Coach Pony

Do you ever worry about making mistakes in your coaching business? Of course you do! Everyone makes mistakes. No matter what level you’re at– whether you hung up your shingle yesterday or you’ve been at this for years– mistakes are a normal part of moving your business forward. Welcome! And not only are they normal, but coaches in all niches, at all revenue levels make many of the same mistakes. So, you aren’t alone! This season, we’re diving into the mistakes coaches make when building their businesses. From contracts to relationships, to websites, we’ll cover it all to save you time and stress, and most of all, to remind you that everyone makes mistakes so you are in good company. To help me with that, I’m teaming up with Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup. We have VERY different businesses, but we’ve made a lot of the same mistakes. And one of the mistakes that we have both made in our businesses is in our relationships. Whether it’s mentors, friends, family, peers or partners, you’re going to need people to rely on along the way. And if your priorities are out of line, you might find yourself without those people you need in your business, your life and your heart. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How prioritizing your business over your relationships can actually hurt your businessQuestions to ask yourself about how you want your work-life balance to lookStrategies for communicating with your loved ones early and often in your business journey3 tips to build better relationships as you build your business To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownup To learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony If you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed!  You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

 Writing a book is a great way to create some passive income while you also cement your coaching knowledge and life experience into one lower-cost, marketable item that you can sell for years to come. Books are great tools to help people get to know you and enter your coaching world, and build the trust that can ultimately turn them into a client. Your book can also help raise your profile and bring you visibility as a thought leader, which can lead to wanting to book you (see what I did there?) for speaking engagements. It’s also fantastic when you can codify your expertise as a coach, and really refine your system (writing makes you focus!). So: You’ve got the skills, the knowledge and the desire, but where to start? And what does it take to go from page one to published? In this episode we are looking at how to make money writing a book, and I’ll share the story of my first book–which you may think was wildly overpriced, and still is!–and how I made that decision and why it worked. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How books build trust and credibility with your audience and potential clientsWhy codifying your system by writing through the process makes you a better coachBook sales math and why your book is probably a marketing tool, not how you’ll fully support yourselfNine steps to plan, write, market and launch your bookFive essential tools to create a polished, professional book To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyFind the book I talked about here: Zero to PassionAnd here’s the book pricing model that got me inspired! If you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619 

 I have so many online course stories for you guys! My book, Zero to Passion, was my first real online DIY program, because I offered several different tiers of learning beyond just the book. (Fun fact: I still sell plenty of them today). But that’s a story for another time… Let’s get to the good stuff! In this episode, I'll share the inside story of how I got paid $7,000 to build my first, truly real and purely online course, from a random idea. Plus I’ll also reveal the big mistake I made almost immediately. The course is called The Networking Masterclass, and I created it for the Revolutionary Club because I knew that networking was a huge key skill related to building a career and finding your passion. What I didn’t know was if my audience also understood that, or if they did, if they would want to spend money for online networking help. If they did, I thought this would be a wonderful way to help serve my community and add a DIY course to my arsenal. But before I poured tons of time into building the course, I wanted to see if I was right that my community would be interested. Turns out I was! But also being right wasn’t enough... Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why it’s worth it to vet your audience’s interest in your course idea before you commit to creating contentWhy audience interest is not the same thing as a funnel or sales strategyHow to reframe a failed launch as good data To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyZero to Passion And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619 

There’s nothing like waking up to money deposited overnight in your bank account and knowing you’ve been helping people while you were sleeping, no? Online programs offer you that satisfaction and more. But as always, there are drawbacks too. In this episode we’ll be taking a much closer look at online DIY coaching programs, because who doesn’t want to make passive income, right? DIY online programs offer passive income, freedom, flexibility, and they can scale like nothing else. Once they’re up and running, everything is automated. Your course content goes out without you having to lift another finger and they’re available whenever, and for as long as you want them to be. Sounds great! But – you know there’s a but! – it takes a lot of work to get to evergreen while the deposits roll in. Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why online programs are almost infinitely scalable, and therefore very profitableThe infrastructure and tech you’ll need to support your curriculum, from design to sales to distributionMarketing math and considerations so your course offsets your initial investmentNine to steps to get your online course up and running, plus the top five tools you’ll need To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

Do you enjoy embarrassing stories? How about learning from my mistakes so you don’t have to? Then this is the episode for you! I’ve done several retreats now in my business and in hindsight, they were super fun. However, two of them started out as absolute disasters. So I want to talk about what happened and, more importantly, what I did to fix them. Our story begins back in 2013 with my first retreat attempt. I had seen a lot of people doing retreats, and I thought they looked like so much fun. Who doesn’t want to get paid to go on vacation with their business? Not this girl. I love the idea of getting paid to go on vacation! (!!) With that in mind, I randomly decided to have a retreat. So I booked a place in Costa Rica because I really wanted to go there. I threw up a very simple webpage with limited information, and I chose a whole lot of lovely photos of parrots to sell the idea that Costa Rica was a place that was going to be super fun to visit. You can already tell this is going to end well, can't you? Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why a great location isn’t enough to get people to pony up to attend a retreatHow to use multiple marketing approaches to fill spaces if your initial outreach fails to sell outWhy selling a retreat will almost always require a more hands-on, personal sales processFour lessons for planning and hosting a successful–and super fun–retreat To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

A retreat can sound like an absolute no-brainer for you to do as a coach. Taking your business on a fabulous vacation? Yes, please. And they do have some fabulous pros. You get to do intense hands-on work with clients, some of whom will even become retreat regulars, which makes it easier to sell out your retreats over time. There’s group bonding and the magic of taking yourself and your business out of your regular routine. New locations and new people can revitalize you and your business, and your attendees aren’t the only ones who will leave with new ideas and insights! There are also some potentially steep upfront costs and other downsides. Hotel rooms, meals, AV equipment, conference room fees, your own travel–it adds up quickly. And what happens if you don’t sell it out? A retreat for twenty could turn into a retreat for two. Yikes. Today we'll be taking a much closer look at hosting retreats, and we'll unpack some of the pros and cons, some of which will surprise you, and to close out we’ll give you a basic road map for hosting your own. Because they can be so worth it. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How retreats can scratch the itch for hands-on client work if you’ve transitioned to larger groups or evergreen coursesWhy retreats can be a great add-on for private clients who have graduated from your programsThe realities of the upfront costs of hosting a retreat, and how they can make retreats the least profitable money pathSeven steps for planning, launching and hosting a retreatSix tools you’ll need to have in place to host a retreat To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619 

Our story today starts, like most of my stories, on my couch. In the last episode, we talked about the gritty details behind the group coaching business model. Today, I want to tell you the origin story of my very first group coaching program–one that eventually grew to over 500 people! Our story begins with another company. It’s true! Because besides Coach Pony, I also own and operate a career coaching business called The Revolutionary Club. It was my first business, and it still exists today. That’s where I fell in love with group coaching. So, there I was on my couch. I knew that private coaching wasn’t going to be for me long-term, and I also knew I wanted to build toward group coaching, but I was also incredibly unsure. My coaching business was still so new –only a few months old! Who I was to be launching a group program with very little experience?!@! So how did I get off the couch and get started without making myself feel like a fraud? Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why I did my first group coaching session for free–and also what I asked for in returnAdapting a private coaching program for a group settingBalancing structure and flexibility so you can hone your program as you goAdding value–and upping your price–through each iteration of the programLessons learned from growing from a free program with five people to $1200 and 500 people To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

I personally love group coaching. There’s something magical about working with a group.The community that grows in a session, the support and validation participants get from each other–these programs fuel me in a special way. And group coaching was how I first reached multiple six figures in my business and beyond seven figures now. Group coaching programs are the backbone of my business for a reason beyond how much I love doing them. But that’s me. Group coaching may not be for you, and that’s okay. To help you figure it out - let’s dive in! Here’s a big pro: Group coaching can give you room to become an even better coach. Working with a more diverse group of people can present you with better questions and new challenges that really hone your programs and skills in ways it might not with private coaching. It also has tons of flexibility in schedule, size and pricing, and the scalability makes it a very profitable model. But it does have its drawbacks...one of which is that the market has changed, and it’s not quite as easy to stand out if you want to do a big group program. Today let’s take a closer look at group coaching and some of the pros and cons that come with it, some of which might surprise you. Listen to the full episode to hear about:How flexibility and accessibility in group coaching can help you beat burnoutWhy you have to be even more comfortable with marketing yourself and facing rejection with group programs than one on one coachingSeven steps to build your curriculum and sell your programUpfront costs and money math you might not have consideredThe top six tools you need to get a group coaching program off the ground To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

A private hotel suite, room service, a $5000 client… That definitely sounds way dirtier than I thought it would. But it’s part of the story of how I grew my business to six figures all those years ago. In the last episode, we talked about the gritty details behind the private coaching business model. Today, I’ll share the inside story of how I got to a stable six-figure income from just private coaching, and the ah-ha moment that changed the game (plus what I actually did to - you know - change the game!). We’ll also talk about why if you’re curled up in the fetal position on your couch worrying about doing your best for your clients, it probably means you probably already are, why you should give your packages an extra session or two, and why you should probably raise your rates! And you’ll get that whole hotel story... Listen to the full episode to hear about:Raising your rates and adding value in a way that feels right and ethical to youKeeping your client pipeline full without relying on social mediaThe top 5 lessons from my journey to six figures in private coaching To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony Resources:Coach Pony S01E01: How I Got My First Paying Client And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619

 Low overhead, high profit potential. Private coaching can sound like a dream. But is it your dream? In season two of the Coach Pony podcast, we’re exploring all of the different ways coaches can make money. And we’ll take a brutal look at the pros and cons and how much you can actually expect to make as a coach on each money path. If you’re debating between group coaching and private coaching, writing a book or hosting a retreat, but you’re not sure how much money you can make at any of them? This is the season for you. In this episode, we'll take a close look at private coaching. We’ll dive into the pros and some unexpected cons, break down how much you can really expect to make as you’re starting out, and if you should even do it in the first place. And of course the tools you need to get started! Listen to the full episode to hear:What’s to like about private coaching, from low cost to entry to building your confidenceWhat’s less rosy about the private coaching picture, from hitting your client capacity to hiring legal helpSome money math on costs of doing business so you know what you can expect to earnSimple steps and essential tools to get off the ground as a private coach! To learn more about Christie Mims:FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASSCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachpony And if you have some chocolate worth reviewing on the show, we are easily bribed! You can send it to us at: Christie Mims, 3630 High Street, #19286, Oakland, CA 94619