The Journey of a Business Coach

“If we are out of step with the priorities of real life and feel lost in the anarchy of our feelings, we must assert our humbleness and assume we need the shine of a guiding lighthouse in our emotional odyssey. (“Camera obscura of the mind”).

Erik Pevernagie

Thulani had mental clarity with a clear perception and focus on developing himself as a business coach. To progress his career, he read SA Business Coaches’ blog from October 2022 on Confusion about Becoming a Business Coach→

When reconnecting with the positive reasons why he should become a coach, he proactively decided to implement these reasons into his daily life.

Thulani’s cognitive clarity was augmented by his awareness of his emotions and his source of motivation. This clarity enabled Thulani to prioritise what mattered most to him and to push through any doubt that he may have been experiencing. From the SA Business Coaches’ October blog→, Thulani chose to seek implementation on each of the 5 reasons to become a Business Coach as follows:

How to implement positive reasons for becoming a Business Coach:

To fulfill a passion
Fulfillment is aligned with meaning, it is the reason why we do things, whereas passion is what gives us energy, and it stems from what you do^[i]. For Thulani, Business Coaching was a meaningful and therefore fulfilling experience from which he gained energy. It tied into his values and motivation, creating a satisfying experience for him, and an augmented Business Coaching session for his coachees.
To Pass on your experience
Soren Kierkegaard said that life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. Thulani worked with SA Business Coaches’ framework and methodology to implement HOW he would pass on his experience. It was all good and well that he had the desire to do this, but implementation requires the tools to achieve the result that you want.
An Independent Career
We all have career anchors which attract and hold us in certain career paths. For Thulani, his career anchor was autonomy and independence. This meant that he could implement and work with his own rules, without having to confirm to corporate regulations^[ii]. Implementing his own Business Coaching business would satisfy this aspect of Thulani’s career plan.
Develop networks
Coming from a corporate environment Thulani had never proactively developed relationships with other businesses or businesspeople. He enjoyed stretching himself and therefore decided to join COMENSA^[iii], and attend networking events pertaining to Business Coaching and potential clients. He was reticent at first, but once he polished his ‘elevator pitch’, he became increasingly comfortable introducing himself and explaining the value that he can add.
Building relationships
Since Thulani would be working alone, he felt that he needed a support structure of people who would understand his daily struggles and triumphs. He attended SA Business Coaches’ CPD days, and joined the SA Business Coaches’ network→. This way Thulani had support and colleagues who understood his business coaching jargon, framework and methodology of professional operations.