39 - Introducing... the Corporate to Coach Accelerator!

Hello. Hello. Welcome to the Business of Executive Coaching podcast. So on this podcast, if you have been listening for a while, you'll know that I'm all about practical advice for executive coaches working with corporate clients. So if that is you or that is where you want to be, listen in today because I'm really excited to share the newest iteration of my flagship program. So firstly, like a little bit of background about me and why I do what I do. So I started working primarily with coaches a few years back. Now it was a passion project of sorts. Right. So probably for the last 10 years I want to say I've been working with other coaches informally. So coaches who are starting out informally as a mentor and I have loved it, I've always loved it. And but as my, my business, my coaching business grew and grew and got, you know, was, was more and more successful in various iterations, I realized just how much I enjoyed working with and it wasn't just that I enjoyed it because yes, I enjoy, I enjoy the process of working with coaches. Coaches are excellent people. That's very self serving, isn't it? Coaches are excellent people. But working with coaches for me also is a bit like unlocking a huge amount of potential positive impact on the world, if I think about it that way. So you know, I can have a certain amount of impact as a coach and I know that I do and I know that that is what's important for coaches. Right? We want to know that we are having an impact, that we're helping people, that we're making organizations better places to work and that we're having a positive impact on communities and even the world. Right? So that is important to us. And so knowing that I could have X amount of impact as a coach, I really got to wondering what impact could I have if I was enabling more and more coaches to do this work successfully. And I also know that the biggest barrier for coaches going into business isn't being great coaches, it is understanding how to grow a business and believing in your ability to do it. So all of the work that I do now is about unlocking coaches to do incredible work by firstly believing that they have all it takes to run a successful business and secondly by giving them the tools, systems and support to do so. So all that said, to date, I work with coaches in three ways. I do a limited amount of one on one coaching. It's not on my website, but if you reach out I can talk to you about that. I also have the corporate to coach blueprint and this is a standalone digital course and it's all the foundations and fundamentals that you need to set up and run a sustainable executive coaching business. And look, I love this course. It's really my first business baby and I update it and it'll always be very close to my heart. But the real heart of my business is the Impact Coach Collective currently. So it is my group coaching program for executive coaches who want to build thriving and sustainable businesses. They want to do it in community and they want to have my hands on support based on my 20 years of experience as a coach in various capacities. So I've been an associate coach, I've had associate coaches, I've worked as an in house coach, I've run coaching businesses alone, in partnership, you know, all of those aspects. So I'm there to bring that to my community, all of that experience. And in the collective, what we do to, in order to, you know, provide that support is I run a number of coaching calls every month and they cover everything from regular Q and A questions through to hot seat coaching, through to deal clinics, through to masterclasses on relevant topics. Anything from, from, you know, financial management to AI to, you know, outreach, sales and marketing topics, you name it. We also have guest experts sometimes we have a private Facebook group. Members have full access to the Blueprint Digital course and I've got a vault of templates for people to use and there's also recordings of everything. So, you know, masterclasses, past coaching sessions, members have access to the whole archive of all of that. So it is truly the heart of the business this, this community. And as I've been working through my strategy for 2025, but also thinking generally about, you know, what is, what is it that, that I want to be doing? You know, I've been thinking about what do I love doing, how do I want to spend my time, what gives me energy. And I've realized that I really want to lean in to this group coaching program but with some tweaks because I want to really turbocharge it. And I'm so about what we're doing. So I wanted to share a few things about what the program's going to look like moving forward. So first thing is that we are having a name change. So the Impact Coach Collective will now be called the Corporate to Coach Accelerator, although probably just the Accelerator for short. And there is a bit of a story behind the name. So one of the big reasons for building this program and sort of it always has been behind the Impact Coach Collective, but it's really particularly driving this new iteration of the accelerator moderator is that I know so many coaches set up businesses only for it to stall and they end up going back to a full time job. And I know from the ICF report that they release every, every couple of years that this is what the data is showing, that a significant number of coaches who set up their own businesses don't make it work and end up going back into, into employment. And there is nothing wrong with that happening, right? Business is not for everyone, but I see it happening and it, it breaks my heart when happening with people who are such great coaches who have so much potential to, to have incredible impact on organizations and on the world. But it happens not because they can't do great work, but because they never learned how to do business. And specifically they never learned how to get new corporate clients and build their businesses. And you know, the other reason why I wanted to call this the accelerator and the other thing that's driving it is that it is realistic for anyone starting a new business, particularly a coaching business, to expect that it can take two years, right? And two years of working pretty hard to build a significant enough client base to know that the business is sustainable and will continue to grow to where you want or need it to be. Now, I know that this is not a very, this is not a very sexy thing for me to say, right? Which is most, most business coaches out there are going to tell you, oh yeah, you can be, you know, you can be making $50,000 a month within two months. And I don't believe that's true. And typically and realistically, it can take you two years not even to get to that figure particularly, but to get to a place where you feel like this business is growing consistently, it's sustainable, there's a good batch of clients that you have and it's where you want or need it to be to grow. But two years is actually an amount of time that is unsustainable for some people, right? Some people can't afford to take two years to grow their business and either, either they can't or they don't want to. Right? And so I wanted to do something about that as well. So I want this program, the accelerator, to cut that learning curve in half and for my members to be up and running with clients and a really solid pipeline in 12 months. So the accelerator refers to me sharing all the things that I've learned that I know from building successful coaching businesses to accelerate your growth and halve the time of your learning curve. So what will you get from being A member of the accelerator. So firstly and foremost, I want you to get your first layer of financial stability in place by getting your first 10 corporate clients for high value engagements like over $5,000 by the end of 12 months, right. I want you to have that in place. And I know that getting clients is the most important part of starting your business. So we focus on this from the start. I also want you to be able to build an approach to business development, right? Really your sales and marketing. And when I say approach, I mean your strategy and your regularly scheduled activities, your routines, your habits, whatever you want to call it. And I want you to be able to do it in five hours a week because this is one of the biggest hurdles people face, which is that the sales and marketing is overwhelming to them. And it's usually overwhelming not because of the amount of work they're actually doing, but, but because the lack of clarity about what they should be doing. And so I want to make it really clear and I want to make it habitual and I want to make it fun rather than angst filled and stressful. Right. And that sense that how long is a piece of string? I'm never really finished. So we will focus on getting you up and running, having a clear approach to business development so that you have a sales pipeline that you are using to leverage your professional background, to leverage your organic, like the, the content you're writing. And we're going to aim to have that all able to be completed in five hours a week. You will also have support in the accelerator to check off all of the basics that you need to do and to get those done in your first 90 days as a member. Now this is an area that derails people, right? So they spend too much time and energy on these things and they don't get them done. And that's things like, we will ensure that you get your website up, we will ensure that you write your coach bio, we will ensure that you have your LinkedIn done. These things, if you don't have support to get them done quickly, they can become big blockers. So we're going to help you to get Those done in 90 days with much support, right. And feedback and all of, all of that in the accelerator. You will also build a plan to prioritize your life priorities. Right? That's too many, too many use of the word priorities. But you will put in place a plan that factors in flexibility and your personal goals. So if you want to take Fridays off, great. If you want to do the school pick up and Drop off every day. Excellent. Want to take school holidays off? Build it into the plan if you want to go cycling with your buddies every day. Awesome. So we're going to make sure that you build your business your way and we also keep front of mind that we are here to do really good work and your business is to enable that. So we can't do great work as coaches without a good business. But equally, our businesses aren't meaningful if we don't stay connected to that purpose. So that's important as well. And finally, like I know that people starting businesses are lonely, I hear it all the time. And often people feel a little bit adrift. And while spouses can be, can be really helpful and friends can be great supporters, it isn't the same as having a men mentor and it isn't the same as having a community of people in the same place as you. So that is part of what is, you know, what is core to, to the accelerator. Support, accountability. My eyes on your community. Sorry, my eyes on your business and community. Right. Those are also really important parts of what you'll get out of being part of the accelerator. So in order to achieve these outcomes, I've made some really big changes and I want to share them with you because I feel so good about it. And the first big change is that there are a few key additions of curriculum and I mean, I mean content, courses, ideas, all of that sort of thing. And the first, first curriculum that I am adding to the accelerator is a 90 day quick start program. And I flagged this earlier, but this program is all about getting the things that matter done quickly, done well, and getting them out of the way so that you can focus on the next phase of your business building. I have seen this phase take years, right. And so instead I'm going to hold your hand and we're going to hold each other's hand in the group while you complete things like your website, your LinkedIn page, your coach bio, your proposal document defining your offers and your ideal clients. This is all about getting yourself out there and also getting out of your own way. We are not about perfectionism here. We are all about getting it done and then iterating on it as and when, when we need to. In addition, there will be some new curriculum coming that I am tentatively calling the Accelerated Business Development Program. Now this is all the foundations of how you are going to go about getting new customers with a focus on the rituals and processes that will allow you to complete your sales and marketing activities in five hours a week and I mean, things like your content, your posting on LinkedIn, your blog, writing, your newsletters, your outreach strategy, how you're going to leverage your network, how you're going to continue to grow your network, all of those things. We're going to put some structures in place that will take the guesswork out of it for you because there is so much guesswork in this. And you know, if you ask, if you ask anyone, they'll give you a different new idea. I'm going to help simplify that for you. And so besides new curriculum, the other huge change is that I am ramping up the personalized support that you get within the program. And by personalized support, I mean opportunities that are there for you to get coached on your business and your issues through a range of options. So through our group coaching sessions, through a one on one offer, and through the tailored feedback that you will receive from me on your business assets. So to go further into that, currently we have about three sessions a month of group coaching. And they're a little structured so they tend to have themes. This is going to shift to three sessions per week and this is huge. It is a little bit selfish, to be honest, because these are my highlight. I love these calls. It is a joy for me to do these calls. And this change means that there will definitely be a time every week that works for anyone in any time zone. And this is really important to me because we currently have a very diverse global cohort and that is key to who we are as a group. I want us learning from coaches around the world, coaches with different perspectives. And it also allows you to build the accelerator experience that you want and that you need. So some people want consistent check ins every week, right? So to come and present where you're at with your weekly marketing activities, to, you know, share client updates, to ask questions. That's brilliant, right? Come for accountability. Make it a weekly thing. Make it your weekly check in to say, where am I at with my business, how am I going and what do I need to do next? Other folks want to pop in when they have a something that they particularly want to discuss. So it might be that they have a deal in motion that they need to workshop. They might have a program that they're delivering and they want some ideas on from the group. They might need a pep talk. I want to make sure that the sessions are frequent enough that whenever you have a question, there is a session that you can come to within a few days and get your question answered. You won't have to ever wait Two or three weeks, with the exception of a few holiday weeks. And if you have a question and it is more urgent than the few days which will always be the maximum, you can always bring it to the Facebook community, which, you know, so me and the other community members will answer. I should say on that note though, that, you know, I want to role model the boundaries that I am trying to help you put in place for yourself. And that means we will take breaks. So across a year, we will take two weeks off at Christmas and New Year, we'll take two weeks off in the northern summer, and we'll take another week off at Easter because we all need breaks, including me. And, you know, I want to role model taking vacations and taking time with my family. And, you know, there will be the odd time when I'm sick, of course. And we will reschedule sessions those week, like we'll shuffle the times around or we'll invite guest coaches in, which is always good fun in terms of personalization as well. I'm also adding to the program a standard one on one personalized onboarding call. Right. So for everyone who joins, you will spend an hour with me and we will go through where you're at, your business, your priorities. I'll get all the context about your backgr, we'll do some brainstorming, we'll identify your priorities and answer your initial questions. I will no doubt have a lot of ideas for you about ways you might want to start thinking about leveraging your network. And also we'll start to start to look at what are, what are the blockers, what's going to get in the way, what might be keeping you stuck. And we will address those right from the start. So, you know, we'll look at practical stuff, we'll look at mindset stuff. We will get you started, really, you know, I want you running right out of the gate. And then finally, this is also new and I'm really excited to add it is that I will offer reviews and feedback for all of your key assets. So your website, your LinkedIn, your bio, if you update any of them, I'll check it out again. But you can send me any of those and I will offer you feedback and commentary on those. And that's basically unlimited because I know that it really helps to have eyes other than your own on these things. Yeah. So one last addition that might possibly be my favorite. I think I already said the one on one's my favorite, but this one is that I'm going to add a private podcast and I learned about private podcasts through a program that I'm a member of. And what happens in a private podcast is that all of the coaching calls will be recorded and a lot of people want to listen to all the coaching calls even if they can't make it. And I found that the best way to do that is, yes, they'll be recorded by video and put on the portal, but they will also be available for you to listen to in your podcast app as a private podcast. And I'll give lots of instructions on, on how you can do that. But I'm really excited about that and the members that I've told about the fact that this is coming have, have been very excited about it. So that is awesome. Okay, so you might ask, what is it? How does one go about joining? This is a very good question. So I'm going to open doors to the accelerator officially at the end of November for a January 2025 kickoff with all of the New look program, new curriculum and those sorts of things. And the wait list to to be included in this launch. And part of the the January cohort will go live next week. But I wanted to offer my community and my particularly my podcast listeners a couple of of options. The first option is that you can head over to the Impact Coach collective page at www.elixcarf.com icc. That link is in the show notes for the next 48 hours, right until I think it is the end of the day on Wednesday I'm going to leave it open for you to join at the current price, after which I'm going to close it off. That means there is about 48 hours option, like a last chance for you to get in at the current price and also on a month by month basis. So currently we have the option. Our pricing is that you can join for 12 months at 2,997 for the year and that's US dollars or you can join monthly for $297. And there is no minimum membership period. If you join on a month by month basis. You just have to give us two weeks notice if you would like to leave. This is changing when we, when we launch in November and for and moving forward is that membership will be a 12 month commitment at $4,997 for the year. There will of course be a payment plan where you can pay monthly, but you will join for the 12 months because that is the journey that will help you to achieve all of those outcomes that are committed to. So if you would like to join it it's almost half the price and still get all of the UPD upgrades to the program when they come out. And any bonuses that we announce with the launch, you can get in now through the ICC page. So head over there now. Or if you're interested in learning more and being on the wait list for the accelerator, just to find out more, you can book a sales call with me. So I would love to talk a bit more about your business and what it means for you to join the accelerator. So I will put a link to do that in the show notes or you can just drop me a message on any of my platforms and I can, we can arrange a time. Yeah, I'm really, I'm just so grateful to do this work and I am so in love with this new look program. I'm really excited to, to, you know, welcome more of you in into this version of it. So if you've ever thought that, you know, you'd hoped it would be easier than you're finding it to start your business, or if you've doubted your ability to be able to grow your business, if you are worried about selling invisibility, if you're worried about your credibility as a new core coach, sorry, you are in great company. That is a lot of us, right. And I want to be your cheerleader, but I also want to give you all of the practical tools and scaffolding you need to take your business to the next stage and to, you know, really accelerate that learning curve for you, to get you to the point where you've got that predictable pipeline and those great corporate clients in your stable. So if you're keen on that, please head over to the icc and if you want to get in really quickly at that, at that, that existing price, you can do so. Otherwise, book a call with me, join the wait list and yeah, I'll look forward to, to having you join me in the accelerator. See you later. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Business of Executive Coaching. If you found it helpful, please share 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 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.