146: The Power of Coaching

Well, hello. Welcome to this episode of the Professional Creative. One of my promises here to you is to always tell you what I'm up to, always pull back the curtain, always let you know what I'm seeing, what I'm finding is successful, and how you might be able to use those insights into your own business and into your own success as well. So you might have heard me say that one of my goals is to invest more in my own education and development every year than the year prior. And that has been true for me this year by a bit of a long stretch. So I have thoroughly invested in some of my own professional development and personal development. And I want to talk to you about it today because it's been really, really one of the most powerful ways to break through some of the barriers that I run into when it comes to leveling up. And, you know, I think so many times we think about our next level of success or the next version of ourselves has to do with knowing something, knowledge that we don't have. And honestly, oftentimes it's more to do with our thinking. It's more to do with kind of figuring out what's holding us back and why. Not necessarily just, you know, a new strategy or a new tactic or something like that. And so that's been true for me as well.

I'm Bonnie Christine. And this is where all things creativity,

design, business and marketing unite.

I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the Smoky Mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing

the most creative and impactful work of my life. But when I first set out to

become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others

how to design their creative life and

experience the same success. I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast.

Can you guess where my investment has gone? You know that I'm in a mastermind. I love my mastermind. I think a mastermind is one of the best investments you can ever make. But it's not the mastermind. It's actually a coaching program. So a coaching program is brand new to me. It's something that I have thought about, I've known about, and I just didn't really think that it was for me, or maybe the timing wasn't right, or maybe it was just that I couldn't put my finger on like the right coaching opportunity at the time. But it's just not never something that I've ever been involved with. And so this past year I have joined a group coaching program and also invested in a one on one coach for the first time in my life. And so I'll start there. The difference between mastermind and coaching. So a mastermind, completely invaluable. And it is definitely has a layer of mentorship. For instance, the mastermind that I'm in is called impact with Stu McLaren. And Stu is one of my biggest mentors. But the mastermind itself is about the master mind, right? It's about the minds of the people in the room coming together to form one big brain that can brainstorm for you and your business and ideate and things like that. So coaching is a little bit different. Coaching is about maybe leveling up, next level development. It's about really, really learning from someone who's kind of been there and done that and has walked a path similar to the one that you want to walk. And so they, they kind of make the way for you, but also hold you accountable, stretch you to grow. Really kind of get the ins and outs of what you're doing. And it's been really, really amazing. So today I want to talk about coaching, specifically how powerful it is and how to get the most out of a coaching program. You know, for me, one of my biggest realizations as an entrepreneur came back in 2020 when I had this moment where I all of the sudden realized that my business had outgrown my personal development and I had some catching up to do. And, and this is when a coach would have been able to help before I got to that point. But definitely after that point though, I think that if I had had a coach, I wouldn't have ever gotten to that point. So that's kind of the difference. A coaching program can really kind of keep you moving forward at the right pace and in the right timing for where you're at. And so looking back, if I had then what I have now in a group coaching program and a one on one coach, I think that I could have navigated everything that I went through so much more easily. So part of this is also that I have my own coaching program and this is new for me. I've had a mastermind since 2019. Love the mastermind. So incredibly impactful. The mastermind is capped though at 30 people. And it's a huge investment. So it's 12,000 a year or it was this past year. And so I've had a heart for a coaching program that would really be the perfect step for someone who wasn't quite ready to make that level of investment, but they were ready for some next level kind of opportunities and being in that right room fit. And so I began this coaching program, it's called pcbc, that stands for Professional Creative Business Coaching in, let's see, October of 2023. And so for the first time ever, we're really opening it to the public, we're opening it to you, whereas before this it was on an invitation only basis. And so that has been incredible as well. And I think that if you are looking to get into a coaching program, you've got to make sure that your coach is also being coached. Like to always make sure that the people who are coaching me are also being coached themselves. And as a coach I like to make sure that I'm sandwiched in between. So I'm in the middle of being coached and also coaching, making sure that I'm always giving back. You know, I have a huge heart for that, but that I'm also always constantly being fed and being poured into by someone else or in this case by several people. So one of the things that has just been really clear to me since I started coaching in PCBC is that we're really all struggling with very similar things. Meaning at some point we get so close to our business that we can't see the weeds for the trees. Do you know what I mean? We're so close to it that we can't see the circles that we're going in or the know the drains that we're circling or how what we're doing isn't quite aligned with our goals or how we are lacking the ability to focus or how we should lay out what we're doing over the year, or how some of our thinking is getting in the way or sabotaging our success, those kinds of things. When we work in a bubble and we're not kind of coming out of that bubble to get coached or inspired or fed by someone else that we can very easily lose our way or at least slightly get off track. And so that's really my focus is to make sure that I'm keeping people in PCBC really clear on their goals and really clear on their path. And we all just have so many, we all navigate so many of the same challenges that a coaching program can really help keep you accountable. So when I think about pcbc, my coaching program, I designed it for people who had already found success, meaning they're already creating income in their business and they're getting to the place where they're really busy. They're so busy that they're having a hard time thinking or working on the business because they're so busy working in the business. And I can kind of come alongside them and help them get into more of the thinking space and lighten their load a little bit and help bring them focus and clarity on their goals. And so I developed these, this framework called the Craft Framework, that's C, R, A, F, T. And so what that looks like is that we rotate every week through a different topic that pertains to the framework. So C stands for clarity and goals. That's all about understanding your why, setting you up for success, goal setting, business models, and that kind of thing. Then R stands for robust systems. So we've got to streamline your operations, we've got to develop operating procedures, and we have to be able to implement effective workflows.

Are you tired of spending hours crafting the perfect email only to be met with crickets in your inbox? Or worse, having your emails end up in your subscribers spam folders? I know that feeling, which is why I switched to ConvertKit as my email service provider many years ago. ConvertKit is the email marketing platform built by creators for creators. With ConvertKit, you can easily create and send beautiful personalized emails that your subscribers are not only going to open, but also love. They have a drag and drop email editor that makes it easy to design emails that look and feel professional without any coding. Plus, their powerful automation tools make it easy to send the right message to the right person at the right time. But that's really not all. Convertkit's tagging and segmenting tools make it so easy to send targeted messages to your subscribers based on their interests and behaviors. So for example, you can imagine that on my email list I have people who are interested in buying my fabric to use in their projects, and then also people who want to learn how to design their own fabric. And so through ConvertKit's tagging system, I can communicate to those two different groups of people so that I don't ever have to worry if I'm bugging the other group with something that they're not interested in. You can also use ConvertKit to actually build out a page and a form so that you can easily grow your email list and turn subscribers into customers. So you know that we always want you to be growing your email list and I can tell you that if you dive into ConvertKit you can start adding subscribers to your email list within a day of focused effort. It's not that difficult. It's super easy to set up, build a landing page, put an opt in and then start getting people on your list. So if you are ready to take your email marketing to the next level, I want you to head on over to bonniecristine.com forward/resources and sign up for a free trial on ConvertKit today. You can go ahead and dive in and get familiar with the program. Their support is amazing and see what you think. This is truly an email service provider who can grow with you from one subscriber to 500,000. So again, head on over to bonniecristine.com resources and check out ConvertKit today.

The next one is A for authentic marketing and this is really where we learn how to infuse heartfelt marketing, your voice and your vision into your business. You use heartfelt marketing strategies and techniques and really focus on building multiple streams of revenue. F stands for fearless leadership. One thing that I think doesn't get talked about enough is that as a creative entrepreneur you are stepping into a role of leadership. So you've got to be able to lead with love and empathy and inspiration. You have to be able to cultivate a thriving culture and eventually you have to be able to assemble your dream team. And then T stands for transformational offers. This is about really mastering the art of service and customer service. Being able to solve your audience's problems, nurture sequences and opt ins and feedback loops and really being able to craft a compelling invitation to come join your world is what we focus on in the T section. So I love rotating through those because we really get to touch on every moving part of your. But even though a coaching program might have something like this, like a framework, what I want you to know is that it's not necessarily even the thing that's being taught, it's what's caught. This is something that my coach says all the time. It's not taught, it's what's caught. Meaning there's going to be someone teaching something always. But what can you catch in addition to that? Is there someone in the room that you want to connect with? Is there a conversation or a peer group that you need to join? Is there something that was said in the Q and A or the coaching portion of the call? Right. Because for me my calls are like 20 minutes of a teaching, and then the rest of the hour is spent on coaching. So oftentimes your biggest takeaways are from listening in to someone else getting coached, not even necessarily from what was being taught. So you have to have an ear and really for what is said in the in between and around the teaching as well. So I want to give you five steps to getting the most out of a coaching program. Whether you have one now or you're looking to maybe add one soon. The first one is to get clear on your goals. I think that just clarity is such a gift. So define what it is that you want to achieve. Is it something about your business that you have a goal around? Is it something about your mindset or just your personal growth? Or maybe you want to be in a room with people who get you or can inspire you or something like that. But understanding why you're interested in joining a coaching program, whether it's for business growth or personal growth or connection with others, or maybe strategic connection, which is a big one as well, make sure that you're clear on that. Number two is to research and choose the right coach. So for me, when I'm thinking about getting a coach or joining a coaching program, I want to make sure that I strongly resonate with the leader. I want to choose someone who, like I said, has kind of been there, done that, meaning they've already had success in a lot of different arenas or areas that I too want to find success in. Because that's really where the value of a coach comes, is when they've already done something that you're looking to do well, they can teach you right out of the gate how to be successful when you enter into that, what pitfalls to avoid. And one of maybe the best is that they've got connections, they know people, they can connect you with people. They are just in that world so much that it's really a bridge. It's a bridge between you and that level of success is having someone who can coach you in that direction. Right. So I'm always looking at people who have accomplished similar things to what I want to accomplish, that they share similar values. To me, I think that's really important and someone that I personally just resonate with or enjoy. Number three is to commit to the process. Investing in coaching is usually a pretty serious commitment. And so you want to be prepared to really show up, dedicate your time, your energy and your resources to the program. Now, I don't think a coaching program should take you hours per week or anything like that, but for what it is you do want to make sure that you're there for it. You want to trust the process and stay focused on your goals. Similarly, number four is to engage. I think it's so important to hold yourself accountable to engaging, meaning show up for the calls, engage as you can. You know, if it's a zoom call, have your camera on. Most importantly, take notes. We don't remember things that we don't write down, so make sure that you take notes. And I love to keep mine all in the same notebook so that I can always go to my coaching notebook. And I also love to transfer those into a Google Doc so that as they grow and grow and grow, they become searchable. And then step number five is just to evaluate and adjust as needed. I think you should always kind of assess your progress, assess what you need out of the program and your own kind of ability to show up for the program. Coaching can absolutely help you stay on track and you can adapt, you know what kind of growth you need to what's happening in your life. So do you need to kind of shift gears and focus on a strategy to grow your business, or do you need to kind of slow down and really work on personal growth or something like that as well? I would say that when you're in a coaching program, part of the most powerful thing is the ability to ask someone a direct question. And so if you can come in with a que, like the gold is in the question. Oftentimes, I think it actually lies in the power of a great question. Is the value that you get. Can you have the forethought to come with the right questions, to really tap into the wisdom and the experience that you have right at your fingertips. I think that is so incredibly powerful. So you may be like me, not thinking about coaching or like it's not right for you, or it's not the right timing. But I'm telling you, I had no idea what I was missing. And I wish that I had joined a coaching program or had a coach even before I joined a mastermind. Like many, many years ago, I wish that I would have invested in this. It is such a valuable way to build an external perspective and fresh eyes and accountability and expertise and connection that all comes together to accelerate your progress and really help you avoid mistakes along the way. So I think it can be an absolute game changer for you, your business, and also your personal growth. And so I hope this has been helpful. If you are interested in working with me, I would love for you to check out the professional creative business coaching program. So this is my coaching program. We've worked really hard to make it accessible for creative entrepreneurs who are up and running and really looking to get into this type of framework, this coaching framework early on to scale their business, grow professionally and also grow personally, but also get into a group of people who they can go long with and grow deep with. So come check us out@bonniecristine.com Coach I would love, love, love to see you there. Okay, my friends, create the beauty that you want to see come alive in the world. And remember, there's room for you. Sam.