Business Strategy

I advocate taking a business strategy day every 6 months. For myself this has felt like a luxury given that I am a sole trader, and have a multitude of other roles to juggle in my life. However, in service of walking the talk that I talk, I do it anyway. What is becoming more clear is just how essential this process is for my business development. i was under the impression that one set up a business and that was that. if it worked then you stick with that formula. if it doesn’t make any money then you change it. What I hadn’t anticipated is how dynamic and fluid a business is, and indeed how dynamic and fluid I am too. I hadn’t anticipated this organic change.

There is a lovely symbiosis in this area of business: They say ‘you get the clients you need’ and it seems over and over again, that the individuals who show up in my coaching space to refine their career, are exactly the ones who bring the inform my own professional development and business growth in return. We share resources and experiences and each of us are nourished in return. Whilst we work together, using the intervention I bring, to unstick any stuck-ness and to challenge beliefs that might be holding them back, not only do they choose new perspectives, but my own limitation and vulnerabilities are highlighted too. Early on in this business entity i did seriously question my own abilities to coach individuals who raised such questions in myself. I know from supervision and from experience that it is these questions that keep the work live and me in my most effective coaching space: that of the curious coach. The is what leads to my own growth and that in turn means i can empathise with those who sit across from me, challenging themselves to step out of their comfort zones. My Business Strategy days keep me right on my toes!

It is this organic growth that is captured by my business strategy days. A time to reflect upon what has changed in my business vision: To my surprise it has always shifted without me even noticing it. This is a time to reflect on what my next steps will be and what i need to do to get there. A time to notice who it is that has been helpful and indeed who has hindered progress in the intervening time. This is time to affirm myself for my achievements and measure myself against the intention I set myself 6 months before. I can reward the targets met and choose whether to pursue those I haven’t reached. Some goals do become redundant as time passes and its really OK to jettison them and move right on unencumbered. This is a day where i can get a real sense of what i have learned. My passion for the service I provide strengthens the more I engage with the work. The depth of the career coaching explorations and the seniority of my clients rises as i establish and revel in the deepening of my own authority in my filed. This in turn fuels new risks and raised expectations of myself. Whilst this might all appear a little ‘self-congratulatory, what i am actually noting is the benefit of engaging with this kind of professional reflection and the resulting stretch.

If we engage with a regular day of business strategy, we are accountable to ourselves. If hold our professional development dear, then best we affirm ourselves for our progress. This way we can be nourished enough to take the next steps that will bring value-filled service to our clients. This process is rocket fuel for SMOs and sole-traders and informs our ‘rightful’ next steps.

Explore here to learn more of career coaching with Rebecca and here to Subscribe to her weekly blog digest.