My first group coaching session as a facilitator 11 years ago was a hot flaming mess.
The truth is, it was so disastrous that I was probably lucky only 3 people showed up to witness the carnage (and one I dragged them to it and made them sit with a ball and chain to do their work – ah the learnings are so palpable).
So crushed at the flop that I turned into that screaming-at-the-top-of-her lungs teen, as she slams her bedroom door energy, “This will NEVER happen to me AGAIN! (while then asking “what’s the goddamn benefits Tanya!)”
I had no understanding of what it meant to run a business.
Actually, the idea of running a business wasn’t even a thought. I wanted to be a coach, not a business owner.
Lordy, was I naïve, or what?!
Cue to today…
Now I’m a little older and wiser (with a lot more grey hairs too).
After 11 years of growing a coaching business, I have realized business is the vehicle for you to express your service to the world. So it’s helpful to love business too.
And I have realized so much more:
- It didn’t matter so much that I’d learned a bunch of new things that I wanted to share with clients.
- It didn’t matter so much that I was getting a lot of shit done.
- It didn’t matter so much that I had a growing base of engaged followers.
- It didn’t matter so much that some of the people on the sidelines wanted and wished me to fail.
- It didn’t matter so much that I didn’t know how to read a profit and loss statement.
It mattered that I sincerely and deeply cared about serving people.
If I show up, if you knew you were being cared for, if you knew you had someone on your team, no matter what, people would talk.
And people talked.
Slowly, the word was out.
And my business grew.
But it isn’t only about others talking about your business. You have to start speaking about what you do to others too.
And can I tell you, from my experience as a coach, and helping people to grow themselves to grow their business, this struggle comes up a lot.
People genuinely find it difficult to talk about what they do. Mainly due to uncertainty about the service they offer.
If you can’t clearly articulate what you do to others, how do they know what they will come to you for? Or how others can refer people to you?
So how do you tackle such a problem?
In our Business Membership Class this week, the group focused on defining your perfect problem.
I thought I’d give you a little peek inside the class because I know you’d benefit greatly from the deep existential questioning.
Many businesses, when developing new products, processes, or just even serving clients, haven’t defined the problems they’re attempting to solve and articulated why those issues are important to the client to solve.
Instead, they create a solution before identifying the problem (this is especially true for coaches as they are solution-outcome focused).
So let’s get a little wisdom with the genius Albert Einstein. He said “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.”
Hmm…
It makes you reflect on how much time you’ve spent defining the problem.
So circle back to when I struggled to get bums on seats at my first event. My focus was on getting people in the room. My self-driven focus was gaining experience with my craft.
The focus wasn’t on what problem people faced, how the program could shift or solve the problem for them.
I was essentially wishing clients my way, not working to get them to attend.
So how do you define a perfect problem?
- Start with brainstorming all the potential problems in your industry, with your clients, with the world and with the ones that stand out, flesh them out a bit more.
- Write the problem as a problem (not the solution).
- And just like when you apply the Demartini Method and you’re heart opens when you hit something meaningful, the same thing will happen here too.
If we focus on asking the perfect question/s so that they tackle the perfect problems for our business, mission and life, we create multiple layers of purpose and direction in our business.
So, for example, Maximum Growth, which I founded in 2020 was created because leadership can be a lonely journey, there is a disconnection in relationships with self, family, business, because of a lack of education in how the mind works. There is uncertainty in how to apply and integrate the Demartini Method and universal principles in everyday life.
And one which makes me a little teary is so many people are not living up to the light that is within them (oh you feel that one don’t you).
These perfect problems create the purpose of why you do what you do. It helps to put any first (or 50th) event flop into perspective and focus on solving the bigger problem at hand.
Because remember, your purpose is the driving force of your business.
And let’s face it, you can work out how to read a profit and loss statement along the way.
So what perfect problem/s would you love to dedicate your life to?
With deep pondering thoughts,
Leadership Coach & Master Certified Demartini Method Facilitator
BAppSoSc (Counselling)
Maximum Growth
One on one & group coaching available
Helping leaders to level up using a transformational mindset work.
PS. Come join the Maximum Growth Academy for your opportunity to learn and apply quality questions every week.