How to Manage a Coaching Business When You Work a Day Job
One of the loudest messages I heard as I started to grow my coaching business was, “quit your 9-5!” I heard it on podcasts, read it on dozens of Instagram bios, and scrolled through them constantly on Pinterest. And I always would ask myself, “But what if I don’t really want to quit my job?”
I went a long time without talking about how I balance them alongside raising my family because I was afraid people wouldn’t think of me as a “real entrepreneur.”
But what is a “real entrepreneur” anyways? The definition of an entrepreneur is a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
Nowhere in that short sentence does it say anything about not having a j.o.b. or quitting it nonetheless.
After I made peace with the fact that I can do things differently and have both, I knew I needed to make some changes because I have a great day job and homeschool my three kids, and I do not and never have had childcare. My plate is definitely full, but I knew I was willing to make this happen.
Set Your Vision
After I stopped paying attention to what everyone else was doing and saying online, I created a brand new vision for my business. It was so freeing to just focus on what I saw for it, not what someone else told me it could be. Sure, I was inspired by some of the voices online, but deep down, I knew that it was okay to be different and to go against the grain a bit. It was a bit scary, but my unwavering faith in my vision kept me going.
When setting your vision, ask yourself what you want your business to look like in 3-5 years. Describe your perfect day, how you bring in an income, how you show up online, and what you’re known for, and give as much detail as possible. This exercise will allow you to see what you need to start doing now and what you may already be doing too. It’s really powerful to pick something from your future vision, something as simple as getting up early (if you’re not an early bird at the moment but would like to be), and starting with that. Simple steps.
Set Your Hours
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I started my coaching business was working on it every chance I could. Before work, after work, and after I put my kids to bed. My laptop and my phone were always within reach, and I always felt like I had to be “on.” The thing is, I wasn’t productive in doing this. Logging hours does not mean you’re getting things done. It just means you’re busy. And you’re not going to get a reward for being busy. In fact, you’re going to miss out on a whole lot!
Giving yourself less time to work on your business and setting your hours, and sticking to them does not mean you’re not going to get anything done. In fact, it could very well mean the opposite! I don’t know about you, but if I give myself 4 hours to make some blog graphics, I’ll probably take up that whole amount of time. But if I give myself 15 minutes, I’ll get it done! Now, which one makes more sense?
Here’s how I recommend my clients set their hours:
What you’ll need: paper, pen, highlighters or markers (whatever floats your boat)
Write down the days of the week on a piece of paper
Highlight the days you have some time to work on your business
Cross off the days that you will not work on your business
Determine your hours on each available day
Give yourself daily themes, so you always know what to work on
Update your digital calendars to reflect new timeframes
Honor the hours you set
Keep your hours in front of you and be faithful to them. It makes such a difference in your mindset when you start operating as the coach and not the employee of your business.
Set Up Your Framework
I go into this in great detail, Create Your Coaching Business Plan Framework, but here’s why it is important, especially if you have a full plate. Having a framework to look and build off of creates structure and focus. So many of us can get easily inspired, and it’s important to have a home (your framework) to come back to.
Otherwise, you keep yourself stuck in overwhelm with nowhere to turn. Your framework is always there to bring you back to reality and keep you in line.
When I work with coaches who are balancing their career and family alongside their business, I like to remind them that if they want more (a successful business), then they can have it, but they don’t have to sacrifice what’s important to them to make it happen. In my book, the family should always come first. Your business doesn’t define you, it’s a facet of who you are, and it should fit into your daily life in a way that works for you and all of the other blessings in your life.