14 - What is the Impact Coach Collective anyway? And who is it for?

Welcome to the business of executive coaching. I'm Ellie Scarfe, an ex lawyer turned executive coach. Over the last 17 years I've coached in house, I've been an associate coach and I've run executive coaching businesses with teams of coaches around the world. My clients have ranged from global brand names to boutiques, startups and organizations doing good in the world. I now run the Impact Coach Collective, a a community of executive coaches who want to level up their business skills and take action in a community of like minded peers.

I'm a traveller, a reader, a mum.

Wife and dog parent and I know firsthand that our stories have a huge impact on our businesses. The executive coaching business is tough and I've learnt all the lessons through plenty of mistakes and also with some great mentors. This podcast is all about growing a thriving executive coaching business. You can build a coaching business that is profitable, sustainable and that supports your personal goals, whatever they are. I'll be sharing tips and ideas translated for your context as well as stories from the field with brilliant coaches and mentors.

If you want to level up your.

Executive coaching business skills, then this is the place for you.

Hello, welcome. It's great to be back. So I am beyond excited if you can't tell from the tone of my voice because doors for the Impact Coach Collective are opening tomorrow. If you're listening to this on the day that it comes out or it may well be open now, the doors open from the 7th of May to the 14th of May and if you are listening outside of this time period, I encourage you to head over to the website and get on our wait list anyway because our waitlisters get all the best bonuses and early access. So go to elliscarf.com icc and let me tell you, I learned the hard way, it doesn't matter now whether you put in lowercase ICC or uppercase icc. They both work now because for a long time they didn't. So yes, doors open tomorrow and I want to talk a little bit about what is happening this week as part of the launch and also exactly what the Impact Coach Collective is and I want to answer some of the common questions that I get about it and really talk about. Also, who's it for? Because I realize I maybe haven't been too clear about that. Firstly, this week there are loads of activities on and I will be very visible. If you listened to the last episode you'll know that that is a real thing. I'll be really visible this week so you're going to see me a lot, especially if you're on LinkedIn. So starting tomorrow, on Tuesday the 7th and all of these lives are at 8am Singapore time, I'm going to be going live on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram and I'll be taking questions and talking about the community that we built here in the Impact Coach Collective. And also giving people a chance to set up a quick call with me if they want to talk about their business or talk about what I offer within the collective. On Wednesday 8th May, I'm going to go live to talk about mindset. And so specifically I want to talk about mindsets that are going to help and hinder as you grow your executive coaching business. Now I have developed a free resource to that talks about this and it's called five Mindset Shifts for Executive Coaches who want to grow their business. If you'd like to download that for free, of course you can do that at www.elliscarf.com mindsetshifts with an S on the end and I think you'll find it quite interesting. It's not, it's not a difficult document, but it is, it's got some, some ideas and things you may not have thought about. Then on Thursday 9th May, I am running my free masterclass and that is my masterclass on the eight foundations of a thriving executive coaching business. This is a deep dive into what you need to pay attention to if you want your executive coaching business to be sustainable, profitable and support you living life the way you want to live it. So that's my way of saying that it's not just about hitting financial goals or impact goals, it's also about making sure that our businesses serve our lives so that we, you know, we, we work to live, not just live to work to share a cliche. Now in this masterclass, I'm going to share what those eight foundations are. I'll take you through a self assessment as we go through each of them so that you can figure out which of the foundations is most important for you right now. And I'm going to share some tips so that you can make some progress on whatever your prior priority areas are asap. So this session is really practical. It is, it is packed with info, it's very actionable and for the first time in a launch, I'm going to run it in two different time zones on that same day so that there will definitely be a suitable time for everyone. And of course there will be a recording. If you would like to come, you can register@elliscarf.com eight foundations and that's using eight, the number. But all these links I'll put in the show notes as well. On Friday 10th May, I'm going to go live again and this time I'm going to be sharing LinkedIn tips. So I've had a podcast episode with some of them, but, you know, the list of tips just keeps growing. So I'll share them. You can ask me any LinkedIn questions you have. And yeah, I'm really looking forward to that one. Then on Monday the 13th, I'm going to answer questions and talk about scaling and business models for coaches and I'm going to share a few of my thoughts. I've touched on that, that also in one of our previous episodes. But you know, when I'm, when I'm just rambling, talking live, I will be a bit more expansive. And then finally on Tuesday the 14th, that'll be our last day, so doors will close on the evening of the 14th. So wherever you are, I'll make sure that we extend it to midnight on that day. But I'm going to take you inside the Impact Coach Collective behind the scenes and I'll show you what it looks like. So I'll show you what the portal is where all the videos are stored. That's like the recordings of the sessions. I'll show you all the masterclasses, I'll show you the digital course, I'll show you the Facebook community. You can have a look and see what it all looks like. So that's this week. Please come along. Love to have as many of you there as possible. I know that there's a lot of wonderful coaches who listen to the podcast and I'm not sure if I'm connected with you all on LinkedIn, but I would dearly love to be and I would love you to come along and you can come to LinkedIn or Facebook or Instagram, depending on which is your preferred place to, to, to consume. Okay. So Ellie, what exactly is the Impact Coach Collective? So it's a little hard to define because I don't think that there is a program quite like it out there. But the way I think of it is that the collective is business, mentoring, education and community for executive coaches who sell to corporate clients. So that's, that's how, how I would define it. But I think it'll probably help more to share what is included when you become of the Impact Coach Collective. So firstly, all members have full access to the digital course, the corporate To Coach blueprint. Now, this is my signature digital course. It is an eight module, self paced course that covers everything you need to have in place to build a thriving coaching business. So it includes everything from mindset to sales and marketing to hiring help to prioritizing your professional development investment to systems and processes to financial management is comprehensive. There is a lot in there, I think there's 36 lessons, eight modules, a 50 page plus workbook. And that workbook is full of worksheets, checklists, guides to everything you can think of. So you have access to the, the blueprint, that course and that's, you know, huge, a huge amount of content on its own, the extra bit. So. But you can, you can buy the corporate to coach blueprint as a standalone course by the way. So that is always available all the time. So you don't have to wait till a launch to, to join the blueprint to access the blueprint. But the additional pieces you get as a member of the Impact Coach Collective is that we have a monthly masterclass is one thing. So each month a masterclass that I'll deliver on some different topic, always very relevant and it's always business content tailored for executive coaches. So for example, in March our masterclass was all about warm outreach strategy. So what is your strategy to reach out to warm leads in your network? In April we talked about Mindset, which was very well received and was really important and it felt like everyone was in need of a bit of a mindset, you know, reset. And in May we're going to be diving right back into, into practical and we'll be talking about sales conversations for B2B selling. And in June we're going to talk about assessments, tools and debriefing strategies. So as you can see, the subjects are broad, you know, but always very practical and very relevant. Every couple of months also we have a guest expert join us, the most recent one actually it was just a week or two ago we, I had a panel of coaches including one who you have met on this podcast, Louise Kovacs, and one who you will meet soon, that's Imogen Mirage. And together with me we formed a panel where we talked about chemistry checks and specifically what are our strategies for approaching chemistry checks and our strategies for winning them specifically. And so this was a session where we presented a little bit of content, but we also had some really fantastic conversation and our members had a lot of questions. So it was a really robust, brilliant conversation. We also have Q and A sessions every month and these are honestly the best. So even if you don't have a question yourself, I can Guarantee that everyone who comes or listens to it gets something out of these sessions. So the sorts of things we discuss are LinkedIn strategy, business models, offer definition, how to stay motivated, mindset issues, you name it. And it's also a place where you can come if you're just feeling stuck about something and we can work through it together so we can do some coaching on, on whatever you bring and we can brainstorm, right? So if you need ideas, if you, you know, just want to work through something, this is the place. We also have monthly a deal clinic and this is probably my favorite session of the month. So we don't record this one and it is, it is an anything go session where we dive into pricing, deal structure, proposals, planning your next move in a sales process, expanding opportunities, fun, all really exciting stuff. Generally, if it's about sales or it's about numbers or you want to talk about your clients, you know, and not worry about it being recorded. This is the one. So this one off the record and it's usually juicy. So it's been great. We also have a private Facebook community, so most recently our members. So often in the masterclass I will pose a challenge or a task and sometimes we'll talk about it in the community. For example, this, this last month people have been sharing their bios and we've all been offering our feedback, especially me. You know, we share wins, we share challenges. It's, it's a really lovely community and you know, I extremely grateful for just the quality of people who are in this community. We also come together. So members have access to a annual planning workshop in early December where we set priorities for the year ahead and we take a bit of a more of a holistic life view on planning in this session and also within the membership is you have access to a vault of documents and templates and tools and that includes things like a template for a coach bio, a template for a proposal document, as well as all of the many resources that, that I've developed. So everything that we do is recorded and it's uploaded pretty quickly to the portal. So you can either come live or watch the replay and it is completely considered. You know, you can do whichever works for you, right? So there's no pressure to come live, but come live if you want to. You know, people are so lovely and they always let me know when they can't make it. But I want to make sure that people feel like there's no pressure. Like I want this to fit with your lifestyle, your workload, your times, so that's why we record everything. So you can use, you can access it as and when it works best for you. We offer sessions in multiple time zones if we have people in different time zones. So you can be sure that over over a month there will definitely be some that you can get to live. Now, bonus with this launch this week, a bonus that I haven't offered in this, in this format is qu. Exciting is that the first people. First 10 people to join. And so our wait list members will get first access to. This is our first 10 members will receive a kickoff session with me. So that's a 45 minute one on one session where we will get into your business and plan your way forward in the program and for your business. So, you know, help give you some direction, answer any questions you have and really just, you know, I want you to feel really supported and so, you know, for those first 10 members that will be available to you. Another bonus is that I have developed a corporate to coach Runway workshop series and that is really about people who are building to leave their role and set up their coaching business and the first stages of that. So it's a series of four workshops that have been recorded and you will get access to that if you join during the launch period. So it's an additional digital course, five workshops and it dives into firstly, all the things you need to think about when you are planning to step away into your coaching business and building your offer. We go, yeah, sorry, building your offer is the second workshop. The third workshop is refining your collateral. So your bio document, your proposal document. And then the fourth session is starting to think about your outreach strategy. So how are you going to actually start connecting with the people in your network? It's very practical, very hands on and it is aimed to give you a few of the foundational tools that you need to be able to really launch your business to the world. So that is, you know, the feedback on that has been really, really great. And then there is a bonus if you come to the webinar or if you join before the webinar, which is that I will personally review an asset of your choice. And by asset, what I mean is I'll review your bio or your website or your LinkedIn page or your standard proposal document or something like that. So you can choose just one, unfortunately. But if you join the community, I'm always happy for you to post a document or a link or something and you know, community can all give you feedback on that. So who is the Impact Coach collective for? Well, firstly, it is for executive coaches who either target or hope to target corporate clients. So we focus more on corporate clients rather than individual clients. But most people have a combination. Generally the people who are joining have a combined practice of a coaching practice and some sort of consulting or facilitation or training or strategy offer. So usually there's a bit of a hybrid in the business for people who are either starting out with their coaching business soon to start and want to be as prepared as they can be, or who are in a growth phase. So, you know, generally I would say we have people in the first five years of their coaching business. It's also for people who have a capacity to really take action on what they're learning. And that means, you know, they have a willingness to. To get out there and do it. Ideally time. But some people are doing this within some pretty tight time constraints, but just having a capacity to take action and do something with what you're learning and also have big goals. Right. So, you know, this is for you, if you have a big goal. And it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a financial goal around your business, although I absolutely encourage those. It may be that you have an impact goal, it could be a lifestyle goal, but generally that you want a sustainable and profitable business that supports your goals, whatever they are. Right. So you're working for something, you know, in terms of what the community have. Have said, the things they value the most out of the. You know, if I could summarize, there's a lot of. A lot of the members really value having a structure and support and feeling like there is a clear path for them forward. Because this, you know, at the start of your coaching business, even in the first few years, it can feel a little chaotic and undefined. So providing structure and support is a really important part of what we do. The second thing is having a community right where you feel supported and valued. And they've said that this is a really trusted group. They really trust each other and they learn a lot from each other, both in the. In the community, but also during the sessions where we're learning and talking to each other. I've also had feedback that they really value the insights and sharing that I bring from my 17 years building coaching businesses and the way that I like to show them path pathways to step through their challenges in very practical ways that I share opportunities that they might not be seeing for themselves or aware of. And they really value how I can connect the dots and take where they're at and give them information that's going to help them move forward. And then finally, apparently what they have, what they really value, is the way I work with them. So the feedback has been that I'm quite calm and reassuring and very practical and that it's like having me as part of their team, one of their team members. And that's, you know, I'm delighted to be that person for my members. So if that, those, those things would be valuable to you, if you think it sounds like you, you know, I would really love to have you either join me for the masterclass on the eight foundations of a thriving coaching business or, or just join. Join me in the icc. It is a truly brilliant group of coaches that are in the membership. You know, it's very practical. You can get a lot out of it if you're willing to invest your time and energy. But in the meantime, thank you for listening in. Do drop into my LinkedIn page where you can see all the details of sessions that'll be on this week. You know, check out the show notes for the link to register for the webinar, which is www.elliscarf.com eight foundations. Or just drop me a line on LinkedIn is probably the easiest. Or you can email me elliot org.com and I will really look forward to meeting you and hopefully welcoming a whole bunch of you into the Impact Coach Collective. Thanks very much and I will be back soon.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Business of Executive Coaching.

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It with a colleague or friend on LinkedIn. And don't forget to tag me so I can say thanks. I would be tremendously grateful also if you would leave a review on Apple Podcasts. More reviews means more people can find us. This episode was brought to you by the Implementation Impact Coach Collective, where executive coaches grow their businesses in a community of peers with business education, mentoring, deal clinics and more. If you'd like to contact me or work with me further, all my free resources, courses and more info on the Impact Coach Collective can be found@elliscarf.com have a brilliant week and I look forward to talking to you again soon.