Ep #92: Understanding Strategy and Getting Results

You are listening to The Life Coach Business Podcast episode number 92.

Welcome to The Life Coach Business Podcast, a show for coaches who are ready to up-level their business and take their impact, leadership, and results to a whole new level. If you’re ready to start taking powerful action and become the leader your business needs in order to grow and thrive, this show is for you. I’m your host, Amanda Karlstad, certified life and business coach, and entrepreneurial leadership expert.  Now, let’s get down to business.

Hello and welcome everyone. I hope you’re doing well wherever you’re tuning in from. Welcome to any new listeners. I’m so glad to have you here. Before we dive into today’s episode, which I think is going to be a really good one, I just have to share with you all that I was doing some reflection over the last week. This is something that honestly, I do every week. It’s part of my ritual every week is that I like to, especially at the end of the week, scan the week and look at what were my top three priorities. I like to look at what did I accomplish? What were my wins, right?

Last week in particular, I have to tell you. When I was going through this process, when I was going through my weekly reflection, something really powerful hit me. That was all of the client wins that are happening. Don’t get me wrong. There are client wins that happen every single week, but last week in particular there were some really big client wins that I think are really important to share with you all.

The reason I want to share these wins with you all is because I know for so many of you that when you’re in this process of building your business, when you’re in this process of maybe not yet having your business where you want it to be, right. Maybe when you don’t have clarity in your business or you’re not really sure what next steps to be taking, or maybe things just aren’t quite working yet in your business. I think it’s really important to look to examples and to be able to see examples of where it is working, right? To see examples of what is really possible.

That’s one of the things that I love doing in my programs is really always celebrating client wins, and really always looking at all of the amazing work that clients are doing. Not only for the ones that are actually doing it, but also in the cases where maybe something isn’t going as planned or maybe there is some feeling of frustration or maybe there is some confusion in some area. I think it’s really, really powerful.

So as I was thinking about today’s episode and as I was really reflecting on those wins, I thought it was really important that I shared some of those with you. So one of the wins that I want to share with you is for one of my clients who is in my high-level mastermind. So for those of you who may be new to the show, there’s really two ways that you can work with me that I work with clients in. One is called the Mastermind Program, which I’m going to talk about in a little bit here.

The other program that I offer is my high-level masterminds. So that is for coaches that are scaling their business. So that’s where we’re taking things to a whole new level where in most cases, we’ve already hit that six-figure level. Now we’re doing things like building out even more infrastructure. We are building a team. We are scaling our marketing. There’s all sorts of things that are happening.

So this client in particular, I was meeting with her one-on-one last week. As we were looking over some things in her business, we were also debriefing some things in her business. What was so amazing in the month of June is that this client, she exceeded her original goal of $50,000 per month in revenue in her business. Yes, that is correct. She did over $50,000 per month revenue cash received in her business.

Why that’s so significant, number one, is just the sheer volume of that. Also is the fact that literally three months ago when she entered into my high-level mastermind, her first goal when we sat down and really looked at where she wanted to take things. Her biggest goal was to get to those 50K months. Here we are just three short months later, and she’s already exceeded that in the month of June. In fact, it was actually over $54,000 in one month. She also did a $75,000 month prior.

So that’s really significant. That’s really significant for all of you in that that is what is possible. That is what is possible when you do the work. When you do build a solid foundation, when you do go through a process like I teach and you implement, and you tweak, and you test, and you take coaching.

So I want to share that with you because I think that is such an amazing win, of course for her, but also for all of you listening who I know have dreams also of building your business to a level like that. So of course, now we’re in the process of scaling her business, right? So now we’re in a position where she is really scaling so many different parts of her business, which is requiring a whole new different set of skills. Which is really also, which I think is the most important part of this, is helping her to really develop into and become that next level leader of her business.

So that’s been really fun for me is to help support her in that and to help her really evolve into that, and really guide her along with that. So in her case, we are literally just getting started. Like I said, we’re about three months in, and we’re already exceeding our plans. So that is very, very cool.

Another client that I want to share with you is one of my newer clients actually. So this is a client who is currently in my business accelerator program, which is called The Mastermind. So that is the other way that I work with coaches. That is for coaches who are looking to build typically to that first $100,000.

So, again, for those of you who are new to the show, this is the foundational program that I offer. So this is where when most clients when I meet with them initially, this is where they’re coming in at. I base that based on where their business is at. There’s some different factors, and that’s why I have a conversation with all of my clients before bringing them into the program so we can make sure it’s the right fit.

So the goal of this program, like I said, is really to build and grow to that first 100K and beyond. So in this client’s example, so we just started working together I believe it was April.

In this situation, this client at the time when we started working together had no clients, no foundation, no prospects, had an idea, had a dream. What was really cool to witness is that just over the last couple of weeks that this particular client was able to fill their beta launch group. They were able to launch their official coaching program. They actually were able to bring on official coaching clients, and essentially filled up the first round of one-on-one spots. So that was super, super exciting.

Again, I share that for all of you who might be new in your business who might be working to get that first or that next client. It might just seem really, really challenging. Again, I want to encourage you all by this and encourage you that this stuff doesn’t have to take a long time. I talk about being in this for the long game. I talk about the importance of that. We’re going to talk a little bit about that in today’s episode, but I also want to share this because these are just examples of, again, what is really possible for all of you listening. So I love that example.

Another example that I just loved that was so fun, again, to witness was a new client who’s actually going to be starting in my upcoming cohort of The Mastermind, which again you’re all going to hear about here in just a minute. So we were doing an onboarding call for this client. We were doing an initial deep dive session. So this is something that I do with each one of my clients where we go really deep into their business, and we put a strategy together for the next 90 days. Super clear. That’s really in alignment with their goals and where they want to take their business.

So what was really amazing about this meeting in particular is that the strategy that we were able to develop, the goals we were able to set, the clarity that she was able to get from that session alone. I could just see it was almost like a flip of a switch, right? For the last year the honest truth is she’s been doing what I call throwing spaghetti at the wall, right? Throwing things out on social media even to the degree of going live every day and just hoping she’ll attract clients that way, right? Like hoping something will resonate.

What was really cool to see is that, again, just from this one session we were able to really kind of frame up where she really wanted to take her business. In this situation, I just know she’s going to be so, so successful. I’m going to be so excited to help her build her business over the next several months. So that was really exciting.

We also had another client who successfully launched her brand-new funnel. So with that she’s already generated over $20,000 in the program. Again, this is for a client who up until coming to me just a few short months ago, again, had been working to get her ads working, to get a working funnel, to convert people from that funnel. Her lead costs are super, super low. They’re some of the lowest that I’ve seen.

What’s great about this is because what this really does for her is now it allows her to ultimately make such more of an impact and to really just impact so many more lives with her work. So I’m super, super proud of all of these clients. I just felt like it was really important to share with you all some of those examples of what can really happen when you do put yourself in a position to do the work, and when you do have expert guidance, and when you’re really focusing on the right levers in your business.

So super proud of them. Super proud of the work that they are doing in the world, who they are becoming, who they all become in this process. With that, I do really want to invite you all listening.

If you are a coach and you are ready for that next level, if you are serious about growing your business, if you know that coaching and building a highly successful business is your purpose, it’s your calling. And you understand the importance of the difference that having high level support can really make for you, the difference that that can really make in your business, and you’ve done trying to what I call DIY things in your business. You’re done trying to piece things together in your business, which I promise you is not what we do in my programs. Then I want to invite you to apply to my upcoming cohort of The Mastermind.

So applications are currently open. You can go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com/the-mastermind. We’re also going to link that up in the show notes. I invite you to apply. I invite you to apply sooner rather than later for a couple of reasons. So the first reason being that I do cap this program. I do cap this program because it is a very intimate program. It’s a very high-touch program that clients receive a tremendous amount of access to me. There’s a tremendous amount of coaching both from a one-on-one perspective and also a group perspective.

I do limit the amount of clients that I do take on for each cohort. So it is a first come, first serve. Obviously, it has to be the right fit, but there is only a certain number of coaches that are allowed in just for that reason. So I can ensure that we really are able to go deep with your particular business. That we can really go deep and customize our strategy, our approaches, and really take the approach that’s going to serve you and serve your business the best.

So when you go to the show notes, when you apply, you’re also going to be prompted to set up a call and have a conversation about your goals and how I can help you get there. The advantage of that is the sooner that we’re able to do that, the sooner we can get you booked in for that deep dive session, the sooner we can get that strategy together, the sooner you can get into action, the sooner you can gain that clarity and really start building momentum in your business.

I will say that this program has been really so important to me and to, I know, the trajectory of my clients, their careers, their businesses. I really do believe that every coach no matter what niche you’re in, no matter what type of coach you are. If you are looking to grow and scale a highly successful business, that this is the program, that this is the container that will get you there. I’m so, so confident in that that I do guarantee results in this program.

So with that, I want to invite you. If you’ve been on the fence for a while, take this as your sign to take action. Again, there’s only a limited number. Spots are filling up. I would love to help you really change the trajectory of your business, and really end 2021 strong, and really be able to move into next year in a really solid position to continue to grow and scale your business.

All right. So with that, what I want to talk to you all about today is something that in my experience and in working with so many coaches over the years, something that it’s one of those things…I’ll just say this. That once you really get this, right, it really has the potential to change your business. So what I want to talk to you all today about is the importance of understanding the intricacies, the nuances of implementing a sound and holistic strategy in your business.

So one of the things that I talk all of the time about is the importance of having clarity in your business. So if there’s one thing that I see so many coaches get tripped up on, if there’s something that most coaches struggle with, the truth is is that it’s clarity. This is also why, in my experience of growing and scaling my practice, that it really is a vast difference when you have a high level of clarity versus when you don’t in your business. It’s huge.

For the clients that I work with, it’s literally one of the first and biggest blocks that we have to work to remove. It’s really the starting point to everything, and it’s really from a place of how do we get them from where they are to where they want to go. It’s also something that I actually love helping my clients with, and I’ve, because of that, built a very specific and a very refined process around this that I take each and every client through that ensures that my clients get to a level of clarity in their business. So that’s always step number one.

But the next step is what I want to focus on today, and that step is something that I personally think is just as important as that first step. That first step of having full clarity. That is the skill of actually implementing the strategy. It’s actually taking now that newfound level of clarity, and it’s actually building the foundation. It’s the actual implementation of the things that need to be in place in your business. So it’s really that next phase that I take clients through. It’s the actual buildout of that strategy, that actual foundation in their business.

I will tell you that this might seem easy on paper. That it might appear that there could be a swipe file or a template or a PDF of some sort that may solve this, but I’m telling you that is not true. This requires a whole new level of skill that I have never seen someone be able to learn in any other way than in it, than actually being in an environment where they are being expertly guided through it.

So what I’m saying here is that there isn’t a book. There isn’t a freebie. There isn’t a PDF, a manual. I would even go so far as to say a course on how to help someone through this. So I think this is something really important for all of you to understand. Because the truth is is that there’s essentially three ways or three kinds of formats essentially that you can generally use as you’re building your practice.

One of these ways, and I see this as a very common way, is what I call the DIY way. So this is where this looks like a lot of free videos. It looks like lots of freebie downloads. It looks like lots of trying to kind of piece things together using different tactics that at the end of the day the truth is are not structured in a way that’s cohesive for your business.

The result of this is that there’s a lot of time and there’s a lot of energy that’s then spent going down a path that perhaps might lead to some initial success, but long term it doesn’t create a stable foundation. So this is something that’s very common. There is lots of information, products. There are lots of things out there that fall into this category.

The next approach and the way that I have decided to structure my programs and the way that I really believe and have experienced both my own personal experience and with now so many of my own clients is it’s really a more of a done for you process. So that’s a process where you’re getting very specific guidance, for instance, where there is a curriculum of some sort.

There is a specific process. There is a process that is meant to solve a very specific component, or in my case, all the components of your business. So that you can create success, again, right away in the short term, but also does set you up in a way where you are building a solid foundation that you can build from. That you can eventually scale your business from.

What also happens in this type of format is that you really get real timed feedback. You really get that real time coaching, that guidance. In some cases, the advice, consultation as you’re implementing these things in your business. What that does is it allows you to move really fast. It allows you to, in some cases, fail a lot faster, right? But it also in many ways sets you up for, in my opinion, the most chance of success. It really allows you to be able to work through what I call the nuances and the intricacies of both you as the business owner, what you’re dealing with, but also in your business.

So I have just found that this is by far the most powerful and the most accelerated way to help clients get the most results, and also results that you want in your business.

The third option is this is where it’s more of what I would consider a done for you. So this is where you are essentially outsourcing parts of your business. That could be to a freelancer. It could be to an agency. It could be to someone else, but it’s basically someone else that’s doing the implementation for you. Let me be clear with you all here. Unless you are at a multiple six figure level or beyond in your business, I would really advise you to not go down this path for a variety of reasons that I’m going to talk about in just a minute.

So the reason that I’m bringing this topic to you today is because as with anything, there is a real hidden cost that greatly impacts your business. That greatly impacts your ability to grow your business. That can greatly impact your ability to create a successful business over the long term. I think it’s really important to understand this if, especially if, you are serious, as I know you all are, about the work that you do. If you are serious about truly helping your clients, truly serving your clients. If you are serious about the growth of your business.

So if you’re serious about your impact and your ability to build and grow the business that you want to build, I think the first thing that’s really important to assess is to think about if you’re finding yourself in this position, and asking yourself, “Am I trying to do all of this myself?” I know for some of you, you are probably nodding your heads right now. You may be in this position right now. What I will say is that in this game, in this business building game, there is a certain level of resourcefulness that you do need. There is a certain level of resourcefulness that will support you in building your business.

At a certain point, some of those strengths, some of those things that we might really be great at. Resourcefulness is probably one of them if you’re listening to this show. I know for all of my clients, that’s always something they’re really great at. When we start to overuse that strength, the result is is that it can actually hinder your growth. There’s even been some really interesting studies down. There’s even been books written all about this. I don’t have them off the top of my head.

I think there’s been some research even done in Harvard Business Review that talks about the fact when we do rely too heavily on our strengths that they actually become a weakness. So I’ve seen this play out in so many scenarios, and especially when it comes to entrepreneurship.

So it’s a fine line. We want to be leveraging our strengths. We want to be leading with our strengths, but sometimes when it comes to building a business the truth is that sometimes you just might not know. Even though you might be the most resourceful person on the planet, if you aren’t clear on how to do certain things. If you’re not clear on the nuances and the intricacies of implementing certain things in your business, one of the most costly things you can do is to not get help. Is to not learn how to build your business in a way that will help you attract your most ideal clients, that will help you make the impact that you’re really here to make.

So this is really important to understand. I want to give you a personal example of what I mean by this. So right now, in our backyard, there is a corner section that’s in our backyard. We’ll just say it’s in our backyard. So there’s this corner section right now in our backyard that I have a particular vision for. It’s where I want to do some different things. I want to swap out some things. I want to do some different type of landscaping than what is there right now. It’s not a super large section. There are a couple of trees there. There are some other things happening in the section that I want to change up.

The reason is because a couple of years ago, there used to be a very large tree in the corner of our yard in this particular area. It was a really nice tree. Unfortunately, a really intense storm came in, and it ultimately took out the tree. It actually blew the tree over. So the result was is we had to actually take the tree out. It was also hollow. It was very old. There was really no way to salvage it.

So there’s been this empty space over the last couple of years where if I’m being honest, I truthfully and missing that tree. I’m missing having that tree in the corner. I’m missing seeing that tree there and the privacy and just having that tree there. So that’s my reason. I want to plant another tree, and at the same time I also want to replace and update a few things.

But the truth about this whole thing is this. Yes, we could go to the nursery, and we could plan out. We could replant. Likely it would not even be me. It would probably be my husband doing it. That would do the work, right? Yes, we could probably find some things online. We could get instructions. We could do the research. In fact, we’ve already done some of that. We could consult certain people. Like literally we’ve already done these things.

The truth is that it’s to a point where neither of us really want to do it. Part of that reason is because we also understand that there is some nuance going on in this particular section of the yard. There is some intricacy to what is happening there, right? So one of the reasons is because of the roots, right? The really deep root system that is still there because that tree was so large and because it was such an old tree. There was such a massive root system. There’s still a root system that’s there.

So because there’s this entire root system that still exists in the corner of the yard, we already know that we can’t just dig a hole right where that tree was and plant a new tree, and boom there we go. We’re off to the races, right? We know that there are considerations to be made with this root system, right? We know that this root system requires a certain amount of breathing room. It requires a certain amount of space that yeah, we could probably figure it out, right, but we also want to do it right.

We want to give this next tree and the other landscaping that we’re going to be doing the best possible chance of success, right? So because of that we’ve enlisted an expert. We’ve had a professional landscaper come out. He’s assessed things. He’s put together a plan, a strategy, on how best to plant, how best to landscape, and ultimately create the goals that we want, right? Create the vision in that space. That can be done in just a matter of a couple of days, right?

Versus when you think about this if we made the decision, okay. We’re going to go after this. We’re going to do this. Yeah, sure. We could probably go hard and get it done in a couple of days as well, but the truth is we’re just at a point where we really value our time. We also value the expertise of others. We value the expertise of a landscape person that understands the nuances and the intricacies and all the different considerations that need to be made.

So I share that example with you because it’s very much like your business. Just like in the case of this landscaping project, there’s a cost to it. There’s a hidden cost of us doing it ourselves. Of us taking the time, of us taking the chance that we don’t get it right. That we plant this tree, and that tree doesn’t survive. That that tree doesn’t make it. It’s not really set up for success in the first place.  I will say truth be told, the truth is this thing could still happen even with an expert right. They could come out. They could do everything perfectly by plan, and still things can happen, right?

What I want you to understand here is that there is a cost of not putting yourself in the best position to succeed. A lot of times it seems like on the surface that it might be the right move. That it might be the right move to DIY things. That it might be the right thing to figure things out, right? At a certain point, it can be very costly to your business not only a from a financial standpoint on the sales that you’re missing out on, on the clients that you’re missing out on serving, on the growth that could be happening in your business, but also from a time standpoint.

So I think it’s important for all of you to consider this and to really assess your current approach. Because I could literally talk all day and give you examples all day. Real examples either from clients of my own or just examples within the industry that I’ve observed where a coach is working to implement certain things in their business. They’re working to be as resourceful as possible. They’re working thinking I’m going to save myself some money and I’m going to DIY things.

Or it could be even the opposite side of the coin where they completely bypass the learning phase and move essentially right to fully outsourcing things before they’re ready, before their business can really sustain that. It puts them in a very compromised position. So I want you to understand the importance of understanding how things work in your business. Where it puts you in a position of not being reliant on anything else.

I want to share with you, again, another personal example recently that I’ve experienced in my own business of this. I have hired a team to do certain things in my business currently. It’s been a really, really eye-opening experience for me. It’s been a great experience, but it’s been a really powerful experience for me. The reason for that, it’s really the first time that I’ve turned over certain things in my business. Where up until this point I’ve been doing certain things. The truth is that in order for me to implement this project, for me to get things moving on this project, I really felt that it was best for me to bring in some help on this.

What’s been extremely interesting for me in this process is to really experience the power in understanding how my business works, in understanding business fundamentals, in understanding all of the aspects of business even though yes. I’ve enlisted experts to help me in this particular area.

What it’s really allowed me to do is it’s allowed me to leverage their expertise even more. The reason for that is because I know, and I’m very confident in knowing what I know that I’m able to direct them a certain way as they’re working on this project. That I’m able to help them move quicker on certain things because I understand how these things work. I can help them with certain things in this project that is making it even more effective because I understand how these things work. I’m also not reliant on them, and it’s a beautiful thing.

So there’s so much power in understanding these things in your business. Because the truth is, if I was in this position where I was bringing in this team and helping me with a project and I didn’t understand these things, it would be extremely difficult to give them direction. It would be extremely difficult for me to articulate the things that need to be articulated. It would be extremely difficult for me to be able to help assess certain things as they’re coming up.

So I really recommend to you all that you also think about how you’re setting yourself up for success. Are you putting yourself in a position to have the greatest chance of success? Now at the end of the day, you’re always going to create that being the business owner. You’re always going to create that based on how you think, based on where you put your energy, of course.

Again, when it comes to building a business, there are certain things that are absolutely. There are certain things that it’s not just a thought. There are certain things and strategies that have to be present, and it’s not something you want to DIY. It’s also not something that you want to just outsource without really understanding how to do it yourself.

So this is why I’m sharing all of this with you today because it’s really not about a lack of information. When I see a coach that might be in a place where their business isn’t growing as quickly as they want or things might be taking longer or they’re just not happy with where their business is at, truly it’s not typically about a lack of information. In some cases it is, but in most cases what it really comes down to is being able to navigate these intricacies. Being able to navigate the nuances of business.

So never before has there been more information. That’s usually not the problem. The problem is, again, knowing how to navigate the things that come up once you are in action, once you’re starting to implement, once you have that clarity.

So as I work with clients, yes, I teach a lot of information. But I believe what really allows my clients to make such a massive difference and experience really unprecedented levels of growth in their business is that they’re implementing. It’s being able to successfully implement certain things. So it’s getting that full support and helping them build the identity of that next version of business owner who really creates those levels of results. It’s the becoming, right? It’s in the actual execution.

So knowing how to navigate and build and building a level of mastery when it comes to the fundamentals is really critical. It’s not being reliant on someone else or some agency, for instance, to do the work. It’s operating as a competent business owner who understands their business, who understands their business processes, who understands their systems. Who when the time is right and when the business financially can support it can then start outsourcing those tasks whether that’s to a VA, whether that’s to an agency, or whether it’s to hiring a team or team member who is now responsible for those tasks.

So I just think this is a really important conversation, and I want to encourage all of you. I know all of you are serious about growing your business and for those of you that know you’re ready for the next level of support. Which, by the way, I just want to say if you’re building a business, it doesn’t matter what stage you’re in. You need support. I want to encourage you to apply to my upcoming cohort of The Mastermind.

This is the program where we go super deep on all of this where you’re going to have full clarity. You will also be implementing. I’ll be in it with you. The truth is is that I guarantee you’ll get results from this program. So I want you to think about where you could be even just a short time from now, six months, 12 months from now. All of you listening are in a position right now where you have an opportunity to build your dream business. Where you have an opportunity to build that foundation. Where you have an opportunity to build what it is that you’ve been envisioning for months.

So I’d love to help you blow your own mind. I’d love to help you make an even bigger impact than you’re making, and I’d love to help you navigate all of this. All right everyone. I hope you have an amazing week. I’ll talk to you all again soon. Take care. Bye, bye.

Hey, if you’re ready for a real breakthrough in your business and want to grow and scale your business to at least six figures or more in annual revenue, I invite you to apply to my exclusive program The Mastermind at amandakarlstadcoaching.com/the-mastermind. I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Life Coach Business Podcast. If you want to learn more about how to build, grow, and scale your business and accelerate your results visit amandakarlstadcoaching.com.