Coach Pony

Learn about the importance of follow-up in the sales process for coaches, tips to avoid sales mistakes, and the challenges and self-reflection that entrepreneurs and coaches face.

Ooh, shiny!Everyone gets distracted by something sparkly now and again. But shiny object syndrome can slow down your business...big time.Of course you want to chase that shiny new idea, but dividing your attention across too many projects and programs at once can lead to disaster. Whether it’s burning out after working umpteen hours a week trying to juggle it all, or your programs not taking off like they could because they’re not getting your focus, shiny objects can take their toll on you and your business.Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup is back with me again to talk about the mistakes we’ve made with shiny objects, and why having someone in your life who tells you to put down the sparkly can be key to keeping yourself on track (when you actually listen to them).But it’s not all bad! As always in Season Three, we’re also talking about what we learned along the way, even if we’re still a little mad at our past selves.Listen to the full episode to hear about:How shiny objects slow down your growth–as a coach and in your businessWhy closely tracking your numbers will help you make better decisions with your sparkliesHow to avoid compare-and-despair and still learn from other coaches in your nicheThree key things to remember when you’re dealing with shiny objectsTo 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 to Make Money Group CoachingCoach Pony Podcast: How to Make Money Writing a Book + An Inside StoryIf 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

Live events have their rewards: When an event goes well, you get the satisfaction of being hands-on and seeing people make progress in real time. Not to mention that attendees learn and make connections with your work (yay!) and each other! Everyone wins!But when a live event goes badly, those mistakes can be hugely detrimental to your business and your reputation.If people leave your event feeling that you’ve failed to deliver on the promise they paid for, your business will suffer. Or if they find the logistics more challenging than the results, they get grumpy.It doesn’t matter if you held a lower-cost event for several hundred people or a luxury retreat for a handful, those people will never buy from you again. And...the worst news? They’ll probably tell their friends.Season three of the Coach Pony podcast is all about mistakes, and today, we’re talking about mistakes with live coaching events, but with a twist! Bobbie Palmer from Date Like a Grownup and I are going to tell you about the mistakes we’ve seen other coaches make at events we’ve attended together.We really aren’t kidding when we say every coach, at every level, in every niche, makes mistakes, even on things you might think are pretty basic, like not keeping people waiting in a boiling hot hallway until the ballroom doors open. Not that we’ve experienced that.... ;)Listen to the full episode to hear about:How not meeting your attendees’ basic needs–like starting on time and letting them know where the bathrooms are–immediately costs you respect and credibilityWhy you have to set a real agenda–including session times and meal breaks–share it with the group and stick to it as best as possibleHow attending to basic principles of hospitality can earn you more leeway with other mistakesFour tips for successful live group coaching events, in person or onlineTo 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

Making mistakes with your website can cost you.It can cost you time, it can cost you peace of mind (oh the stress of redoing things!) and of course, it can cost you money.Whether you’re paying an agency to design and build your site or you’re DIY-ing it, having a site that doesn’t do what you need it to can hinder your business’s ability to grow.Building a website from scratch can be intimidating, especially when you’re just starting out. There are more options than ever for creating a website, and it’s hard to be sure what features you will or won’t need down the road.If you’re doing it yourself, you could get overwhelmed and end up with a simple site without the features that will grow with your business. And if you’re paying someone to build it, you could rack up hundreds or thousands in hourly rates as you figure out what you need from your site.This season on the Coach Pony podcast, Bobbie Palmer from Date Like a Grownup joins me to talk about the mistakes we’ve made. Our businesses are very different, but we’ve made a lot of the same kinds of mistakes and today, we’re talking about our websites.We’ll walk you through our mistakes with our websites–from switching to a platform no one’s ever heard of, to reluctantly learning to build WordPress landing pages as a workaround–so you have the tools to make better choices when it comes to your website.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why you need to think about your long-terms goals, not just your immediate needs when it comes to your website’s capabilitiesWhy your website is going to have mistakes and evolve–and that’s okay!What you should know about working with a web developerTo 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

We’ve all had clients we regret. It’s almost a rite of passage for a coach (so yes, it’ll probably happen to you!).Maybe you saw the red flags from the beginning and ignored them because you really believed you could be the one to help them. Coaches want to help people! Or maybe it took a few sessions for you to realize that what they need isn’t what you offer.Either way, it can be incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to be confronted with a client who is wrong for you, or you’re wrong for them, and yet, you’ve already taken their money.Separating from that client can go okay. Or it can go really, really badly.Season three of the Coach Pony podcast is all about mistakes, and today, Bobbie Palmer from Date Like a Grownup and I are digging into firing clients, so you can learn from us. Or commiserate, because making these mistakes is totally normal. We’ve all been there!Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why knowing who your ideal client is and sticking to that will help you avoid having to fire someone who’s a bad fitHow taking a client who isn’t right for you can drag down you and your businessHow to manage an exit in a supportive way, with integrityThree tips to keep firing a client from being a disaster To 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

Investing in your business is a fact of life. It can help you learn, grow and be a better coach.   But what if when you need advice, consulting, training or something else, you fork over an enormous amount of money only to have it not work out the way you wanted? OUCH.   This season of the Coach Pony Podcast, it’s all about mistakes. I teamed up with Bobbi Palmer from  Date Like a Grownup to give you the lowdown on our biggest mistakes and lessons learned, so you don’t have to learn the hard way.   Today, we’re talking about business investment mistakes. From spending money to get good advice that your business just isn’t ready for, to signing up for a program because someone you look up to did it, making mistakes in business investments can put you deep in the red and take time to recover from, financially and emotionally. And these mistakes happen to all of us.   Of course, we hope by sharing some of our stories we’ll keep you from making the mistakes we did. But if you do? Give yourself some grace. You are not alone, my friend.   Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why you need to be clear on the return on investment before you write the check How to step back and evaluate any additional investments that may be required to get to the real total cost Why spending a ton of money on training or programs can be a bad idea for new coaches Three big pieces of advice for making business investments   To learn more about Bobbi Palmer: Date Like a Grownup Facebook: @DateLikeAGrownup   To learn more about Christie Mims: Build a Real Business Coach Pony Instagram @christiecoachpony   If 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

We all make mistakes in life. And as a coach, you’re going to make mistakes with your clients. You’re not perfect and your clients (usually) don’t expect you to be.But they will–consciously or not– take advantage of contract loopholes, poor enforcement, unclear terms and other not-so-fun ways to ask for services outside of what your intended agreement is.This season on the Coach Pony Podcast, I’m teaming up with Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup to talk about the mistakes coaches make when building their businesses. And today, we’re diving into contracts.Contracts can be tricky territory with coaching because of the personal investment you develop in your clients. But bending your own rules because you hate saying no to someone you care about doesn’t help either of you.From making your terms and conditions as clear as possible to setting your boundaries and sticking to them, we have been there, done that, written the scripts for handling it the next time.We want to spare you the pain and also remind you that when you mess up, you’re in great company. Because we’ve all been there.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why anything outside of the original contract, like an extension, needs additional termsWhy you can’t agonize over every request for exceptions to your contracts or termsHow to use scripts to protect your boundaries around your termsWhy you have to have a clear refund and guarantee policy and why you need to put it everywhereChristie and Bobbi’s top two tips for dealing with contractsTo 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

Do you ever worry about making mistakes in your coaching business? Of course you do! Everyone makes mistakes. No matter what level you’re at– whether you hung up your shingle yesterday or you’ve been at this for years– mistakes are a normal part of moving your business forward. Welcome! And not only are they normal, but coaches in all niches, at all revenue levels make many of the same mistakes. So, you aren’t alone! This season, we’re diving into the mistakes coaches make when building their businesses. From contracts to relationships, to websites, we’ll cover it all to save you time and stress, and most of all, to remind you that everyone makes mistakes so you are in good company. To help me with that, I’m teaming up with Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup. We have VERY different businesses, but we’ve made a lot of the same mistakes. And one of the mistakes that we have both made in our businesses is in our relationships. Whether it’s mentors, friends, family, peers or partners, you’re going to need people to rely on along the way. And if your priorities are out of line, you might find yourself without those people you need in your business, your life and your heart. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How prioritizing your business over your relationships can actually hurt your businessQuestions to ask yourself about how you want your work-life balance to lookStrategies for communicating with your loved ones early and often in your business journey3 tips to build better relationships as you build your business To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownup To learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony If 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

 Writing a book is a great way to create some passive income while you also cement your coaching knowledge and life experience into one lower-cost, marketable item that you can sell for years to come. Books are great tools to help people get to know you and enter your coaching world, and build the trust that can ultimately turn them into a client. Your book can also help raise your profile and bring you visibility as a thought leader, which can lead to wanting to book you (see what I did there?) for speaking engagements. It’s also fantastic when you can codify your expertise as a coach, and really refine your system (writing makes you focus!). So: You’ve got the skills, the knowledge and the desire, but where to start? And what does it take to go from page one to published? In this episode we are looking at how to make money writing a book, and I’ll share the story of my first book–which you may think was wildly overpriced, and still is!–and how I made that decision and why it worked. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How books build trust and credibility with your audience and potential clientsWhy codifying your system by writing through the process makes you a better coachBook sales math and why your book is probably a marketing tool, not how you’ll fully support yourselfNine steps to plan, write, market and launch your bookFive essential tools to create a polished, professional book To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyFind the book I talked about here: Zero to PassionAnd here’s the book pricing model that got me inspired! If 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 

 I have so many online course stories for you guys! My book, Zero to Passion, was my first real online DIY program, because I offered several different tiers of learning beyond just the book. (Fun fact: I still sell plenty of them today). But that’s a story for another time… Let’s get to the good stuff! In this episode, I'll share the inside story of how I got paid $7,000 to build my first, truly real and purely online course, from a random idea. Plus I’ll also reveal the big mistake I made almost immediately. The course is called The Networking Masterclass, and I created it for the Revolutionary Club because I knew that networking was a huge key skill related to building a career and finding your passion. What I didn’t know was if my audience also understood that, or if they did, if they would want to spend money for online networking help. If they did, I thought this would be a wonderful way to help serve my community and add a DIY course to my arsenal. But before I poured tons of time into building the course, I wanted to see if I was right that my community would be interested. Turns out I was! But also being right wasn’t enough... Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why it’s worth it to vet your audience’s interest in your course idea before you commit to creating contentWhy audience interest is not the same thing as a funnel or sales strategyHow to reframe a failed launch as good data To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyZero to Passion And if 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