Coach Pony

Wonder what it takes to go from being a coach who dabbles to a coach who thrives? If you want to pay the bills (and more!) with your coaching, you need to build a REAL business. Coach Pony has helped thousands of life coaches, dating coaches, money coaches, and business coaches build businesses that make them good money and live a successful life—on their own terms. The Coach Pony podcast can help you do the same. Each season, we tackle a different aspect of building a real coaching business. You’ll learn about marketing, sales, client experience, time management, pricing, packaging, and more! Our approach is always honest, transparent, fun, and full of chocolate.

  Welcome to the first episode of Coach Pony Podcast, where our goal is to help you learn the critical business skills you need to succeed as a coach.   And it all starts with learning how to get paying clients.   In this first season of the podcast, we are interviewing experienced 6 and 7-figure coaches from different niches, delving into how they got that very first client and what they’d do differently today.   In today’s episode, we are going to peer into the world of career coaching with me! Christie Mims.   Before Coach Pony, I founded, and still own and operate, a career coaching business called The Revolutionary Club. Named a Forbes Top 100 for Careers, and featured on sites ranging from Business Insider to the Fast Company, I can honestly say I’ve learned a few things.   My work both at the Revolutionary Club and Coach Pony has reached millions of people, and I’ve served literally thousands of paying clients.   But, my journey to my first client was a rocky one.   When I first started out, I can remember thinking to myself that I would do almost anything to get someone to tell me how they got their first clients. I wanted to know two things: 1) how they did it so I could do it and 2) that there was hope for me to succeed at this coaching thing!   So if this is you, allow me to share how I got my very first paying client in the hopes that it helps you land your first client—or your next client.   Listen to the full episode to hear: What an encounter in an elevator was proof that I should think big How a systematic plan of attack helped me land my first paying client What I learned during this journey and what should have done differently And what you can do to never feel alone in your career journey   Book Recommendations: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less - Greg McKeown   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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

Your story matters. It’s powerful.   And one of the keys to a successful coaching business is focusing on and developing your personal story so that you can share it with the world.   Samantha Gilbert, the founder of Eat For Life, truly embodies this wisdom.   Her story of healing is an inspiration but her journey to becoming a successful coach wasn’t always easy.   She’s spent most of her life battling severe depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body image dysmorphia. Since finding her own path to wholeness, she’s dedicated to helping others find this same healing path.   Building her health coaching business took some time. It took tenacity, patience, and perseverance but she knew that people, especially women, were struggling terribly. And she could use her skills to help.   For 12 years she’s helped couples, women, and children from 13 countries heal their minds and body. She’s an expert in creating customized therapies so true healing can begin and continue with love, empathy, compassion, and biochemical individuality.   The story of how she found her first paying client, and what she does differently today is one that every coach needs to hear.   Listen to the full episode to hear: Why she decided to move into her childhood home as a brand-new coach--plus, other difficult decisions she made early on How Samantha helped her very first client completely eliminate the symptoms of her chronic condition How she set up those first engagements and what she charged The role that referrals have played in her career and how she finds her clients today How Samantha helps clients see the light at the end of the tunnel   Book Recommendations: Nourishing Wisdom - Marc David Polyvagal Theory In Therapy - Stephan W. Porges   To learn more about Samantha Gilbert: Eat For Life Eat For Life Podcast Facebook:  @samig Instagram: @samignutrition   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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

You don’t have to build the perfect sales funnel to have a thriving business.   You don’t have to have the perfect lead magnet or the perfect email automation behind it.  It’s not necessary to schedule another amazing photoshoot or to build an immaculate sales page.   What makes your business work is keeping things simple.   A clear offer and good relationships with both your clients and the people in your network can be all you need. Over-complicating things can actually make it harder for you to succeed, not easier.   In season one of our podcast we have been talking with experienced 6 and 7-figure coaches from different niches about how they got their very first paying client.   Today, we're going to peer into the world of business coaching with Tara McMullin.   Tara is a coach, community builder, podcaster, and writer. She’s the founder of What Works, a digital platform for small business owners who are building strong, resilient, and sustainable companies. She’s also the co-founder of YellowHouse.Media, a podcast production agency that helps entrepreneurs create standout podcasts that grow their businesses.   Tara has a ton of wisdom. Her podcast, What Works, has been downloaded over 2 million times and boasts over 300 interviews with small business owners.   I love how both of her platforms are helping clients build strong and resilient companies.   Listen to the full episode to hear: Why her very first client is still one of the things that she is most proud of in her business career What she used to charge for her services and what she charges now The story of her absolute worst moment as a coach, and how she got past it Why she is taking a break from group coaching and moving back to her first love–private coaching   Book Recommendations: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker The Book of Help: A Memoir in Remedies by Megan Griswold   To learn more about Tara McMullin: What Works What Works Podcast Yellow House Media Instagram @tara_mcmullin Twitter @taragentile   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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

  It can be hard to imagine that someone would pay you money to help them.   It's not just the lack of confidence in making a living. It can also be about the lack of confidence in really being able to help people.   In the beginning, getting over your questions of self-worth and imposter complex can be the hardest part. And being able to push through and learn the value of how you can help other people can be a painful journey.   But it is also a rewarding journey.   In this first season of our podcast, we have been talking with experienced 6 and 7-figure coaches from different niches about how they got their very first paying client.   In this episode, we are peering into the world of date coaching with Bobbi Palmer, founder of Date Like a Grownup.   As an internationally recognized dating coach for women over 40, Bobbi delivers compassionate, real-life advice with a side of sass.   After becoming a first-time bride at age 47, Bobbi said “see ya’ to the corporate world and founded her company, Date Like a Grownup, beginning her mission to help women do what she did: find a magnificent, grownup man to share the rest of their life.   Over the last 12 years coaching, Bobbi has certainly experienced feelings of doubt, but she has been able to push through to a thriving coaching business.   And it all started with her first client.   Listen to the full episode to hear: How a blog that she thought no one would ever read led to her first client How much she charged that first client and what she charges now How she still, 12 years later, reaches tens of thousands of women every month through her blog posts And what Bobbi has done to get past the hardest part – believing in herself   Book Recommendations: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find--And Keep-- Love by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor   To learn more about Bobbi Palmer: Date Like a Grownup Facebook @DateLikeaGrownup   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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  

  How did Jodi Flynn land her first paid coaching client? Networking, networking, networking.   This can apply to any business but especially when you’re coaching in the corporate executive realm, it's all about relationships.   Getting clients is all about who you know and being brave enough to put yourself out there.   You have to get in front of potential clients, get to know them, and let them know what you can offer.   All this season we have been chatting with experienced 6 and 7-figure coaches from different niches about how they got that very first client and what they might do differently today.   In this episode, we are continuing our series by peering into the world of corporate coaching with the Founder of Women Taking the Lead, Jodi Flynn.   For over a decade, women leaders have been hiring Jodi to develop the skills needed to thrive in Senior Leadership.   She is the host of the critically acclaimed Women Taking the Lead podcast, and an Amazon bestselling author with her book, Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. She is the President of the board for The Maine Women’s Conference and has been featured in Entrepreneur and Forbes Magazine.   Jodi is more than a decade into her career as a corporate coach and is still loving it!   And funny enough, after all these years of experience, she is still getting her clients the same way she got that very first paying client–networking, networking, networking…   Listen to the full episode to hear: How Jodi’s first corporate coaching client was the biggest package she ever sold How the industry has changed in the 12 years since she started her business and what predictions she has for the corporate coaching world Why, when you're in the corporate and executive realm, it's all relationships–being willing to get to know people and be of service to them What Jodi teaches her clients about taking on more responsibility and rearranging their lives, all while taking care of themselves   Book Recommendations: How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen In the Flo: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life by Alisa Vitti   To learn more about Jodi Flynn: Women Taking the Lead Facebook: @womentakingthelead LinkedIn:n @jodiflynn Twitter: @jodimflynn Instagram: @jodimflynn   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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  

  We became entrepreneurs so that we can do the work that we love.   If you're going to have a crappy job and be miserable, have a regular old jobby job! There is no reason that you have to build a business model that makes you miserable.   A lot of people want to get out of doing client work because it’s a model that they don’t love or they have just gotten tired of it.   There is no shame in looking for a change.   And for some, teaching online courses is just the change that they are looking for–a way to start fresh and rediscover the love that brought them to coaching in the first place.   Today, we are continuing our series of conversations with 6 and 7-figure coaches about how they got their first paying client and what they would do differently today.   And this episode is a little different: I’m talking with the founder of Paperbell Coaching Software, Laura Roeder.   Laura is a lifelong entrepreneur and founder of several multi-million dollar bootstrap companies – MeetEdgar, Marie Forleo’s B-School, and LKR Social Media.   Here’s the thing: Laura didn’t get started coaching. She started as a web designer and realized that coaching and consulting on social media was a better model for her than running a design agency.   But she didn’t choose a conventional coaching path. Instead, she discovered online courses and the rest, as they say, is history. Or rather, the rest is in this episode of Coach Pony!   By simply following a business path that excited her she has been able to build a business model that she loves.   Listen to the full episode to hear: How a client in the fashion industry led her to discover the world of online business courses How Laura has built up an audience through guest posting, blogging, newsletters, and social media How Laura’s lowest moment as an entrepreneur involved trudging through blizzards to brave chamber of commerce meetings What Laura sees as the top pitfalls with online courses and membership sites   Book Recommendations: The Road Less Stupid by Keith J. Cunningham. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman   To learn more about Laura Roeder: Paperbell Coaching Software Twitter @lkr MeetEdgar Marie Forleo’s B-School LKR Social Media   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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  

  Know your power. Know your worth.   When you’re first starting out, it feels amazing to get paid at all, but amazing can turn into agonizing when you’re taking on the wrong clients just to get paid.   Your worth isn’t just about the number of clients you have or the size of your bank account, it’s about making sure you have the right clients for you.   Attracting the right clients means getting clear on what you offer, how you work, and the personalities and projects you want to work with and on.   All this season we have been chatting with experienced 6 and 7-figure coaches from different niches and delving into how they got that very first client and what advice they might have for you today.   In this episode, we are going to peer into the world of business coaching with Shenee Howard from HeyShenee.com.   Shenee is a brand strategist and writer living in sunny Long Beach, California. I love her because she's created so many interesting products and programs in her business. And when she's not helping businesses create their own content, she's walking her dogs and talking about K-pop on Tik Tok.   So listen in, as Shenee talks about one of her big struggles, which may sound familiar to you, as well as offers incredible words of wisdom to any new coach who's starting out.   Listen to the full episode to hear: The biggest mistake Shenee sees new coaches make when they’re developing offers Her top advice for dealing with social media platform fatigue How she follows her gut to know when it’s time to move on from a product or offering Leveling up your business by being strategic about networking.   Book Recommendations: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown   To learn more about Shenee Howard: HeyShenee.com Infinite Content Agency The Done Club   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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  

  Specificity is everything.   Knowing who your client is inside and out connects you with the right people. The ones who you know you can really help. The ones you’re excited to work with. The ones who will tell their friends about how you’re a total game changer.   It’s more than demographics. It’s knowing their pain points, their worries, their fears and how you’re the best person to help them fix it.   Sometimes you know it because you lived those same paint points, worries and fears. And if that’s you, you are not alone.   All season, we’ve been talking to experienced 6 and 7-figure coaches from different niches about how they got that very first client and how they attract new clients today.   In this episode, we're going to reenter the world of health coaching with Steve Adams from Tiger Performance Institute.   He's a former corporate banker and veteran entrepreneur whose passion lies in helping high achieving entrepreneurs, professionals, and CEOs achieve sustainable peak performance through his hyper-personalized precision health optimization system and performance training.   Listen in to hear about how Steve got his start in health coaching, his biggest mistake in his first year, and his simple ways of getting clients today.   Listen to the full episode to hear: How his own experience with burnout showed Steve who is ideal client is Why you need to ask your clients for referrals, and EXACTLY how to do it How he realized he needed to make a major pivot in his first year and how getting hyper-specific helped him do it Steve’s top two tips for entrepreneurs and their health   Book Recommendations: Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life, Dave Asprey That’s a Great Question: Are You Asking the Right Questions In Business? In Life?, Greg Bustin   Resources: HeartMath Institute Institute for Functional Medicine   To learn more about Steve Adams: Tiger Performance Institute Steveladams.com Steve’s Book: Unleash the Peak Performer Within You: A Guide to Lowering Stress, Eliminating Distraction, and Massively Expanding Your Productivity Facebook   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE 26-Page Guide On How to Land Your First Clients Coach Pony The Revolutionary Club Instagram @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  

  As a life coach, one big question you've got to answer right away is how will you make money?  Should you coach privately, group coach, write a book, host a retreat or something else?   Frankly, it's an important question because if you choose the wrong money path, you could waste time, energy and money. For instance, you don't want to spend months trying to write a book only to discover you hate writing and you won't make enough money to pay your rent when you're done.   So, how do you figure it out? How do you choose which money path is right for you? Well, don't worry; we'll tell you.   In season two of the Coach Pony podcast, we'll dive into all of the different ways coaches make money–everything from private coaching to retreats. And we'll look at the pros and cons, how much you can expect to make on each path and what you need to do to get started.   Along the way I'll share personal stories of my own journey on each money path, including the good, bad and ugly, so you know, you aren't alone.   Bottom line, our goal with this season of the podcast is to help you figure out which business path is absolutely right for you. Let's get you some paying clients.   To learn more about Christie Mims: FREE MARKETING MASTERCLASS Coach Pony Instagram @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 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

We all make mistakes in life. And as a coach, you’re going to make mistakes with your clients. You’re not perfect and your clients (usually) don’t expect you to be.But they will–consciously or not– take advantage of contract loopholes, poor enforcement, unclear terms and other not-so-fun ways to ask for services outside of what your intended agreement is.This season on the Coach Pony Podcast, I’m teaming up with Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup to talk about the mistakes coaches make when building their businesses. And today, we’re diving into contracts.Contracts can be tricky territory with coaching because of the personal investment you develop in your clients. But bending your own rules because you hate saying no to someone you care about doesn’t help either of you.From making your terms and conditions as clear as possible to setting your boundaries and sticking to them, we have been there, done that, written the scripts for handling it the next time.We want to spare you the pain and also remind you that when you mess up, you’re in great company. Because we’ve all been there.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why anything outside of the original contract, like an extension, needs additional termsWhy you can’t agonize over every request for exceptions to your contracts or termsHow to use scripts to protect your boundaries around your termsWhy you have to have a clear refund and guarantee policy and why you need to put it everywhereChristie and Bobbi’s top two tips for dealing with contractsTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf 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

Investing in your business is a fact of life. It can help you learn, grow and be a better coach.   But what if when you need advice, consulting, training or something else, you fork over an enormous amount of money only to have it not work out the way you wanted? OUCH.   This season of the Coach Pony Podcast, it’s all about mistakes. I teamed up with Bobbi Palmer from  Date Like a Grownup to give you the lowdown on our biggest mistakes and lessons learned, so you don’t have to learn the hard way.   Today, we’re talking about business investment mistakes. From spending money to get good advice that your business just isn’t ready for, to signing up for a program because someone you look up to did it, making mistakes in business investments can put you deep in the red and take time to recover from, financially and emotionally. And these mistakes happen to all of us.   Of course, we hope by sharing some of our stories we’ll keep you from making the mistakes we did. But if you do? Give yourself some grace. You are not alone, my friend.   Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why you need to be clear on the return on investment before you write the check How to step back and evaluate any additional investments that may be required to get to the real total cost Why spending a ton of money on training or programs can be a bad idea for new coaches Three big pieces of advice for making business investments   To learn more about Bobbi Palmer: Date Like a Grownup Facebook: @DateLikeAGrownup   To learn more about Christie Mims: Build a Real Business Coach Pony Instagram @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

We’ve all had clients we regret. It’s almost a rite of passage for a coach (so yes, it’ll probably happen to you!).Maybe you saw the red flags from the beginning and ignored them because you really believed you could be the one to help them. Coaches want to help people! Or maybe it took a few sessions for you to realize that what they need isn’t what you offer.Either way, it can be incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to be confronted with a client who is wrong for you, or you’re wrong for them, and yet, you’ve already taken their money.Separating from that client can go okay. Or it can go really, really badly.Season three of the Coach Pony podcast is all about mistakes, and today, Bobbie Palmer from Date Like a Grownup and I are digging into firing clients, so you can learn from us. Or commiserate, because making these mistakes is totally normal. We’ve all been there!Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why knowing who your ideal client is and sticking to that will help you avoid having to fire someone who’s a bad fitHow taking a client who isn’t right for you can drag down you and your businessHow to manage an exit in a supportive way, with integrityThree tips to keep firing a client from being a disaster To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf 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

Making mistakes with your website can cost you.It can cost you time, it can cost you peace of mind (oh the stress of redoing things!) and of course, it can cost you money.Whether you’re paying an agency to design and build your site or you’re DIY-ing it, having a site that doesn’t do what you need it to can hinder your business’s ability to grow.Building a website from scratch can be intimidating, especially when you’re just starting out. There are more options than ever for creating a website, and it’s hard to be sure what features you will or won’t need down the road.If you’re doing it yourself, you could get overwhelmed and end up with a simple site without the features that will grow with your business. And if you’re paying someone to build it, you could rack up hundreds or thousands in hourly rates as you figure out what you need from your site.This season on the Coach Pony podcast, Bobbie Palmer from Date Like a Grownup joins me to talk about the mistakes we’ve made. Our businesses are very different, but we’ve made a lot of the same kinds of mistakes and today, we’re talking about our websites.We’ll walk you through our mistakes with our websites–from switching to a platform no one’s ever heard of, to reluctantly learning to build WordPress landing pages as a workaround–so you have the tools to make better choices when it comes to your website.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why you need to think about your long-terms goals, not just your immediate needs when it comes to your website’s capabilitiesWhy your website is going to have mistakes and evolve–and that’s okay!What you should know about working with a web developerTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf 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

Live events have their rewards: When an event goes well, you get the satisfaction of being hands-on and seeing people make progress in real time. Not to mention that attendees learn and make connections with your work (yay!) and each other! Everyone wins!But when a live event goes badly, those mistakes can be hugely detrimental to your business and your reputation.If people leave your event feeling that you’ve failed to deliver on the promise they paid for, your business will suffer. Or if they find the logistics more challenging than the results, they get grumpy.It doesn’t matter if you held a lower-cost event for several hundred people or a luxury retreat for a handful, those people will never buy from you again. And...the worst news? They’ll probably tell their friends.Season three of the Coach Pony podcast is all about mistakes, and today, we’re talking about mistakes with live coaching events, but with a twist! Bobbie Palmer from Date Like a Grownup and I are going to tell you about the mistakes we’ve seen other coaches make at events we’ve attended together.We really aren’t kidding when we say every coach, at every level, in every niche, makes mistakes, even on things you might think are pretty basic, like not keeping people waiting in a boiling hot hallway until the ballroom doors open. Not that we’ve experienced that.... ;)Listen to the full episode to hear about:How not meeting your attendees’ basic needs–like starting on time and letting them know where the bathrooms are–immediately costs you respect and credibilityWhy you have to set a real agenda–including session times and meal breaks–share it with the group and stick to it as best as possibleHow attending to basic principles of hospitality can earn you more leeway with other mistakesFour tips for successful live group coaching events, in person or onlineTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf 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

Ooh, shiny!Everyone gets distracted by something sparkly now and again. But shiny object syndrome can slow down your business...big time.Of course you want to chase that shiny new idea, but dividing your attention across too many projects and programs at once can lead to disaster. Whether it’s burning out after working umpteen hours a week trying to juggle it all, or your programs not taking off like they could because they’re not getting your focus, shiny objects can take their toll on you and your business.Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup is back with me again to talk about the mistakes we’ve made with shiny objects, and why having someone in your life who tells you to put down the sparkly can be key to keeping yourself on track (when you actually listen to them).But it’s not all bad! As always in Season Three, we’re also talking about what we learned along the way, even if we’re still a little mad at our past selves.Listen to the full episode to hear about:How shiny objects slow down your growth–as a coach and in your businessWhy closely tracking your numbers will help you make better decisions with your sparkliesHow to avoid compare-and-despair and still learn from other coaches in your nicheThree key things to remember when you’re dealing with shiny objectsTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyResources:Coach Pony Podcast: How to Make Money Group CoachingCoach Pony Podcast: How to Make Money Writing a Book + An Inside StoryIf 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

If you want to have a business, you have to make sales.Otherwise, you’re just coaching people for free. If that’s your jam, cool! But if you’re here...then you probably want to make a living with your coaching.This is why Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup is here with me to talk about sales mistakes. This is a big one and there are a lot of ways your sales process can go sideways.Bobbi shares her biggest struggle point with sales and what she’s learned over the years to smooth out the process for herself.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why all of those business books are right about following up (more than once!)How to follow up without being sleazyMindset shifts and tips to help you get out of your own way4 tips to take the stress out of salesThe easiest 3-sentence follow-up email script in the world. Take it and use it today!To learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf 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 are a frightening number of ways to make mistakes on social media.Today on the Coach Pony podcast, Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup joins me again to dish on where we’ve screwed up on social, so you don’t have to!We’ll take you back to a time before Instagram even existed let alone TikTok, (no, dinosaurs did not roam the earth) and talk about the pitfalls of trying to be everywhere at once and why it’s hard not to take it personally when you get crickets on social media.From confounding algorithms to burnout, we’re pulling back the curtain on social media mistakes and how they’ve impacted us and our businesses.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Why you need to match your platform choice to your communication styleHow social media can foster self-doubt that creeps into your businessWhy you have to keep ROI and a clear objective in mind when you’re investing time, energy or money on socialFour key tips for social media successTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyIf 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

No matter what level you’re at or what niche you’re in, you’ll make mistakes. It just means you’re human.And you can still run an amazing coaching business even when you make mistakes.All season on the Coach Pony podcast, Bobbi Palmer from Date Like a Grownup and I have taken trips down memory lane to share our biggest flops and what we learned about messing up with clients, contracts, events, social media and more.To wrap up season three, we’re giving you the TL;DR version and sharing some of our best advice from this season, plus a few key bits you haven’t heard from us before.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Our best advice from season three on business, programs and marketingWhy getting over yourself and getting yourself out there are key to coaching successHow to sell what clients want but give them what they need (so they can get what they want)How to track your results to learn from your mistakesHow to find a community of coaches and why you need to regularly invest in training and educationTo learn more about Bobbi Palmer:Date Like a GrownupFacebook: @DateLikeAGrownupTo learn more about Christie Mims:Build a Real BusinessCoach PonyInstagram @christiecoachponyResources:Coach Pony Podcast: How Shiny Objects Slow Down Your Coaching BusinessCoach Pony Podcast: How to Make Money Writing a Book + An Inside StoryCoach Pony Podcast: The Biggest Sales Mistake New Coaches MakeIf 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