518. Expert Interview: Are You Ready to Woman-Up When It Comes to Starting Your Online Business?

Lin Eleoff

Many women are turning to coaching as a second career but our next guest says the problem is, coach training doesn’t prepare them for the business of being a coach. Lin Eleoff is an internet business lawyer who shows women how to turn a coaching practice into a business that not only makes them money but makes them happy. And it starts when they finally woman-up. She is the author of “How to Turn Your Life Coaching Practice into a Soulful, Money-Making Business.”

Are You Ready to Woman-Up When It Comes to Starting Your Online Business?

“I call starting your own business an ‘AFGO’ – another freaking growth opportunity, because it throws everything at us. The question is, are we up for that challenge? This is what I tell my coaching clients: this isn’t just a plaything. If you are serious about this, you are going to have to ‘woman up.’ That means becoming a businesswoman as well as being a coach.”

Why Is This Important?

“Many of my clients have said to me, ‘I put up my website and thought that was all I needed to do, and that the clients would come.’ Of course, it doesn’t work that say. That’s where it becomes an eye-opener. They’ll say, ‘Whoa, I had no idea I was in for all this!’ I created a checklist of 46 crucial items, which I use with my clients. It’s available free of charge at my website, gutsycoach.com. Anyone who says you can launch your own business in ten steps is not telling the truth. First of all, though, you have to decide the endgame. Is this a real business, or just a hobby?”

What Are the Key Lessons Learned Here?

“Starting a business is a serious commitment. A benchmark starting point is understanding what it means to select a target market, or a niche. Often, people say to me, ‘I already have my niche.’ I ask them what their business does and whom does it serve? When they stumble and stammer, I see they not clear about their niche. Going through this first step is fundamental. Amazon.com is an excellent place for research. Find your subject area, search for books about it, then read the customer reviews, especially the negative ones. You’ll quickly see gaps in the landscape. Google.com is also a rich source for researching your niche and seeing the parts of the market that are not being served.”