Ep #57: The Niche That Saved My Coaching Business

Hey coach. I don't think I've shared with you the one decision that took me from failing and flailing in my coaching business when I first started to nearly overnight starting to make money and then quickly hitting six figures and then within a short period of time achieving that seven figure mark and then going on to making nearly 30 million dollars in my coaching business all from one single and very simple decision, which was who I chose to focus coaching.

I'm Kendall. Tune in to today's episode where I'll share with you a little bit about my backstory as to how I got started as a coach and then I have six key insights for you that I think you're going to find inspiring and useful when it comes to choosing your niche. It's all here for you in this episode of The Money Coach School Podcast. Let's dive in. 

Welcome to The Money Coach School Podcast. To really excel at coaching women, you have to be skilled, confident, and even fearless at money coaching. If you're passionate about women holding genuine money power and love supporting women entrepreneurs, then this is the show for you. Now, here's your host, money feminist Kendall SummerHawk.

Hello, beautiful coach. This is going to be a little bit different of an episode today because I'm going to talk a little more about myself than I usually do, and that is not easy for me because my desire is always to be a service to you, which means I typically prioritize you and your experience in that I am bold and determined and relentless in supporting you. But that means I often shy away from talking about myself when the truth is hearing what I went through, the mistakes, the recoveries, the decisions is what may make the biggest difference for you.

So in today's episode, I want to share with you the one decision that took me from failing and flailing in my coaching business when I first started to then nearly overnight starting to make money and then quickly hitting six figures. Then from there within a very short period of time, just two years, achieving that seven figure mark for the first time. That was back in 2008. Since then I've made nearly 30 million dollars in my coaching business. So you could say that one decision paid off big time. I mean like big, big time.

So I'm going to share a little backstory first, share what that pivotal niche decision was that changed my life and my income. Then because it's me and I can't help myself, I'm going to share six insights with you that will give you courage and paint a realistic picture of what to expect if you're going to coach in the niche that I so highly value and recommend.

All right, first the backstory. My first nearly two years in my coaching business was unbelievably difficult. It was incredibly discouraging, and it was not successful. Now I realize that's not the rosy perfect picture you want to hear but it's honest and the one thing I did during that time though was I experimented. I coached on changing beliefs. I coached on presentation skills. I coached on confidence. I coached on whatever I could think of that people might be willing to pay for.

The problem was they weren't paying. So my dream was tanking. I was giving workshops for like three people in my living room sitting on my couch. I was networking most days of the week. I practiced my coaching just sitting at those round tables with six or eight other people at networking events and literally sweating through my blouse when it was my turn to stand up and say what I do because I didn't know.

But here's something I did that, in hindsight, was actually a really smart move. I kept surrounding myself with entrepreneurs. I joined a women's only networking organization. By staying in the vibe and the energy of women running their own businesses, even if they were selling insurance or multi-level marketing and beauty products whatever, it kept me inside of the entrepreneurial conversation.

Something that networking group offered from the owner was a private consultation on creating your elevator pitch. So I signed up for that consult. I had the session with her, which didn't really help me very much because she wasn't really a coach, but it did something for me. The questions she asked me sparked something for me, and that spark was an interest in helping women in business find their voice, find their confidence.

That little spark of interest led me out of the pit of despair I was in. I know that sounds dramatic, but it was a pit. I started looking around and seeing how many women in business for themselves were awkward or not confident with core business design elements like pricing, their service offers, their sales conversations, and just generally finding their confidence to really set a higher vision for themselves and succeed, which really speaks to belief change work and money mindset.

So even though my business was not succeeding at all, I knew that I could coach other women on those elements and really make a difference for them. In other words, I did not base my confidence on about helping someone on my own, at that moment, personal experience. Instead I based my confidence to help someone on my ability to listen, to take into account my creativity, and to coach, like really coach.

So I pivoted like overnight and that was the best biggest life-changing decision I have ever made. Nearly 30 million dollars made since then. That's how pivotal that pivot was. Thousands of women supported and coached since then. Getting to do all the fun things as a coach like lead big workshops and VIP days and intimate retreats and run groups and have high ticket clients and create courses, and now focusing on my certified coach trainings. I've won awards, been featured on big name stages, lots and lots of experiences, right, that I could never ever have predicted would have happened.

So, yes, it's been an incredible journey and it's still happening, and my point is all this happened from one simple heartfelt decision and a desire to never quit on myself or quit on my dream of making an impact and income. That decision was simply to pivot into coaching women entrepreneurs. So that's the backstory.

From it, I outlined six insights that I think if you're considering coaching women entrepreneurs or if you're already coaching them that you're going to find inspiring and useful. Now the point of these insights is to give you faith if your coaching journey feels difficult at times. I get that. I really, really do. The point of these six insights is to give you hope when you know in your heart that coaching women is what you are meant to do and the point of these six insights is to give you grit because you won't get what you want by quitting. So let's dive in.

Insight number one, don't expect it to be easy. Viable and profitable yes but not easy. I think it's safe to say that there's this false message in the online coaching space that everything should be flowing and easy and effortless, and that's what feminine energy is all about. Well, I actually disagree. Yes, there are times when because you've created momentum your coaching business is going to feel like it's rolling along fluidly. That's awesome, but that is not often and that only happens after creating momentum.

So between today and that momentum happening for you, you're going to be doing the work. The work is practicing your skill as a coach, talking with people. The work is you're going to be making lots and lots of decisions and if you make them quickly that will help you create momentum and not get bogged down and overthinking. You're going to be creating your coaching packages or using the ready-to-use ones we provide inside of certification if you choose to train with us. 

You're going to be practicing making offers and honing your enrolling conversation skills. Yes, you're going to be celebrating signing on new clients. All of that is what happens every week inside a coaching business. All of it. Is it easy? No, not at first because you're learning, you're practicing, and everything is so new. Does it get easier? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

I mean think about it where else can you sign on one client for several thousands of dollars for coaching them to achieve their dreams? I mean get out, right? This is like amazing, and this is the gift that makes coaching so magical, so fulfilling, and so very, very worth it.

All right insight number two. Focus on training over personal experience. This might be the most important insight that you hear with me today. So your personal experience in your own business matters very little, if at all, and I know that that can feel counterintuitive to what you may be thinking but it's entirely true. What matters is having a framework that you coach clients through that creates results.

Your experience in your own business will come over time. When it does, certainly you can reference it where appropriate or needed, but in the meantime you don't wait to coach others. You coach others to gain that experience. Let me say that again. This is such an important mindset shift.

You don't wait to coach others. You coach others to gain that experience. You don't focus on what you have or have not created yet for yourself. You focus on what you can do for others. This is being a servant leader. Leading from service. Leading from a place where you put your own ego aside and focus on the good that you can do and the fun that you can have coaching others. Just remember that your personal experiences are not what people are investing in. They're investing in your skill as a coach. They're investing in your ability to coach them to achieve their dreams.

Which leads me to insight number three. Prioritize coaching skills. We know the barrier to becoming a coach is basically nothing. Anyone can call themselves a coach, but that does not mean that they know what they're doing, and it does not mean that they know how to coach a client to a result in the shortest time possible. It usually means they never rise above the level of mediocre at best.

One of the things I absolutely love about coaching women entrepreneurs is that I get paid to master my skills as a coach and to see results with clients as a result of those skills, and that happens in part because women entrepreneurs are motivated. They desire to be successful. They take action. They're willing to do the soulful work and to look deep within themselves at the same time as taking action.

So for you as a coach, this is what makes a dream client. When you prioritize your coaching skills, what happens for you is you feel legitimate. You feel authentic. You know that you're offering value. You want to be a masterful coach. 

Which leads me to insight number four. Don't listen to that internal voice that says there are too many coaches or that the market is saturated. So first of all, what that voice is saying is ridiculous from a numbers standpoint. There are not that many coaches on the planet and certainly not compared to how many clients there are potentially, right?

Just like I was saying about prioritizing your coaching skills, the world doesn't have too many coaches. It has too many mediocre coaches. Don't be a mediocre coach, right? Just don't be that person. You want to focus on becoming masterful. Even in that process, you will stand out from everyone else. In other words, you don't have to have arrived at your destination of mastery. You can just be on the pathway, and you will stand out from everyone else.

Plus, I believe that if every coach was masterful, it would raise the game for everyone. Higher fees, better clients, stronger results for everyone and their clients. So if that internal voice pops up trying to sabotage you with the notion that there are, quote unquote, too many coaches, just correct it. You can say to yourself no, there are not too many coaches. There are too many mediocre coaches, and that's not me. I'm on my path of mastery.

Insight number five. Women helping women is our legacy. I love this insight so much. I mean, this is what really speaks to my heart and soul. I actually won an award called women helping women. So obviously I believe in this wholeheartedly.

We are in the very, very beginning of women rising up, making money, creating their own economy, and forging their own path. It's happening just within our lifetime for the very first time. So think about it this way. Coaching women entrepreneurs means that you're coaching someone who is making a contribution to the world. She has a business. She's making a contribution.

You're coaching someone who is creative, who has hopes and a dream, who is offering something to the world, but she cannot do that alone. It's just too difficult, and it's too new for us women. It's not how we women operate anyway. You coaching women entrepreneurs is creating a ripple effect that is bigger than you. What I want it said is that behind every great woman is an amazing coach who supported her along the way.

All right, insight number six. Coaching women entrepreneurs can look like how you want it to look. So, for example, I've never been the best marketer, but I've coached thousands of women to make more money in their businesses. How I do that is by coaching them on the design of their business, their brand, their diamond level niche, their service offers, their pricing. Oh yes, lots and lots on pricing.

As a result, they make more money. So I chose the coaching path of coaching women entrepreneurs on these topics, which are timeless and foundational, which brings me to this point. You do not need to be all things to all women entrepreneurs. You know, we know it's true. Most women under charge, most women over deliver. By the way, this is true regardless of what business they're in.

So they under charge. They over deliver. Most women give away their most valuable services for too low of a price point. Most women get burned out. Most women have money mindset blocks. Most women have ideas on elevating their business, but they need a coach to help them articulate and implement those ideas.

Most women have all of these pain points, and I've seen it across all income levels, before six figures, at six figures, mid six figures, seven figures, across all income levels. I see it all of the time. So my version of coaching women entrepreneurs brings in the creative work, the money mindset work, and the authenticity soul driven work, which is everything that I love.

So there you have it, the backstory as to how I went from a failing business to making that one single decision that changed my life, changed my income, and has allowed me to create a legacy. That decision was to coach women entrepreneurs. 

I shared those six insights with you. Insight number one, don't expect it to be easy. Viable and profitable yes, but not easy. That's okay. You've got grit. You have courage. You're up for this. Insight number two, focus on training over personal experience. In other words, they're not hiring you for your personal experience. They're going to hire you as a coach because you're trained and skilled at helping them.

Insight number three, prioritize mastering your coaching skills. Insight number four, don't, for goodness sakes, listen to that internal voice that says there are too many coaches or that the market is saturated. It's ridiculous. It's not true. Insight number five, women helping women is our legacy. Insight number six, coaching women entrepreneurs can look like how you want it to look.

So maybe this episode will inspire you to make your decision to start coaching women entrepreneurs. I hope it does. If that's you and you want to explore this option for yourself, be sure to check out my Money Breakthrough Business Coach Certified Coach Training. You can go to certifiedcoach.training and check that out. I will also put the URL in the show notes. We are enrolling right now with some incredible bonuses. So definitely check those out.

I want to close out with this. Remember, coaching changes lives, starting with yours. All right. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your loyalty. I appreciate you for being on your coaching journey and on your reinvention journey with me. So be sure to screenshot this episode, share it on social and tag @Kendall SummerHawk. I would so appreciate it. Share it with another friend of yours, a colleague, who's also interested in becoming a coach. All right, my beautiful soul. I will see you next week in our next episode.

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