My Journey to Launching a Sales Coaching Business

“Not only are bloggers suckers for the remarkable, so are the people who read blogs .” - Seth Godin

Introduction:

I've dreamed of owning my own business for as long as I can remember. Or at least to come up with an idea to propel me from working in a salaried position, into being an entrepreneur.

It would be fair to say, getting to this point has been a lifelong pursuit. 

I've had ideas in the past, but not the confidence or belief that would allow me to get to that position of going it alone. So what changed? Why have I decided to launch my own sales coaching and consulting business now?

Enter 2020... the year when everything changed, on a global level. We learned of lockdown, social distancing, self-isolating, furlough and working remotely. No socialising, no travel, and business meetings moved to Zoom and Teams calls. 

We suddenly had time to ourselves, spending more time with our thoughts. Many found this challenging.  I reached a point in late 2020 where I was feeling stuck.  I wanted to step up from what I was doing but didn't feel I had the skills or experience. 

I turned to learning, through books and podcasts.  Consuming all I could on personal development, building understanding and belief in who I am.  The truth was, I had years of experience and results in my chosen field of sales.  It was my internal belief system holding me back.

I started to get clarity on where I was headed, and feedback from colleagues and a coach helped me clarify even further the direction I should be taking. When you can combine skills, knowledge and passion into a career choice, it becomes your purpose, revealed.

Once I had a vision and a framework of what I was to do, the next step was to begin. No massive amount of planning, just start. I had the knowledge and resources, it was time to put it into action. Ultimately, you learn by doing, putting it into practice.  Previously, I would have wanted to plan everything meticulously, to the point where it could have taken months, if not years to get to a point where everything was just right. Instead, I backed myself with the self-awareness that I already have everything I need to make my business a success.

Within a week, I had brought a client on board and we are now working together through my 90-day program to create a clear sales strategy for their business. It's exhilarating to see the engagement and progress so far, and have proof of concept for my sales coaching business.

Key learnings include.

Your identity creates your destiny. You will never reach success beyond your internal image of yourself. If you want to change your outcomes, you need to make changes. Whether that's an internal belief system or having a sales or business plan.  Start by understanding where you are, and making a plan.

Getting help will accelerate your outcomes. We live in a world where vast amounts of information are literally at our fingertips. But where do you start? Chances are, there is someone who has already had the challenge you are facing, and they are willing (for a fee) to pass those valuable lessons on to you.

Just start. Have faith that you can figure it out. Magic happens when thinking meets doing. Even if you get it wrong, or it's not 100% right, you've made progress, you've learned, and you've reinforced your identity of being someone who takes action.