Hi friend,
Have you been thinking about getting a business coach? Or maybe you are looking for a mentor? I am a big proponent of both, and I think if one person can be both. I have been seeking guidance online recently, mostly in a specific category, and I personally started my research on Instagram.
I know there are many options for finding guidance in the business world. From books and podcasts to LinkedIn networks and traditional consulting firms, there are many options to explore. But I personally believe the most valuable resource for finding a business coach is Instagram.
Instagram is more than just a hub for travel photos, food snaps, and selfies. It’s a powerful tool for networking, education, and personal growth that is underutilized in the realm of professional development. In this blog post, I am going to break down the reasons you should head over to Instagram next.
Why using Instagram to find a business coach is a smart idea…
Authenticity in Action: While websites and portfolios offer a polished view of a coach’s credentials, Instagram shows them in action. You’ll get to see not just their professional side, but also their personal interests, communication style, and values. This holistic view can help you identify if a particular coach is the right fit for you.
Free, Quality Content: Many business coaches on Instagram offer a wealth of free content in the form of short video clips, carousel posts, and Instagram Stories. These posts often cover critical business concepts, tips for personal growth, and actionable advice. This free content allows you to ‘test-drive’ a coach’s approach, style, and advice before you make any financial commitments.
Real-Time Engagement: Instagram enables real-time interactions through features like comments, DMs, and live video streams. You can ask questions, participate in live Q&A sessions, and get direct feedback from business coaches. Such real-time engagement allows you to assess a coach’s expertise, responsiveness, and willingness to help, which are crucial factors in a successful coaching relationship.
Peer Reviews and Testimonials: Most established business coaches on Instagram feature client testimonials, either as regular posts, Stories, or Highlights. Unlike testimonials on websites, these are often less curated, featuring real clients speaking candidly about their experiences. Instagram’s social nature also allows you to connect with these individuals directly to inquire further about their experiences.
A Community of Like-Minded Individuals: Many coaches foster communities around their Instagram profiles, bringing together people with similar interests and goals. Being part of such a community can offer additional perspectives and peer support that enhance the coaching experience.
Convenience and Accessibility: With the Instagram app on your phone, your potential business coach is just a tap away. You can consume their content on the go, engage with them, and seamlessly integrate your learning process into your daily life.
So how would you even use Instagram to find a business coach?
There are many ways to find the right business coach for you, but first, you need to define your goals. Here are the five questions you need to ask yourself:
- What are you trying to accomplish?
- What platforms are you seeking to accomplish this on?
- Are you starting from scratch or do you have an established brand?
- What is your learning style or desired method of execution?
- Are you looking for a self-paced online course?
- Do you want hands-on 1-on-1 mentorship?
- Do you want someone that will do part of the work for you?
- In the past, when you learn something, do you read a book or watch a video?
- What is your budget?
Armed with the answers to these questions, it will be easier to decide if the business coaching you are finding will be a good fit for your needs. Please keep in mind, that whatever platform you want to be your main focus, it needs to be a focus of your mentor’s or coach’s.
So once you have answered these questions, the fun begins. There are many ways to get started. One of my favorite ways to get started is by searching. There are two ways of “searching” on Instagram. You can search via hashtags, or just by using the search bar with keywords.
If you are searching by keyword, this is going to draw from their profile. When I do a search for “Instagram Coach” on Instagram, it populates with 60 results on the “Accounts” tab. I personally like to focus on the ones who have a story uploaded (their profile picture will have the pink-to-yellow circle around it). So starting at the top, this is how I analyze the results…
- Click on the first name that has the pink-to-yellow circle around it.
- Look at their follower count.
- Absorb their brand.
- Read their profile. (Their brand doesn’t have to be one you replicate, but it needs to be one that resonates with you.)
- If you are looking for assistance with Instagram reels, check out the view count on their reels.
- Lastly, I want you to click on the link in their profile and explore.
- If their profile resonates with you as someone you might want to search with, I want you to do one of two things: you can either take one of their posts and save it to a named folder. I would do something along the lines of “I might want to work with.”, but anything works, as long as you know what it means. Or I want you to save their profile link to a Note in your phone, email, or on your computer. This way, you can go back to this list.
- I want you to continue doing this down the list.
Once you feel like you have a good list of options, I want you to go back through the list, and take off the folks who aren’t offering for your current stage of your business. For now, you can follow these accounts, and passively learn from them. Then I want you to spend the next 3-7 days interacting with the content of the remaining coaches.
Over the course of the next week, it should be very clear to you, who you should reach out to.
Different types of teaching/learning methods (and products) offered by coaches:
- PDFs and Ebooks
- Q&A sessions (I offer this as my “office hours”.)
- Live webinars (these can be a one-time interaction or interactions spread out over time)
- Self-paced courses and Live courses
- 1-on-1 coaching
- Business audits with action plans
I tried to list these from what typically ends up being the least expensive to the most expensive, but keep in mind every coach’s offerings are different. Some coaches offer free webinars to get you through the door, and they will offer some value, but they will have a bigger product that will be more of what you need.
So what are my thoughts on the above? I think it all depends on your learning style, and how far you are in your career, life, and business. I personally get the most from 1-on-1 coaching, but I do love watching training videos. Most courses are video-based. While I love life courses, if I am learning something technically, I will need on-demand or live video sessions with playback.
I know this mind seems like I am working backward with you, but I wanted to make sure you know the reasons why one would work with a coach, along the lines of what are the benefits…
The Power of Having a Mentor or Business Coach
One of the best investments you can make in your personal and professional life is finding a mentor or business coach. You may be ambitious and self-motivated, but even the most self-sufficient individuals can benefit from experienced guidance. In this blog post, we will explore the significant advantages of having a mentor or business coach, and why you should consider seeking one to accelerate your growth and success.
Unlock Your Potential with Personalized Advice: General advice is abundant and often free, but the value of targeted and personalized feedback is unparalleled. A mentor or business coach can provide you with specific, actionable advice tailored to your needs, situation, and goals. They can help you see your blind spots and uncover potential that you may not even know you had.
Speed up Your Learning Curve: We all learn from our mistakes, but trial and error can be a long, costly process. A mentor or business coach can help you navigate through challenges more efficiently, giving you insights based on their own experiences and wisdom. By helping you avoid common pitfalls, they can dramatically accelerate your learning curve.
Network Expansion: Your mentor’s or coach’s professional network can become an invaluable resource for you. A well-connected mentor can introduce you to industry experts, potential clients, or even future business partners that you might not have had access to otherwise. In some cases, a mentor can open doors for you that would take years to crack open by yourself.
Emotional Support and Encouragement: The entrepreneurial journey is often rife with uncertainty and setbacks. It’s easy to become discouraged, and that’s where a mentor or business coach can make a significant emotional impact. Their reassurances, drawn from their own experience overcoming similar challenges, can provide the emotional fuel to keep you moving forward.
Accountability: When you’re your own boss, it can be all too easy to lose focus or delay essential tasks. A mentor or coach can serve as an external accountability system, helping you stay on track. Knowing that you’ll have to report back to someone can provide that extra nudge to ensure you follow through on your commitments.
Different Perspectives: Each mentor or coach brings a unique set of experiences and viewpoints. They can offer alternative perspectives that you might not have considered, allowing you to approach problems and opportunities from various angles. This enriched viewpoint can be incredibly beneficial in decision-making processes, enabling you to make more informed choices.
Lasting Relationship: A mentorship or coaching relationship is often not a quick, transactional engagement. Many times, these relationships last for years or even a lifetime, providing you with a long-term confidant, advisor, and cheerleader. The investment you make in this relationship often pays off many times over, both personally and professionally.
Having a mentor or business coach is like having a secret weapon in your professional arsenal. The personalized advice, accountability, emotional support, and networking opportunities they provide are unmatched by any course, book, or seminar. If you’re serious about your personal and professional growth, it’s time to seek a mentor or business coach to guide you on your journey to success.
Now I know there are other ways to find a business coach. My other favorite methods include:
- Pinterest searches.
- Google searches that lead to blog posts (like this one).
- LinkedIn search.
- And YouTube searches.
But the reason why I love Instagram the most is because it is a 2-way communication channel (LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok can also be 2-way.), and because it is easy to keep updated on a regular basis. It shows you in almost real-time, what that coach is working on, selling (pushing), and how they are personally running their business. I feel like it is hard to hide your success or lack of on Instagram.
But I want to warn you. Once you begin all this research, and follow all of these coaches, you are going to be the target of coaching ads. I beg you to do this same type of research on anyone before you hire them. The coaches that I want you to lean the most into are the ones who have run successful businesses outside of “Instagram” and “YouTube”. If you are a business owner, you want to work with a business owner.
Just while I have you here, I want to share with you who I am, and what my business does. Hi y’all, my name is Jo, and my coaching business is Jo & Coaching. I personally offer ebooks, guides, my blog here full of free content, templates, 1-on-1 hour-long sessions, presence audits (budget-friendly, and 3 month relationship ones: both come with action plans), partial and full build-outs for you too to have an end-to-end brand, a free newsletter, and soon: two courses. (These two courses are in the works, but I am capable of teaching 1-on-1 with training videos right now. These courses are: I blog, do you? and Stop chasing.)
You can find everything that is being offered at http://joandcoaching.com/atjoandcoaching and here is my store link: https://stan.store/joandcoaching.
I really hope this blog post found you when you needed it the most, and answered the questions you were seeking to have answered. If you need anything at all, you can find me on the gram… http://instagram.com/joandcoaching.
Love y’all. Hugs, Jo.
What’s next? Are you seeking both personal and professional growth without sacrificing? We are looking to work with those who are building a business while seeking a balance between family and work, and they don’t want to do it alone. We provide coaching, build-outs, training, step-by-step guides, mentorship, and one-on-one consultations.
Empowering you to build a successful business that complements, not complicates, your family life, offering you the tools and support to make it happen, Jo & Coaching. Hugs, Jo.
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Hello, Jo here. At Jo & Coaching, we know most struggle with trying to wear all hats and build a presence on all platforms. We are a marketing firm that does more, by being with you every step of the way, so that you don’t experience burnout or overwhelm. We specialize in all things end-to-end brand building, so if you are looking for a knowledgeable marketing firm and brand builder, please reach out to us! Hugs, Jo.
