When I first started in the coaching industry back in 2015, I was a complete nobody.
Sure, I’d been around online for many years, but in a completely different (complete opposite, actually!) industry. So in this world, noone knew who I was, and I didn’t know who anyone was either.
But!
I quickly scaled my business. I went from $0 to $250K cash received that first year, multiple thousands of followers, and was recognized as a leader within the first few months of being on the scene.
It wasn’t luck (luck is for suckers).
It was cold, hard STRATEGY mixed with a relentless desire to succeed (and the willingness to do what it took to get there, no matter what).
A bunch of the things I did to try and blow up fast, exploded in my face. A lot of things didn’t work at all. But there were definitely things I stumbled upon that worked very, VERY well.
These are those things. If I were you, I’d give ’em a go.
1. Be where the other leaders are.
In order to be known, you’ve gotta be around other people who are already known - people who are similar to you and have a similar audience that you’d like to have. Be in their communities. Be active there. Engage with other people. Answer their questions - be OVERLY HELPFUL. Show that you know your shit. Give massive value to everyone. Do NOT sell.
Eventually, if you give enough value and people see you as someone they want to learn more from, they’ll come and follow you. (Always sell in your own community.)
Two places that I found the most valuable for this: Facebook groups + Instagram (finding the leaders and commenting/engaging on their content, and also following some of THEIR followers).
2. Invest in mentorship from the very beginning; and on-going.
I hate mentioning this all the time, because I worry that people will think I’m just saying it because I provide mentorship for clients and am trying to get clients. I’m not. I don’t give a fuck if you hire me - in fact, if you don’t want to, I don’t want you to because can you imagine how awkward that relationship would be? LOL
Nonetheless, I believe with every fibre of my being that if you don’t have a high-level mentor, you will not grow quickly, and you may not even succeed at all. Mentorship changed the fucking game for me, in a MASSIVE way.
I’m now addicted to spending a shit-ton of money on mentors. The more I spend, the more I make. EVERY TIME. If you’re afraid to invest in a mentor, afraid to put money on the line, then get used to living a mediocre life. #sorrynotsorry
3. Go hard every day.
You’ve gotta put the WEEEEERK in, friend. Gotta do it. Sweat equity. Every day.
I created so much damn content, people dubbed me the “content queen”. I still have that title today and still pump out new content every damn day, in multiple ways (written, audio, video, live, PDFs, etc.).
The more content you create, and the more you, of course, SHARE that content, the quicker you will grow your audience with soul-aligned peeps that love you for you and who resonate with your work. And the more money you will make, OF COURSE.
4. Hire people that are smarter than you.
Even if all you have is a team of 1 incredible assistant (in addition to a mentor who you should always have in your corner), DO IT. But don’t hire just anyone. Hire people who are way smarter than you.
Try not let your ego get in the way of this decision.
People who are smarter than you will help you to grow faster than if you had to TEACH THEM what to do to help you grow. Hire the best, every time, no matter for which tasks you’re hiring.
I hired an assistant straight away (best of the best, and still with me today!). I hired a top, highly sought-after PR agent. I hired one of the best social media managers everrrr (who has blown up my Instagram!). I’ve also hired high-level FB ads managers and more! The better you hire, the quicker you will grow.
5. Authenticity wins every time.
What really sells is not your perfectly written copy or your shiny new website, but YOU.
Your vibe, your energy, your way of being.
That’s what people buy. So you’ve gotta commit to being you, 100% of the time. No matter how nervous you may be about how people will perceive you.
I “faked it” for the first few months, being real professional and stuff (hahaha!), never swearing or saying anything vulgar (if you know me, you know I have a filthy mouth!), and it was torture. Plus, I attracted the WRONG people into my world. Once I dropped the facade and was just ME, 100%, my business blew up in the best way possible. Plus, business felt so much more fun and EASY.
6. Polarize, polarize, polarize.
Much of my content was, and still is, very polarizing. Meaning, I said shit that I knew people wouldn’t like. Those people aren’t my people and I wanted to push them away. What was left was a heap of people who agreed with me, who resonated with what I was saying, and who, in turn, felt a stronger connection with me and my work.
Polarizing content is some of the best stuff you can put out there to call in your soulmate tribe.
7. Take full advantage of social media.
I didn’t do much in terms of SEO and getting people on my website, and I also didn’t put much of a focus on getting people onto my email list (I’d definitely change that if I could go back though - list building should be a priority from day 1), but what I did do?
I went gung-ho on social media. I spent the bulk of my time on Facebook, and a little bit on Instagram.
But mostly, I spent the majority of my time in Facebook groups (those that belonged to other people, until I had my own), commenting on posts, engaging with the people in there, and of course, sharing my own valuable content.
Every day, all day. It was intense! Haha. But, it worked like magic. 🙂
8. Never shut up.
Some people are worried about being seen as annoying if they keep showing up and speaking their mind every day. These are the people who will never succeed because their fear of what others may think is stronger than their desire to experience the success that they want.
You have to be willing to show up and open your mouth EVERY DAMN DAY. Anyone who gets annoyed by that is not meant for your content, or for you, so you should pay them no mind.
I write and share a lot of shit every day, and never, not ONCE over the past 4+ years, have I ever had someone tell me to stop sharing so much.
So long as you’re sharing valuable content, people are HAPPY to receive more of it!
I often hear that the coaching world is oversaturated. I believe that’s bullshit. What IS oversaturated is the number of coaches who all say the same shit to the same people, over and over.
This is why it’s CRITICAL that you be your full self and do something different to stand out. (Honestly, you being you is enough to stand out, but to REALLY stand out, doing business in a way that’s wildly different to how everyone else is going it, is a good way to go.)
One other very important piece to my success puzzle is this:
I was not available to fail.
It just wasn’t an option for me.
I jumped in with both feet, and with the intention that THIS WILL WORK. A lil’ bit of fear in my mind of it NOT, but of course jumping in nonetheless. Because fear is a bitch and can fuck right off.
You can do all of the things above all day, every day, but if you don’t have the intention in the back of your mind that what you’re doing is gonna provide you with the life that you want, then eventually you’ll just work yourself into the ground. Exhaustion will take over and you may even end up in the hospital due to an overwhelming amound of stress and overwhelm.
Action + belief and certainty = the keys to having everything you want in life.