I remember how happy I was the day I hit my mark in my new coaching business.
I had reached my goal of clients and income!
Now I could quit my job at the USPS.
I took those golden handcuffs off and enthusiastically embarked on my entrepreneurial journey.
At first, it was going really well. I had effective marketing activities, a great referral system, and a few opportunities to speak about the benefits of my business offering.
Then came the shakeup. My marriage ended. My father had a heart attack and needed me in California.
I upended everything in my life, left the East Coast and the place I had lived for 27 years to start a life in Los Angeles.
That year on Turkey Day, Instead of the traditional dinner I was used to back East, my first Thanksgiving in California was spent on a beach in Malibu eating a turkey sandwich!
The location was not the only thing different about that Holiday. I also was facing an unexpected disaster in my coaching business.
During my move West, I had put my clients on hold until I was settled. When I contacted them about resuming our work, I heard one after the other tell me some version of, “I’ve moved on or want to take a longer break.”
In the end, I was left with just 2 clients! My business had collapsed.
I must admit I didn’t feel there was much to be grateful for on that Sunny November day at the Beach.
I picked myself up, though.
After I dusted off the sand, I examined what had gone wrong. I can’t honestly say that I like to fail but it’s true that most of my best lessons have come when I am willing to face failure and learn from it.
In this case, what I learned was:
- I had stopped doing the things that worked!
- Building a business is like anything else in life. There is no such thing as having arrived. It’s a journey that requires consistent attention and effort!
- I could only go so far alone. Back East, I had a network of friends and colleagues who had helped me build my business and supported me in so many ways. I needed to build a new network.
After integrating these lessons, I made some adjustments in my thinking and my actions.
- I began doing the things that had always worked because they used my strengths, inner wisdom and were proven business strategies.
- I picked up where I left off and implemented activities that would take me to the next level.
- I joined a networking group and signed up for a mastermind group. I made new friends and reconnected with colleagues and asked for their support.
This was a HUGE learning for me and not just the learning about what had tanked my coaching business.
A bigger learning for me was how to face failure. Even a disaster such as this.
As…one of my She-roes – the Rev. Emma Curtis Hopkins – taught me…
I demanded to see the blessing!
There is always a lesson, a benefit and a blessing in everything life offers, even in the failures, the messes and the disasters.
When you open to that truth, no matter how much you might want to avoid the things that you don’t like, it will not only expand your experience in life, I promise you there will be an unexpected blessing waiting for you on the other side.
