah, I had to edit out the parts where I was messing up what I was saying. All of that can be done in Camtasia. I believe that you can buy a lifetime subscription to that.
00;11;20;04 - 00;11;44;20 | Debbie
I think it's about $199. Okay. Now, of course, there are many other pieces of software that you can use, applications that you can add to either your phone or to your computer. But I really just want to caution you and say there's a high chance you don't need to pay for anything else. We are really probably all guilty,
00;11;44;20 - 00;12;04;22 | Debbie
and I'm going to raise my hand on this one, of subscribing to things, and then they just keep coming out of our checking account or keep going to our credit card month after month after month at $10 a month and $10 here and $10 there. I want you to have a profitable coaching business and the only way you can have a profitable coaching business is if you are not spending money haphazardly.
00;12;05;13 - 00;12;27;08 | Debbie
So I want you to really focus on the things that you're using for your business, the tools. Remember, $19 a month for Flodesk with a 50% off coupon that I can provide for you in the show notes. $12.95 a month for Canva Pro and that is really all that you need above and beyond that as you grow your business.
00;12;27;08 - 00;12;48;20 | Debbie
Look, if you get to where you have a member portal or a client portal or a membership program. All right, then we'll talk about the kinds of technology that you need for that, because there's a whole bunch of those. I'm currently using Kajabi. Kajabi is a member platform that I can put everything in. It can do my email.
00;12;48;20 - 00;13;17;02 | Debbie
It holds the videos, the downloads, all of the things. You guys have probably all logged into something that you've purchased. It's likely in Kajabi. There are many options on email marketing. MailChimp is one. You guys might be using ConvertKit. And again, so many choices. So there is no right choice. Pick the one that you're most comfortable with. There are many types of websites that you can use WordPress, Squarespace, Wix those are probably the most common.
00;13;17;15 - 00;13;39;08 | Debbie
Those are all going to be things that you can subscribe to as well. All right. That's where I'm going to stop because I could go on and on and tell you about advanced software. But for those of you that are listening to my podcast, chances are you are under $100,000 in revenue and you need basic pieces of software and technology.
00;13;40;00 - 00;13;59;29 | Debbie
Give yourself the gift of being not very overwhelmed and keep those things to a minimum. Learn how to use those and just stick with those. You don't need to add anything else just because you see another coach talking about something that they used or some app or some tool. Look, really evaluate it. It is not going to make you more money.
00;13;59;29 - 00;14;22;05 | Debbie
What makes you more money is marketing. What makes you more money is keeping yourself out there consistently. It is not the tool, the software tool that you're going to use. Okay, that is it. You guys, if you are listening to this podcast and you have not gone back and listened, this is a four-part series that were just wrapping up on software and technology that you need for your coaching business.
00;14;22;14 - 00;14;41;13 | Debbie
Keep it simple and keep growing and keep moving. All right. Have an amazing day. Ff I can help you in any way, if you guys are just ready to simplify your business, if you're ready to have somebody teach you in person how to do these pieces of technology, I do all of that in the Business Building Boutique for life coaches.
00;14;41;27 - 00;15;07;05 | Debbie
I will teach you all of it. I'll show you how to do it. We'll work on your marketing, we'll work on your offers, your packaging, your pricing. I'll teach you how to sell. All of that is covered. Doesn't matter if you're just beginning and you don't even know what your niche shares or if you are, you know, selling successfully group coaching and you're ready to just take it to the next level all of the things that I teach you will help you get to where you need to go.
00;15;07;14 - 00;15;25;19 | Debbie
If you are interested in talking about how to grow your coaching business and how I might be able to help you get on a call with me. It is a no pressure call. I want to find clients that really want to work with me and I know that you have to explore what options there are and I need to get to know you and find out what's happening with you too.
00;15;25;19 - 00;15;58;23 | Debbie
So let's get on a call. DebbieShadid.com/Schedule. All right you guys have an amazing week, until next time. Bye-bye. That's it, thanks for listening. Now it's up to you; put what you learned today into action. Do what you need to be seen and then hired by clients and you niche. And if you're ready to stop wasting your precious time and get your business finally booked up, you're invited to join me in the Business Building Boutique for New Life Coaches, where you will learn everything you need to be a coach with plenty of paid clients.
00;15;58;23 - 00;16;09;14 | Debbie
All right. Have an amazing week. Until next time, bye-bye.