166. 3 Reasons Coaches Don’t Make Money with Amanda Walker

Coaching can change someone’s life, and it’s hard to put a value on that. Coaches who work with others to alter their behavior and create opportunities for growth – that’s so powerful.  Today I’m talking with Certified Master Coach Amanda Walker. She brings a common-sense approach to coaching coaches. She supports these beautiful humans, honoring their ability to coach and connect with other people and make a difference.  We discuss why coaches encounter cash flow issues, the squirrel effect, and the Land of the Lost. Whether you are a coach or not, I’m sure there will be something for you in this episode, especially if you’ve been feeling stuck or like you’re living with many unmet expectations.  Amanda points to the positive correlation we expect when we start a business; put in a week’s worth of work and get a week’s return. We set the expectations that people will immediately take our offer, but that’s not how it works. When there is a gap between our expectations – what we think the journey should look like and reality. The gap between those two places is what Amanda calls the Land of the Lost. People flounder when expectations don’t meet the reality of what’s happening. We tell ourselves it’s not working, and then we quit.  And this is where the squirrel effect comes in.  We return to the drawing board and look at what others are doing. So, we’re in this chronic place of chasing the squirrel and starting over. We never gain traction in our business because we’re not sticking to one strategy, and we’re not asking ourselves what IS working.  When you’re stuck at that moment, learning to develop grit is a way to make it through. Amanda suggests that anyone feeling as though sales is slimy should write down all their thoughts about selling and sales in their business. The next step would be to look at that list and label each point as a thought or a fact. A thought is something they routinely choose in their mind versus a fact - something that they can uphold in a court of law. She suspects that most of the points on that list are just thoughts. If you think sales feel gross, that’s a thought you can shift; you can break down the stories around sales that are holding you back so you can move forward. As you move towards learning grit and persevering, Amanda recalls advice from a mentor: Do one thing a day. It will move the needle forward, be it an email, a pitch, or whatever needs to be done. Ultimately, when you do one thing every day, it will stack. Let’s get to it!   Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out:  How Do You Choose The Right Coach? : https://sarahwalton.com/find-the-right-coach/  A Breath of Fresh Air in Coaching With Nicole Saunders: https://sarahwalton.com/nicole/  Let’s Shake Up the Coaching Industry, With Lee Chaix McDonough: https://sarahwalton.com/lee/  The Power of Grit (and YES! You can learn it!): https://sarahwalton.com/grit/  You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! http://bit.ly/YouTubeSWalton   Thank you so much for listening. I’m honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking “Write a review.” Then we’ll get to inspire even more people! (If you’re not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)