Why I hired an Executive Coach and Strategic Consultant
People who know me will heartily agree with this. While I have been on many teams in my life, and led many teams in my life, it is truly my preference to work alone. Teams are hard. Collaborating is hard. Reaching a consensus is hard. Steering people, or being steered by others, is hard. I am happiest as a project manager (especially when the projects are my own). I love making my own decisions, creating my own policies, processes and procedures, and setting sail toward a goal solo.
I recently had what felt like a crazy moment. I was facing a decision that had to be made by a drop-dead date. It has the potential to drastically affect my business and finances. I am at the two-and-a-half-year point in my business and facing a lease renewal August 1, 2020. The weird thing about commercial leases is they usually require six months’ notice. What? I must notify the landlord six months in advance of my “Yay” or “Nay” answer!
My head was spinning with options, opportunities, and fears of failure. I truly was having trouble sorting through it all. Enter The Votta Group. I got to know the Owner, Kristin, in a networking group I’d been attending, so I had a relationship built on watching her work and experiencing her wisdom. So, five months prior to the lease renewal deadline, I took the plunge and hired them to coach me through the decision-making, opportunity sorting process.
I had two different coaches for the process.
· The Votta Group’s Strategic Consultant focused mainly on marketing, the competition, pricing, any product opportunities. We spent a lot of time looking at the services that would be declared my primary services, and then backing into the specifics of my target market. As we continued to unpack my customer’s type, the picture became very clear of the marketing focus and talk track I should be using. It was SO helpful!!! I believe this coaching was absolutely necessary and essential. The process required me to step out of the day-to-day operation and look down from the mountain top to dream and plan at a new level. The proof is in the pudding, right? This month I have had 8 new co-working package sign-ups (and the month isn’t finished yet). That is unheard of in our existence. The most sign-ups we’ve had in a month previously was 4. Last year at this time it was a stagnant month with no new sign-ups. I can’t prove the upswing had anything to do with the work we did on strategy, but truthfully, that’s the ONLY thing that was tweaked.
· The Executive Coach is Kristin Votta. She was involved throughout the strategy phase, and knows my deadlines, decisions, and all the little pieces involved in getting to a final answer. She does exactly what a coach should do…she doesn’t tell me what to do, she asks what I have considered, she asks how I feel, she asks how each option will make me feel, and she checks in on the progress meter for every moving cog so that I don’t lose track of where I’m at and where I’m going. It’s like having an accountability partner on steroids. Are you wondering what the best part of having an Executive Coach has been? I’m calm. I’m calm because I’m prepared and feel I’ve test driven all the alternate routes, and have selected the best for me. Interested in knowing more? Visit https://www.vottacoaching.com/.
I want to say one last thing. When you initially reach out to a coach, you’re likely to think it’s expensive. Are you worth the investment? Is your business worth the investment? Those are the only two questions you need to answer. Go for it with gusto!
Paula Blair
Chief Co-Worker
SOAR Co-Working Inc.