5 things I bring to my creative coaching business

Hands up! This is not a sales blog. I believe in transparency in my life and business and it’s important for you guys to know what it’s like working with me, to figure out if we are a good fit for each other. 

One thing I have learned in my 20+ years of creative business experience, is that finding the right person to work with is everything. Like in life, when you connect with someone who’s on your wave length there are no limits to what you can achieve together.

Maybe that’s a business bestie, or a colleague, or maybe it’s by working with a creative coach like me to help you get your business idea off the ground and create the creative business of your wildest dreams.

It’s also good to know if you are going to connect with someone up front, before you buy. Do you share the same values? Do they offer you what you need, when you need it? Is this person going to serve your needs and desires better than someone else? How do you connect with them through their content or social media? It’s about building the trust and like factor before you hire them.

Success doesn’t and shouldn’t come easily

Achieving our wildest creative dreams takes a little bit of magic and a lot of hard work. It doesn’t – and shouldn’t come easy. I know that taking the leap is overwhelming and more than a little bit scary, but I really believe with the right support you can get there.

• Making it all happen is where the hard work really starts.
• Showing up even (and especially) when you’re not feeling it.
• From doing the foundational work you need to do so people will connect with your and your brand.
• Learning from experience and trusting the process.
• Finding techniques that gives you a positive mindset 80% of the time, not 20%.
• Having someone to be accountable with, who you respect and really want to show up for.
• Having cheerleaders who support you.

Defining your own version of success, not someone else’s

I know from experience that having someone to have your back to help you get there faster. And the great thing is that every coach is different, it’s about finding the right fit for you. Your coach should make you feel inspired, energised and alive. Like you can and you are going to. Your coach should feel like your own personal cheerleader.

As a creative business coach, I bring over twenty years experience in creative business. I’ve been in a 9-5, I took the leap to being freelance and then I took another leap to growing my own creative business to seven full-time employees. I’ve also had a lot of life experience that enriches who I am as a person.

I know that at 42 I’m finally beginning to be the woman I was always meant to be.

I’ve faced some big life events like grief and my own cancer journey, but a few years down the line I can now use all this experience to really show up for my clients and help them transform their creative lives.

So, for my creative clients who are either in the embryonic stages of setting up their own business, or maybe exploring how to take the leap, this is what working with me looks and feels like:

1. Positive energy

I make it my mission to infuse people with positive energy. To make them believe in themselves. To help them get into the right mindset to make positive transformations in their life. After every call, my goal is for my clients to dive deeper and deeper into themselves and their creative businesses to come up with magical work that they are in love with. To believe that anything is possible (which it very much is).

On a practical level there are lots of strategies we can use to keep in the positive mindset in between calls too. That’s why I offer ongoing support via message or email and why I genuinely like to keep in touch with people in between. I like to think of it like creative therapy sessions for my clients, to give them the space to focus on their business and to support that with practical advice on all the things they struggle with.

2. Empathy

Empathy is something that not everybody is lucky enough to have in their lives all of the time. In my last business, I’m not sure my empathy levels were fully developed. Working with businesses didn’t really allow me to bring out the empathetic side of me because deep down I wasn’t emotionally invested into those businesses.

Working with other creative humans was a game-changer for me. I knew I could use my natural empathy to be able to have a positive impact on other people. And the rush of helping people feel like they can is way more intense than pitching and winning for any big brand.

Plus, after going through life-changing events like grief and cancer and also travelling extensively that I learned to open my heart in new ways. To be guided by the universe and to trust my intuition so that I could really show up for my clients. To put myself in their shoes and give, give, give.

If more businesses were run with empathy don’t you think the world would be a better place? I hope that collaborating with other creative women that we can change the world, even in small ways and that feels great right?

3. Accountability

The secret to working with a good coach, I believe, is for both parties to show up and add value to each other.

When I chose Jen Carrington as my own coach, it was through her podcast. I instantly connected with her and literally everything she said resonated with me. So my buying decision was made instantly. I felt like I got to know her through her podcasts before I started working with her, which I think is so important in service-based businesses.

And the thing is, because I really respect and admire her, I want to do my best work for her as well as myself. I want her to think “wow”.

Having someone focused on supporting you helps all the way through. Having a “deadline” to send things through to have regular calls or maybe even meet ups when you get to focus on you, is a powerful secret creative business weapon that I think everyone should have in their lives.

4. Mindset

Mindset really is everything. On those days when you are just not feeling it. When you feel overwhelmed or full of self-doubt. Maybe someone has told you you can’t, when really you can. Mindset matters and having tips, tools and strategies can help you show up even when you’re not feeling it.

People think I’m confident, but I struggle with self-doubt and also pretty crippling anxiety at times. But the difference is I’ve learned to deal with it. For me, when those things creep in I know I need to reset. To practice self-care. To go for a run or listen to music, or a podcast. Those three things calm me down and help me to breathe through the negative feelings.

I try and inspire others to figure out what works for them. To put them in a mindset of you CAN, not maybe you can, or you can’t. Because it’s surprising how many people don’t get that support at home. Maybe you’re a mum who has lost yourself a bit after having kids, or maybe you have a boss at work that has undermined your confidence. When you work with me, mindset is a big part of our programme together. Figuring out what overwhelms you, where self-doubt and comparison creeps in is a big first step to finding ways to help you minimise those feelings and not hold you back as you achieve creative awesomeness.

5. Practical advice

I’ve been a blogger, I’ve been a writer, I’ve grown digital brands and e-commerce sites for clients through content, through social. I know how to write a killer content strategy. I’ve done it for some of the world’s biggest brands like Unilever and Jumeirah and Wedgwood. The tools and strategies work for everyone, whether you are a budding lifestyle photographer or a bigger brand. Content is a currency that connects you with your buyer, so you’ve got to get it right.

So I bring all this to the table. I can help with some of the practical how-to’s that I most get asked by my clients. I know that people struggle with building an engaged audience online, on finding their voice and putting themselves out there, on creating a content strategy that is going to connect as well as fit in with their skills and their passions.

I also know that having a plan is the foundation for success. So I have worksheets and resources that help my clients work through some of the early days elements, to define their brands and to map out what their brand looks like.

Ultimately, a successful coaching partnership helps take the person being coached to a place they might not have got to otherwise. It’s about asking challenging questions, encouraging people to dig deep inside themselves, and to unlock their fullest potential.

In the words of Beyonce: 

“If you don’t take the time to think about and analyse your life, you’ll never realise all the dots that are all connected.” 

What do you think about coaches in your creative business? 

I’m opening up a few slots on my creative coaching business early next year. Learn more about the programme and what to expect.