136 - A Year In Review: The Business Building Boutique Process

Do you want to know how I doubled my business in 2022? I’ve narrowed the steps down to make this super simple and easy for you to follow. I’m sharing the wins and the challenges I faced and conquered on the way to reaching my goal. 

In this episode of the Life Coach Business Building Podcast, I’ll tell you all of the important details about how I was able to double my business. I’ll tell you the things that worked, the things that didn’t work, and all the necessary yet painful changes that I had to make to grow my business, and to serve my clients better. 

As I prepared my year end assessment, I determined that I was able to support a total of 60 women through my coaching program. I was also able to help 1531 women by showing them how to create a more professional coaching business brand through my Canva webinar. And I was able to encourage 261 people to take action through the various workshops I’ve had this year. 

So, if you're curious about how I managed to accomplish all of this, make sure to tune in and find out my secret! 

Save your seat for the Design, Live, & Thrive Summit on January 2023 here: www.designlivethrive.com

Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/kb0aBHVL2Lo

Listen wherever you get podcasts, or head over to: https://debbieshadid.com/podcast

Transcript

Go make it happen. You've heard what you have to do. You have to go do the work. If you're not building your business, then I want you to ask yourself, do you really want to be in business? That's a question that honestly get clear on before you start the year.

If your business is just for fun, then just let yourself off the hook. Go have fun. Tell people about coaching. Coach your friends for free. But if you are really building a business, then get to work. Get the help that you need. Do not wait for it. It won't just happen. You have to make it happen. It takes daily work consistently, but it works, you guys. 

Hello, I'm Debbie Shadid, the host of the Life Coach Business Building podcast. If you are ready to have more clients in your life coach business, then you're in the right spot. Each week I'm gonna teach you super simple strategies to grow your business without feeling overwhelmed and without spending money on paid ads. If that sounds interesting. Stick around and let's get started.

Welcome to today's podcast. We're gonna talk about success, success that my clients have had this year, success that I have had. And I'm gonna break it down for you. So if you're one of those people who loves to know the details and wants to know what you need to do in 2023 to be successful, I am going to outline it for you.

All right? If I got your attention, let me just jump right in and start with a list of things that I know worked for me and that also worked for my clients. 

All right. Number one, the willingness to work. Do you have the willingness to work? I know I had the willingness and the commitment to work. My clients, when they come work with me, there's no messing around. They are there to do some work. They're there to lay the business foundations, they're there to learn the technology. they're there to put things in place, you know, freebies and emails and websites and programs that they're creating for their clients. They are doing a lot of work that they've never done before.

So you have to be willing to do the work. When you're willing to do the work you guys, and do it consistently, even when you don't want to, even when you have a better idea, when you stick to that original plan and you just stay consistent, guess what? It works. You coach people for free when you don't wanna coach 'em.

 You do workshops when nobody attends. Many, many of the women that I work with, they all started doing new workshops this year, and they didn't have people to attend. They did them anyway. They showed up and did 'em when nobody else was there. And guess what, you guys? It creates results. I know that's hard to imagine, but a client just today told me that somebody had been watching the replays of the workshops that she'd been doing, that basically nobody showed up to, and they want to become a client. So that's how it works. You have to show up and be willing to do the work. That's number one.

Number two is you have to be willing to say no, no to a lot of the ideas that you have. No to a lot of the gosh, changes you wanna make in your business that do not serve you, no to joining, buying, signing up for all kinds of things.

I've had to constrain, my clients have had to constrain, and you have to constrain. Shut out all of the noise and pick one person to listen to and go all in on that. I also had to say no to people that I've had relationships with for years because I decided that I was a hundred percent invested in growing the Business Building Boutique, and that meant that I had to let my private clients go.

Some of those people I'd had relationships with for years. I deeply cared for them. So are you willing to start saying no to the things that are not going to get you to the goal that you have? Now for me, the Business Building Boutique and the women that I help now, I feel like I have worked 24 years to get to this point where I am so prepared to help you and I'm so committed to it that that has been the thing that is overridden, this desire to say yes to people when I knew I should say no. 

So I said no to people that wanted to re-sign with me. I said no to opportunities to be supporting some other people. I said no to coaching some very close friends. I cleared my calendar. That was not gonna get me to where I wanted to go. So what do you need to say no to? Many of my clients said no to messing around, no to excuses they had been making, no to the drama that kept coming up about niches. They just picked one and they said, no, I'm not changing my mind.

Every time they had another idea, they just stuck with what they did. That is what works. You have to start saying no to many things that are not getting you closer to your goal. 

The third thing I did is I continued to invest in my business growth. I hired the most expensive coach that I had ever hired in my business.

Why? Because I needed a strategy coach just like you do. I needed someone to give me the strategies for this next level of my business. I am an action coach and I hired an action coach, so I wanted somebody who could tell me how to get to the next place. I wanted somebody who had their eyes on my business that was going to help me make the hard choices, to do the hard things that I needed to do again, to stay on my mission, which is to serve women, to help women that are just like me who want to grow businesses, who need to learn the technology, who know that they have something really meaningful to contribute to the world. They know they're meant to be coaches and they don't know how to be in business.

I help people just like that and I got somebody to help me get my business to the next level. So you have to be able to decide what it is. You have to invest in your business. I spent money on all new technology for my business. I changed many, many things again to better the experience for my clients. So are you thinking about your clients all the time? So that is the way that you continue to grow by investing in your business.

Number four. The fourth thing that I did is I made room in my counter for something that would be I'm so grateful for. I made room for my granddaughter. For the first time in my life I decided that I could have the biggest business that I've ever had and also work fewer hours than I'd ever worked.

So I took off time permanently at least one day a week to take care of my granddaughter. I mean, how can you replace that time? You can't. So I know all of you have things in your life that you want to do, and my little granddaughter, Lucy, is my priority. I can make a lot of money, help a lot of people, and do these extra things in my life, but you have to decide to make room for that.

You have to decide that you're still equally committed to one thing and make room for the other thing, and then give up what else there is that you needed to complete, like tasks, jobs, things that you thought were important, just give them up to make room for that. Because of Lucy, I also had lots of things that I would've normally done on weekends and on some Fridays that became Lucy time.

So it's really incredible to think about how much I let go of doing in my business to make room for her, to make room for family. And yet my business doubled. So I want you to think about what it is that you could remove from your plate, what you are doing that is unnecessary to make room for what is necessary in your business.

I also got to the fourth quarter in my business. When we started the fourth quarter, I looked at where I was and I decided to go all in on the fourth quarter. I decided, you know what? I had this pretty big impossible goal and I'm gonna do everything I can to get there. So I really sat down and flushed out what needed to be done to get there, and then I made a plan to get there. And I worked lots and lots of extra hours, really, honestly, you guys in November and December to get to this place where I could accomplish really this big goal that I had. So are you willing to do that? Are you willing to be strategic with your time? So mark off what's important in your life. Mark it off your calendar so you can have space for that, but also be very strategic with your time. 

All right. The fifth thing that I did, oh my gosh, this was another hard choice, was I have made changes with the contractors that work for me. Now, when people work for me, I love 'em. I mean, they've worked closely with me. They mean a lot to me. I know I'm making a difference in their lives. They've made a difference in my life. They've made a difference in my business. And yet, sometimes you have to look at what's happening.

You look at the numbers, you look at the results that are being created. You look at how it's all working, and then you have to, as a CEO, make some decisions for where you are going for the future of your business, for the future of your clients. You make some decisions and you decide to change some things.

And so,Where is it in your life that you need to let go of some things that you deeply care about? And I know you guys don't have teams of people that are working for you, but you will. Someday you will, and you'll always want to assess what does that look like. That also means that I actually changed some things in my business. Even though the Business Building Boutique for coaches only is only 18 months old, I have let go of some of the things that I had added that are not serving my clients or serving me, again to make room for what is working for my clients.

So what do you need to change? What do you need to, gosh, dissolve? That could be, again, some relationships that are not supporting your coaching business. Oftentimes when you're starting your coaching business, you know there's people that don't believe in you. Maybe you put an end to some of those relationships or you stop talking to those people about your business.

So maybe you don't have contractors to change relationships with, but you have some other relationships that could be eliminated as you move forward in 2023. 

All right. The sixth thing that I did is I changed technology. I was in a place just like you. I had to learn new technology. I had to spend a lot of time, and some of the technology that I'm using now, I changed twice in one year.

That was a lot. And it was all with the objective of creating a better experience for my clients and to simplify my business. So at some point you're gonna wanna do that too. You're gonna be always looking at your business and saying, how can I simplify what I'm doing? 

All right. I mentioned this briefly, but the seventh thing that I did is I stopped peer coaching. There just wasn't time on my calendar in the direction that I was going. Now I had Lucy time and also the amount of serving that I was doing for my clients and that I do for my clients really is important to me. So it was like I need to trim out of my schedule what wasn't really necessary and peer coaching wasn't necessary.

So that is a hard thing to do. Some of you guys have been peer coaching with some of the same people since you certified. So look at what needs to go so that you can free up the time that you need to actually work on your business, to meet people, to do the workshops, to really provide opportunities to sell your coaching.

The eighth thing that I wanna tell you about is personal. I hired a trainer. I hired a trainer because I know that I need to be in good health to be able to serve my clients. And I am really, really honestly picky about going places, about being around people.

Cuz I don't wanna get sick. I wanna stay healthy. I wanna stay strong. Why? Because I have a lot of people that count on me. and it's not just the clients that hire me that count on me, but I know that those same women can change the world through the coaching that they do. So I wanna make sure that I stay well and that I stay strong and that I stay healthy. So I hired a trainer to keep me accountable to my own fitness goals because I just wasn't doing it on my own.

Alright, number nine. I launched a totally new concept in my business at the end of the year because of my clients. I'm always trying to think what is best for them and how can I make their business grow.

As I got towards the end of 2022, and I thought about my people, I thought the biggest challenge for new coaches is they need a bigger email list. They need to be in front of more people. And I thought, how can I do that? So you guys have heard about it. I created the Design Live Thrive Summit which is gonna be January 13th and 14th.

And my goodness, that has been a huge undertaking. We've created a website, I've gotten all the speakers lined up. I've created a format for them to do their speeches. This is all of my clients doing this. They've written speeches, they're doing workshops, they're doing training. I've written all of the emails that go to support the growth of the Design Live, Thrive Summit.

I've written all of the social media posts. Created all the graphics, and this is with the support of my team. I haven't done it by myself, but we've done all of this big container of marketing to be able to bring awareness so that people will join us for this free women's summit.

So if you are interested in making 2023 your best year ever, you're gonna wanna join this summit because I am telling you what. We have 18 speakers that have incredible things that they're gonna be teaching us, and I promise you, you will walk away from this free summit with all kinds of new ideas and inspiration for the new year. So be sure you head over to designlivethrive.com. I'll leave that in the show notes and register for the summit. 

Alright. What was the outcome of what I did in my business? And again, I have to say, I'm just blown away. As I mentioned, I doubled my business, but what else did I do besides that? I impacted a lot of people's lives and I know that that is what matters to you guys too.

So I looked at what those numbers were today. I coached over 60 clients in my Business Building Boutique business, which has been phenomenal because those 60 women are helping women. The ripple effect is just immeasurable. I also had 1,531 people to date. We have a few days left before we enter into the new year, but 1,531 people watched my Canva workshop.

It is a step-by-step process showing people exactly how to do Canva to create a more professional brand for your coaching business. There's 30 days of social media graphics. You guys, this has been really something people have valued. If you have not done that workshop, go to the link in the show notes and take that workshop.

Learn from it. Use those graphics to be able to create some new marketing tools for your business. All right. I also had 261 women attend various free trainings that I did throughout the year. So I do workshops two times a month, you guys. So I do pricing workshops, workshops on authentic selling, workshops on creating your offer, workshops on marketing, networking.

I do free workshops all year long. If you are not on my email list, sign up for something that you find in the show notes so that you can get on my email list and attend those workshops. They are really, honestly, you guys, gosh, packed with information that people use. I have some clients that say, you know, they came to those workshops, they were able to learn enough to be able to generate some income in their business and then be able to hire me. So make sure you join me in those workshops this year. 

So what I have done is that I've proved that the Business Building Boutique methods work. Because what I teach, I apply to my own business, you guys, and again, as I mentioned, I doubled my business this year and I'm only telling you that not to give myself a pat on the back, but just to let you know that if you get in there and you do the work and you do what's hard and you do it consistently, gosh, it works.

And now I'm set up for success. The women that I talked to this week who've done so much of this work, They're likely going to triple their business next year without much work because they've already put the pieces in place. They've already got their workshops worked out. They've already set up their emails. They already have really a foundation laid for their business, and now it's just a matter of taking off from there.

So let's wrap this up. I would just wanna share with you guys what happened in my coaching calls this week, because even today, Oh my goodness. I was so, so proud. I asked my clients to share what they were most proud of, what they accomplished in their business in 2022, and I think you should do that for yourself.

And honestly, you guys, it was so, so great to hear. These women were actually so proud of every individual thing, like the decisions that they made, the way that they learned new software, the way that they built their websites, the workshops that they did, again, with nobody attending, and they did 'em anyway.

The free coaching that they offered, the way that they found people to talk to, they were so, so proud. And the common theme that came up over and over again is that they had created confidence and certainty that really was immeasurable about how they knew to be in business and what business they had created.

They were so happy about and really confident in what they were going to be able to accomplish in 2023 now that they have this foundation laid. So it is so, so incredible. It was such an honor to be able to hear that today as well. So take the time, you guys. Really look and see what you have accomplished this last year.

Sit down and really be, gosh, give yourself some time to be proud of yourself. All right? You've done the work. I know they really were grateful to have that time today, and it was so rewarding for everybody to hear what everybody else had accomplished. So I know that you have done the same. I know that you've done that too.

All right, you guys, that is it. Go make it happen. You've heard what you have to do. You have to go do the work. If you're not building your business, then I want you to ask yourself, do you really want to be in business? That's a question that honestly get clear on before you start the year.

If your business is just for fun, then just let yourself off the hook. Go have fun. Tell people about coaching. Coach your friends for free. But if you are really building a business, then get to work. Get the help that you need. Do not wait for it. It won't just happen. You have to make it happen. It takes daily work consistently, but it works, you guys. I'm telling you, it works. I've heard it over and over in the last week from my clients and I'm so, so excited and feel so honored to celebrate the success that they have had and share some of that with you. 

Alright, you guys, let's go make 2023 your best year ever. Thanks for being here. Thank you for listening to me for following along with a podcast. It is my honor and privilege to be able to spend this time with you. Alright, you guys have an amazing balance of your year and an incredible new year. I'll talk to you very soon. Bye.

Okay ladies, that is it for today. Before we go, I want to invite you to head over to debbieshadid.com. I have this incredible Canva training, specifically designed for life coaches where I'm gonna teach you how to use Canva to create beautiful graphics to market your life coaching. All right. Have an amazing week.

I'll talk to you very soon. Bye bye.