Do you feel like you’re struggling and wonder if you’ve actually got what it takes to be a successful speaker, author or coach?
Many people start a career as a speaker, author or coach because they are attracted to the dream of speaking on large stages, seeing their book in bookstores or having amazing client testimonials. Others are drawn to get their message out there to serve other people. But it takes work. It takes resilience.
The reality is very different to the dream, especially at the beginning of the journey.
When you choose to be a speaker, author or coach, you inadvertently step into the world of the entrepreneur where all of the responsibility is on you. It’s nice not having a boss, but it’s also tough to do it alone. It’s often a shock as you actually have to run a business, which for many of you includes doing stuff you hate!
– The Finances — cashflow forecasts, bookkeeping
– The Marketing — social media, networking, technology
– The Strategy — having a business plan and being help accountable to targets
If you’re agreeing with this, then a great book to read it the E-myth by Michael Gerber as you’ll identify with the technician business owners. They are the ones that loved and were good at the ‘thing’ they used to do in their before-Entrepreneurship lives. But now, thrust into a whole new set of responsibilities, you might find yourself floundering.
If you’re feeling like this, we encourage you to stop and take a sense check on whether you are building the right business for you, and that it’s working ON YOUR TERMS, as we call it.
Get really clear on these three elements before you decide your business model:
1) How much time do you have to invest?
Maybe you are still working full-time or part-time in another job. You might be doing this as a side hustle until it makes more money so you can leave behind something else. Get really clear on how many hours you are steadily going to give to the building of your speaker, author, coach business.
2) How much cash will it take to build and run the business?
Have you worked out what your initial outlay and intended income is from the venture you are setting up or currently pursuing. Getting clear on the numbers is vital when you are making decisions about what systems, processes and people you put in place to help you develop your business.
3) Whether you are able to complete the tasks involved or do you have people to outsource to?
The resources you require — people and/or apps, software and the like — need to be identified. You need to work out what you LIKE doing, what you CAN do, and what you definitely CAN’T do. And then you need to figure out what it will take to someone else in with the expertise you need to take on those tasks that you can’t or don’t like to do. Oh, and most likely, you’ll need to find the gumption to do the things you don’t like doing but CAN, in the short term at least!
We developed a checklist which you can score yourself against to get clarity on whether you have what it takes. You can access that here.
We also encourage you to get clarity on your WHY and your emotional commitment to being a speaker, author or coach.
So please grab a pen and paper and write these questions down for you to answer in your own time:
1) Why do I want to be a speaker, author or coach?
2) What will this career give me that others won’t?
3) Why is getting my message out to the masses important to me?
4) How much do I want to earn annually to feel fulfilled and rewarded? And do I know how to earn this as a speaker, author or coach?
5) What am I willing to sacrifice in the short term to make this career choice a success?
We encourage you to get clarity on your why and your how in order to build a successful business on your terms and we really believe the checklist and these questions will help you.