How To Be Your Own Business Coach
Two techniques you can start using right now
This year, I hired a business coach. It felt extravagant, like something only high-profile Silicon Valley execs do. But I needed the help, and I’d set aside some money for it, so I pushed past my who-do-I-think-I-am anxieties and pulled the trigger.
And it worked. Months into the program, I gained tools that are helping me stretch my online writing business beyond what I thought possible. I learned how to identify where I’m stuck, remove obstacles that are hindering results, and compartmentalize to get more done. But the most important lesson has been this: The best coaching can only come from me. The most valuable tools my coach equipped me with are two techniques we can all use to guide ourselves throughout our careers as well as our personal lives.
Give yourself a monthly review
At the end of each month, my coach sends his clients a form to fill out. It’s tailored to their goals — on mine, there are questions about how much money I made, how many subscribers I gained, what worked this month, and what didn’t.
After the first month, instead of completing the form, I wrote my coach a long, detailed letter. It’s unclear whether my extremely thorough letter impressed him or frightened him, but…