The podcast discusses the speaker's coaching practice in 2023, including workload, relationships, finances, and marketing. They had 377 coaching sessions, made adjustments for a sustainable workload, and reflected on the lack of content publishing. They emphasize the power of collaboration, the benefits of long-term coaching relationships, and their plans for future podcast success.

After starting her coaching practice in 2018, my friend and client Melisa Liberman (host of the Grow Your Independent Consulting Business podcast) threw herself into a cold-emailing, spam-driven approach to client acquisition. She completed hundreds of consultations with people who didn't even know they were IN a consultation. She failed a LOT. But during all those failures she learned to give service, to provide answers, and to give value to the people she was talking to. She also started building relationships. Those relationships created opportunities for speaking to qualified prospects, which in turn led Melisa to become a preferred coach for employees of one of the biggest companies in the world. I love Melisa's story because she showed such persistence and determination in getting herself into conversations with people she hoped to serve. She's a great example to me, and that's why I wanted to bring her message to you. You can find Melisa on her podcast and her website, MelisaLiberman.com.

I don't do sales calls where I explain my "program", make an offer, overcome objections, and close the sale. There are tactical/practical reasons and there are ego reasons. I'm not promoting this as the "right" or "best" way to do things. I think my personality, my circumstances, and my typical client (coaches) all make this easier for me. I also think this approach results in me making less money than I could if I did things the "normal" way. So these ideas may be limited in their application, but I still think they're worth discussing.

My friend Josh is a brilliant relationship marketer who happens to be a lawyer. In this episode, I interview him about his journey from spending a huge chunk of his monthly revenue on ads to spending nothing on ads while having his practice generate more revenue and more profit than ever. I'm especially excited for him to tell the story of spending two years nurturing one referral relationship--a relationship that started with the referrer telling him they'd probably never send clients his way.

Explore the reasons for guaranteed success in one-on-one coaching, including the demand from human nature and advertising. Discover the allure of scalable income based on selling the promise rather than delivering results. Uncover survivorship bias in scaled training businesses and the importance of continuous practice. Reframe the inventory mindset and overcome challenges in one-on-one coaching by engaging with the target audience.

Discover the benefits of using inventory in a one-on-one coaching business, including setting terms and conditions for coaching sessions. Explore the importance of financial stability in pursuing personal and business growth. Learn how to build a waitlist for coaching sessions and manage inventory effectively as a coach.

There are a few ideas I've heard in conversations about pricing one on one coaching: 1. The price your clients pay determines a) how your clients will engage with your coaching, and b) how much your clients will benefit from your coaching. 2. The price your clients pay proves how much you value the coaching you give your clients (and, sneakily, how much you value yourself). Yes, pricing can reflect our clients' commitment and our confidence. But I think the judgmental view (is the client serious? am I worth it?) sets us up for frustration. This episode introduces two new ideas: 1. Price as a strategic lever in a coaching business. 2. Using both price and coaching "inventory" to build momentum in the business. It's good. Give it a listen.

One on one coaches are overvaluing facts and undervaluing resonant stories in the content they publish. In this episode I talk about why I think this happens, how to fix it, and and how to avoid a dread-spiral in your content creation that can negatively impact your view of your whole business.

In a one-on-one business, content's most important job is to give people a soft landing into your world. Your podcast, newsletters, and social media posts help people like you and trust you. Your published work helps them increase their desire to escalate a relationship with you. This episode explains how and why content is a powerful but misunderstood tool in a one-on-one coaching business.

Self-helpers and internet marketers refer to use gold mining as their favorite metaphor for the pursuit of success. I think it's the wrong paradigm for a person who's pursuing a relationship-driven one-on-one coaching business. I think gardening is a much more useful framework for our business, and this episode explains why.