Money and Your Coaching Business: An Interview with Mark Butler

As we dive into the New Year, it’s important to look at our money in a serious, yet easygoing, way. Easygoing? When taxes and budgets and forecasts and cash flow and all the “can I afford to…” questions can be overwhelming and massively stress-inducing? Yes, with the right help and guidance. After all, as coaches, we have some specific expenditures and numerous online expenses. We can’t have just anyone help us and we certainly can’t do things only part way. This is where having excellent bookkeeping (and possibly hiring a bookkeeper) comes in. 

Mark Butler is my go-to guy when it comes to financials. I originally met Mark when he was the CFO for The Life Coach School. Since then, we’ve gotten to know one another quite well through working together on various efforts, coaching, bookkeeping and financial questions. Mark’s genius superpower is that he has the ability to view money in a neutral way. Peeling away the emotions wrapped around money is key to succeeding not only financially but also in wisely appropriating energy to build one’s business.

“A lot of people struggle to view money as a fact. They give it a lot of meaning and it carries a lot of hope, shame, anger… and a lot of emotion tied up in money.” – Mark Butler

What You’ll Learn

• Mark’s superpower 

• • Emotions and money
  • Mark’s emotional history that drew him to be a money guy
  • Journey to money neutrality
  • Is there really a connection between “happy and fulfilled” and money?
  
  

• The de-weaponizing of terms like abundance, money, wealth

• • Proper balance with limiting and non-limiting beliefs
  • Transitioning away from fear and shame into curiosity
  
  

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• Common money challenges for coaches 

• • Vote of confidence: Having a dedicated checking account and credit cards
  • Failing to celebrate
  • Inadequate tax preparations
  • Building a team: wage questions, building relationships, and beyond
  • Viewing people as brains, not just hands
  
  

• Not really about “Figuring out the money piece” 

• • Marketing issues
  • Making decisions from fear
  • Not the only meaningful signal
  • Money is exponential, not linear
  • Create a meaningful mark list
  
  

• Most successful coaching businesses 

• • Marketing rhythm
  • Generate enthusiasm to repeatedly say things that resonate
  • Enjoy the work you’re doing
  
  

Connect with Mark Butler

Mark Butler started Let’s Do The Books to meet the need and desire of business owners to have a bookkeeper and financial adviser who understands online business. Someone who knows what PayPal and Stripe are and how they work. Someone familiar with launches, masterminds, group coaching, retreats, memberships, ebooks, courses, freelancing, and productized services. 

About himself and his own journey, Mark says…

“I started my first online business in 2004. In the last sixteen-ish years I’ve made money using every one of the business models I listed above. I’ve built my business around coaches, creators, and freelancers.

I fell into bookkeeping in 2014. Although I’d made money using all kinds of online business models, I’d never figured out how to manage that money. I went through some feast and famine, got in and out of debt, and finally sold my online businesses and limped away in early 2013.

I took a job working for my good friend, Jesse Mecham. He was the founder of a personal budgeting software called You Need A Budget (aka YNAB, pronounced why-nab). I spent my first year at YNAB as the staff writer, but then I wanted to make more money.

I asked Jesse if I could start coaching small business owners, using YNAB as the platform. He said go for it. There turned out to be demand for the help, and within a year I was back on my own as a full-time money guy, working almost exclusively with coaches, online business owners, and freelancers. That’s why I understand you and your business so well.”

Work with Mark and his team for bookkeeping:

• Letsdothebooks.com
• Let’s Do The Books Facebook | @letsdothebooks
• Let’s Do The Books Instagram | @letsdothebooks
• team@letsdothebooks.com

Work with Mark on your business:

• Moneyschool.works

Connect with Molly Claire

• The Coaching Collective: thecoachingcollective.com -- Sign up for free monthly mastery trainings!
• Work with Molly! mollyclaire.com/coaching
• Email: molly@mollyclaire.com
• Facebook
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