I’ll admit it: when I first started coaching I assumed that “if I build it, they will come.”

Oh dear. You know what they say about “assuming” stuff. But how do you know when it’s time to quit your coaching business?

It can be a rude awakening to learn that even though we work so hard to “build it,” they may not come. It’s enough to make us want to quit.

I wanted to quit!

But I realized I hadn’t yet earned the right to quit. I didn’t know all the independent variables, the dependent variables, and the so-called experimental units, i.e., the stuff that makes for a true experiment.

In other words, I hadn’t given myself, or my fledgling business, a fair shot.

One of the biggest lessons I learned (one that you might think would be obvious) is that having a “storefront” in cyberspace is a whole lot different than having a storefront on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, or anywhere else where there’s a reasonable amount of “traffic.” At least you know you’re being seen. If no one is coming into your store or office then you know you’ve got to improve on the storefront… not necessarily what’s inside.

But in the blackness of the internet, no matter how beautiful your website, or your products and services, there’s no guarantee you’ll be seen by anyone, and chances are more likely that you’ll remain invisible unless you do whatever it takes to be seen. 

Whenever I have one of those “I-wanna-quit” moments I find it’s really helpful to take a moment to ask myself, “What was I expecting?” and then answering the question honestly.

How is reality different from what you were expecting?

And then… Now what? Because, to the extent that building a coaching business online hasn’t been at all what you were expecting, you now have an opportunity to get down ‘n dirty with reality.

Now that you know, what will you do with that knowledge?

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO QUIT YOUR COACHING BUSINESS?

I received a heartfelt email from a coach last week who said she was packing it in. Now that she knows everything that’s actually required of her to build a business, she’s calling it quits. There are other things she needs to take care of; other priorities in her life. She could not have known she’d earned the right to quit had she not “experimented” with the idea of starting her own business; had she not completed the experiment.

I so respect that.

I think it’s wise for us to approach our coaching businesses as an experiment in ourselves.

First of all, there are so many unknowns. It’s not until after we uncover the unknowns, learn what’s required, what’s at stake, and whether we’ve got it in us to go all in, is it even possible to truly decide what’s best.

You cannot possibly know what’s right for you until you complete the experiment.

You’ll know the experiment is complete because there will be peace in your decision.

There is no right or wrong decision. There is no shame in going in another direction. In fact, there is likely to be glory, because you are following your heart.

Follow your heart, always.

And if you choose to go all in with your coaching business, then be sure to go all in until the experiment is completed. Don’t second-guess yourself. Trust that at the moment that you made the decision, you knew what you needed to know, and that there was more to learn.

Keep going until the experiment is finished. That way you’ll “regret-proof” any decision you make.

Have a great week, Coach!

In love and guts (and sweet little crumbs!)

Wait… one more thing… did you see my NEW niche quiz? This one is really good… plus there’s a chance to hop on the phone with me to talk about your business (free). Check it out.

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