Melitta Campbell is our latest contributor to this column first launched by Ginny Baillie. This issue: Grow your coaching business by doing less

 

In this series of articles, I’ll be sharing some lesser-known and surprising ways you can secure sustainable growth in your coaching business. Some of these may be counterintuitive, such as the following:

 

Do less

When it comes to achieving more, often our first instinct is to do more. This is a trap for that many conscientious coaches fall into.

As they strive to do more, they leave themselves with less time, energy and focus, and more stress and overwhelm…unless they have first made room for their new activities by doing less of other things.

Before you make plans for your business, take stock of what’s really working in your organisation and of opportunities to do less.

If you’ve been in business for a year or more, it’s likely there’s less you can do. All businesses evolve over time, collecting outdated products, processes and projects. Root out and stop anything that’s distracting you from priorities.

 

Conduct a business audit

Audit your activities and products to ensure everything is still relevant, working and adding value. When you critically assess what’s happening in your business, you’ll be surprised how much is no longer working or needed.

Perhaps offering fewer products would give you a more competitive offer. Maybe less marketing will allow you to create more value and impact. Definitely, doing fewer activities that no longer drive results will give you more time to focus on your ‘needle-movers’.

 

Identify the lessons

That said, don’t strike things off your to-do list just yet. First, explore the lessons within each activity and what they mean for your future growth.

For example, some outdated processes will highlight the personal and professional growth you’ve experienced – take a moment to appreciate your progress and add it to your ‘Success Journal’.

As you simplify your product suite to better match your current client journey and experience, question why certain products no longer fit. You’ll gain interesting client insights.

As you review your marketing activities, ask why certain things are or aren’t working. You may learn more about your personal style, and what your ideal clients find meaningful, giving you important clues to your best
way forward.

 

Start to outsource

As you audit and refine the way you run your business, you may find there are more tasks than you have time for. In this case, look for which activities you need to do personally, and which you can delegate or outsource.

It’s never too soon to get help. If you’re on a tight budget, start with a low-cost virtual assistant, perhaps find a young person looking to build skills and gain experience, or ask friends and family, there’s often someone who is happy to pitch in.

 

Optimize your time

Once you have your simplified list of projects and activities, the final stage is to optimise your time.

Determine what days and times work best for your different tasks and block your time accordingly. Then get disciplined about sticking to your ‘default diary’ as much as possible so you can continue to make the best use of your time. And look forward to 2022 being your best year yet!

 

• Melitta Campbell is an award-winning business coach who is passionate about helping coaches to master their marketing so they can have a bigger impact on the world. Melitta is also the best-selling author of A Shy Girl’s Guide to Networking, Your Book Your Way, 2021), and hosts the Driven Female Entrepreneur podcast: www.melittacampbell.com/podcast