Coach Pony

Have you wondered what it takes to start a membership site or community?Today, our guests, Erica Cordae and India Jackson, have done just that. In 2018, they founded Pause on the Play®, a community hub of professionals and entrepreneurs connecting at the intersection of values and visibility. We'll dive into how they got started and how they grew their membership business into an inclusive community committed to guiding individuals in the process of defining their values, diversifying their networks, and disrupting systems of oppression.As an athlete, photographer, and creative consultant to personal brands, India Jackson spent the first decade of her career watching as talented professionals were forced to adopt identities that were sellable but not authentic. Watching the market flooded with an intense focus on follower count and crafted personas, she committed to taking a more aligned approach to influence-building.Erica Courdae is a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and executive teams committed to shifting focus, power, and resources in order to create more equity in their business and the world. She believes imperfect action is necessary to create meaningful social change and helps public figures engage in the work without fear of judgment.Listen to the full episode to hear about:What Erica says many entrepreneurs get wrong when they build to fill a needWhy their launch goals for the community didn’t have any numbers attachedHow Erica and India went about building a community with safety and transparency as top prioritiesWhat money investments they made to get the community up and running, and what they’ve added and changed since (so what it cost to get started!) Their top three tips for starting a coaching membership or communityTo learn more about Erica Courdae and India Jackson:Pause on the PlayInstagram: @PauseonthePlay Connect with Erica on LinkedInConnect with India on LinkedInTo learn more about Christie Mims: Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real BusinessIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! Email us at hello@coachpony.com with your recommendation or if you want to send us something to try! 

Jason Gracia founded Swyft Sites to be an all-in-one done for your website builder that grows your coaching  business on autopilot.And it has exploded into a seven-figure business.So of course, we want to know, how did you build that?We'll dive into how he built such a niche service business, and why niching help him hit seven figures, Jason Gracia is an author, consultant, and founder of Swyft Sites, the all-in-one, done-for-you website solution for coaches.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why a tight niche created more opportunities for bigger successHow Jason leaned into his network and offered value to expand his reachHow he built a signature talk to pitch groups of potential clientsWhy he needed to change his money mindset in order to grow the businessWhat he would change about his early client relationshipsTo learn more about Jason Gracia:SwyftSites.comTo learn more about Christie Mims: Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real BusinessIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! Email us at hello@coachpony.com with your recommendation or if you want to send us something to try! 

John Lee Dumas has built one of the all time, top podcasts for business owners and has not only made over $20 million from his podcast, but he's also dominated his market.Obviously we want to know, how did you build that?We’ll chat about how and why he started the podcast, what his goals were at the beginning and how he grew his platform into what it is today.John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of Entrepreneurs On Fire, an award-winning podcast where he interviews inspiring entrepreneurs to help you along your entrepreneurial journey. He has interviewed over 3,000 incredible entrepreneurs, including Tony Robbins, Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Barbara Corcoran, Tim Ferriss, and many more. He is also the author of The Common Path to Uncommon Success.Listen to the full episode to hear about:The strategy John used to access his guests’ audiences and grow his platformHow he used his email list to support the showWhere he wishes he spent less time and effort in the beginning and what hustle paid offJohn’s top three rules for starting a successful podcast in 2022To learn more about John Lee Dumas:Entrepreneurs On FireThe Common Path to Uncommon SuccessTo learn more about Christie Mims: Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real BusinessIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! Email us at hello@coachpony.com with your recommendation or if you want to send us something to try!

Have you thought about starting a podcast to build a network and market your coaching business?With over 10 million downloads under her belt, Emily Thompson, co-founder and host of the Being Boss podcast has all the info you need and then some on running a podcast, and the amazing community and business opportunities that have come from it.And of course we’re going to take it back to the beginning and ask Emily, how did you build that?Emily Thompson is the co-founder and host of Being Boss, a resource, podcast, and community for creative entrepreneurs.For over a decade Emily has worked closely with creatives to help them make money doing work they love, with a focus on building online business models and growing creative businesses. She’s also the co-author of Being Boss: Take Control of Your Work and Live Life on Your Own Terms.Listen to the full episode to hear about:How a podcast presented an ideal opportunity to collaborate on something fun, with marketing and networking as the side goalsThe milestones that really mattered and why they weren’t tied to downloadsHow Emily and her co-host built the foundations for growth of the podcastWhere she’s happy they spent their money, and the investment she regretsWhy you’ve got to nail your niche to get on the charts, and what new coaches should do TODAY to get started!To learn more about Emily Thompson:Being BossInstagram: @BeingBossClubBeing Boss: Take Control of Your Work and Live Life on Your Own TermsTo learn more about Christie Mims: Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real Business

Evan Marc Katz has been called a “personal trainer for smart, strong, successful women. How did he come to dominate the date coaching industry?On this season of the Coach Pony Podcast, I'm sitting down with successful business owners to ask them, how did you build that? Today I’m diving in with Evan to talk about how he built his business - featuring millions of blog readers and podcast listeners - and especially about his massively successful program, Love U.With over 13,000 women completing the Love U program, it’s not an understatement to say that Evan knows how to build a great online course!But how did he start? Where did he get the idea to create it? And what did he spend to build it?  Listen to the full episode to hear about:How Evan refined his coaching program from mailing CDs to live group coaching to a DIY programWhy he doesn’t set revenue goalsWhy the program has evolved away from DIY into a high-touch, year-long experienceBreaking down the original production process and costs for Love UWhy you shouldn’t let fear of copycats keep you from releasing your courseTo learn more about Evan Marc Katz:EvanMarcKatz.comLove UFacebook: @EvanMarcKatzFanTo learn more about Christie Mims:Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real BusinessResources:Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood, Marsha SinetarRelated:Coach Pony S02E08: The One Where I Got Paid $7000 to Build an Online Course from a Random IdeaIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed!Email us at hello@coachpony.com with your recommendation or if you want to send us something to try!

As one of the founders and current President of the board for the Maine Women’s Conference, Jodi Flynn has taken the conference from just an idea to a successful nonprofit focusing on supporting women across the state. So how did she do it?On this season of the Coach Pony Podcast, I'm sitting down with successful business owners to ask them, how did you build that? And today I’ll dig in with Jodi about how it all started, how she grew the conference, what she’s learned, and what you should know if you’re thinking about hosting and building a successful conference.Jodi Flynn of Women Taking the Lead is an Executive Leadership Coach, Podcaster, Author, Speaker, and Workshop Facilitator. Women leaders hire Jodi to develop the skills they need to thrive in senior leadership. She is the host of the critically acclaimed Women Taking the Lead podcast, and an Amazon bestselling author with her book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How the dynamics and challenges of becoming a nonprofit impacted the timeline from the idea to the first conferenceWhat taking the event online in 2021 did for their margins and attendanceWhy they chose not to max out the capacity of the venue for the sake of growthJodi’s top three pieces of advice for coaches who want to host eventsTo learn more about Jodi Flynn:Women Taking the LeadThe Maine Women’s ConferenceFacebook: @WomenTakingTheLeadTwitter: @JodiMFlynnInstagram:@JodiMFlynnConnect with Jodi on LinkedInWomen Taking the Lead PodcastAccomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to DoingTo learn more about Christie Mims: Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real BusinessIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

It can seem like celebrity entrepreneurs won the jackpot, but there's more to the story. Behind the blockbuster coaching programs, offers, and live events are stories of careful development, fixed mistakes, and strategy.On this season of the Coach Pony Podcast, I'm sitting down with successful business owners to ask them, how do you build that?I'll talk to a wide range of coaches and leaders, digging into how it all started, what they learned, and what you should know if you want to play a similar game.And to start us off, we’re actually going to be talking about something I built. Today I’m joined by a very special member of Team Pony, or CMO, CFO, and my husband, Suhaib Abdali who is going to interview me about Build A Real Business.Build A Real Business is a seven-figure program that I built that helps new life coaches learn how to build their own business full of happy, paying clients.So, how did I build that?Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why I believe in running your program live, as you build it for the first timeWhy my initial goals for Build A Real Business were about content and people, not revenue targetsWhere I invested money and time, and why it’s better to start on a shoestringMy three top tips for building your own online coaching programTo learn more about Christie Mims:Coach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyBuild A Real BusinessResources:Coach Pony Podcast: The One Where I Started a Group Coaching Program That Eventually Grew to 500 PeopleIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed!You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

Life coaching has changed A LOT in the last 20 years. But what I want to know is what happens next.To get answers, I wanted to talk to smart people with a pulse on what’s happening in the industry...and what better place to start than with coaching schools, since they’re actively shaping new and upcoming coaches!Today I’m joined by: Sherri Gerek from IPEC, the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching, Stephanie Griffin from the Life Coach School, and Jennifer Voss of the Martha Beck Wayfinder Life Coach Training Program.Between them, these three schools have graduated tens of thousands of amazing coaches.Together, we’re taking a closer look at trends, profitable niches, whether there really is space for new coaches, and of course, we’ll pull out our crystal balls and make some predictions for the future.Listen to the full episode to hear about:The biggest recent shifts they’ve seen in coachingWhere the market is heading, and key reasons there is room for growthNiches and business models that are growing now and whyOur predictions for the next ten years in the coaching industryAnd why we believe that the coaching market is NOT saturated yet (so there’s room for you!)To learn more about Jennifer Voss:The Truth ExperienceWayfinder Life Coach TrainingConnect with Jennifer on LinkedInTo learn more about Stephanie Griffin:The Life Coach SchoolInstagram: @LifeCoachSchoolFacebook: @LifeCoachSchoolYouTube: The Life Coach SchoolTo learn more about Sherri Gerek:iPEC: ICF Accredited Coach Training Programs & Life Coach CertificationsConnect with Sherri on LinkedInTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyResources:Life Coaches in the US - Market SizeInternational Coaching FederationIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed!You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

No matter what level you’re at or what niche you’re in, you’ll make mistakes. It just means you’re human.And you can still run an amazing coaching business even when you make mistakes.All season on the Coach Pony podcast, Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup and I have taken trips down memory lane to share our biggest flops and what we learned about messing up with clients, contracts, events, social media and more.To wrap up season three, we’re giving you the TL;DR version and sharing some of our best advice from this season, plus a few key bits you haven’t heard from us before.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Our best advice from season three on business, programs and marketingWhy getting over yourself and getting yourself out there are key to coaching successHow to sell what clients want but give them what they need (so they can get what they want)How to track your results to learn from your mistakesHow to find a community of coaches and why you need to regularly invest in training and educationTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyResources:Coach Pony Podcast: How Shiny Objects Slow Down Your Coaching BusinessCoach Pony Podcast: How to Make Money Writing a Book + An Inside StoryCoach Pony Podcast: The Biggest Sales Mistake New Coaches MakeIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed!You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

There are a frightening number of ways to make mistakes on social media.Today on the Coach Pony podcast, Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup joins me again to dish on where we’ve screwed up on social, so you don’t have to!We’ll take you back to a time before Instagram even existed let alone TikTok, (no, dinosaurs did not roam the earth) and talk about the pitfalls of trying to be everywhere at once and why it’s hard not to take it personally when you get crickets on social media.From confounding algorithms to burnout, we’re pulling back the curtain on social media mistakes and how they’ve impacted us and our businesses.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why you need to match your platform choice to your communication styleHow social media can foster self-doubt that creeps into your businessWhy you have to keep ROI and a clear objective in mind when you’re investing time, energy or money on socialFour key tips for social media successTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed!You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619