The Most Underrated Skill in Entrepreneurship (and Life!)
Do you know what the biggest game-changer for my business and life?
My #1 secret to going to my dance class every Friday, enjoying my life as a multi-passionate woman while being a mom of a 3-year-old girl, running a US$ 6-figure coaching business with a team of 5, and creating impact with multiple quality programs at the same time?
That’s not because I’m good at multi-tasking, have hardcore discipline or time management skills.
The secret is to master the skills of getting support.
Maybe you’re asking: “Milena, that’s too simple.”
I know. It seems simple, but this is an area I have seen repeatedly overlooked by entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs.
Why?
It's because we live in a culture that glorifies the toxic masculine of being the lone hero. The lone wolf is being romanticized as something cool and desirable.
We, as women, are also conditioned to over-give instead of receiving.
And so we are afraid of asking for help.
We also live in a culture that doesn’t value vulnerability and is always afraid of appearing weak. Asking for help seems to make us feel vulnerable and “weak.”
On top of that, so many of us grow up developing hyper-independence as a trauma response because we could not trust the caretaker in our childhood to meet our physical and emotional needs.
Therefore, we learn not to need anybody because then we can protect ourselves from disappointment and hurt.
For so many high-achieving women and higher-achieving entrepreneurs and coaches, this muscle we have never learned to build, and therefore, we don't know how to ask for help.
My brain was completely blank when I started learning how to ask for support for the first time. I spent decades being hyper-independent, so I didn't know how to start asking for support.
Asking for help is the ONE thing we can do that makes everything else easier.
So, how can we ask for support?
Here are a few things that you can keep in mind when asking for support.
We, as women, are also conditioned to over-give instead of receiving.
And so we are afraid of asking for help.
We also live in a culture that doesn’t value vulnerability and is always afraid of appearing weak. Asking for help seems to make us feel vulnerable and “weak.”
1.
notice when you need support
As entrepreneurs, when we see ourselves struggling, not getting a result, procrastinating, or facing huge resistance and being unable to show up for the work that we know we need to do to get resolved, what do we do?
Most of the time, we blame ourselves.
We make it mean that there's something wrong with us. Maybe we are not meant for this path of entrepreneurship. Maybe we should get a job instead.
We take it personally.
While actually, what it means is simple.
It means that you are human and you need support.
Human beings are social animals. We exist and thrive on a tribe.
And that's why it pushes up against your natural instinct when you go at it alone.
So notice when you need support.
The sign that you need support is when you are struggling, feeling frustrated, or trying so hard but not getting the result you want.
The sign that you need support is also when you have a big goal that perhaps scares you a little bit. Getting support can help you move through it and reach your big goals more easily than you can imagine.
You don't need to wait until you cry on the floor to get support.
You can get support early.
2.
Define what kind of support you can get for yourself
To define the support you need, assess all the different areas of your life now.
Below are the 5 main areas of life. If you have any other significant areas, you can add more.
1. Coaching Business
2. Corporate Career (Fulltime/Parttime/Bridge Job)
3. Relationship
4. Parenting/Family
5. Health and well-being
After listing significant areas of life, rank each category using two criteria:
Criteria 1: Satisfaction. How satisfied are you with this area of your life on a scale from 0 to 10? A score of 0 indicates no satisfaction, while a score of 10 indicates complete satisfaction.
Criteria 2: Support. On a scale from 0 to 10, how supported are you in this area of your life? A score of 0 means you have no support, and a 10 means you are fully supported.
After you've ranked everything, you can see where you need more support to increase satisfaction.
Don't worry about whether you have the capacity to access that support; just list the types of support that are available for each category.
Below are different kinds of support you can give yourself in each category:
Coaching Business: You can choose private coaching, accountability partners, a community, or joining my membership program, Impact Coaching Circle, where you’ll have everything you need to kick start and grow a coaching business while honoring who you are.
Corporate Job: If you want to build your coaching business in 2024, the support in this area needs to be aligned with your business goals. The support could be a bridge job, another 9-5 job but easier and healthier, accountability partners to support the transition, or scaling down the responsibility you're having in your current company.
Relationship: Relationship coach, couple counselor, dating coach,...
Parenting/Family: Family helper, support from spouse, parenting coach,...
Health/Well-being: Wellness coach, personal trainer, course,...
You don't need to wait until you cry on the floor to get support.
You can get support early.
3.
prioritize the support
The final step is to prioritize the areas you want for the second quarter 2024 and the best support for them.
Some form of support can be acquired for free. Some will require you to invest.
If the idea of investing is very scary for you right now, you can find free support or exchange support.
For example, if two coaches have the skill set each other needs, they can exchange and offer service to one another as a trade.
Most often, our fear of investing financially to get support stems from a lack of belief in ourselves.
In this case, choose to believe in yourself that no matter what, you'll find ways to make the most out of this investment.
If you need to bet on something, it's safest to bet on yourself. Because you’re the one you can have the most influence over.
So, as we’re entering quarter 2, 2024, I hope this article helps you to reflect back on your life and what support you need now so you can get the results you want with more ease and fun.
Right now, the world needs more purpose-driven, heart-centered coaches than ever before. As you learn to grow your coaching business sustainably, you can stay longer on this journey and create more impact to heal the world.
To do that, you need support. And you deserve support.
So that you can support the world.
Love,
xo Milena
P.S. If you need my support to help you kickstart and grow your coaching business while enjoying the beauty of your life, I invite you to explore my flagship program, Impact Coaching Circle (ICC).
In ICC, you’ll be provided everything you need to grow a profitable coaching business, create an impact while honoring yourself…
ICC includes a rich library of quality business training, monthly group coaching sessions, monthly mastermind sessions, somatic healing sessions with experts, unlimited community support, and many more!!
ICC enrollment opens only twice a year, and the next enrollment period is in May. Don’t miss this chance to explore this level of support for your coaching business.
Join the Impact Coaching Circle VIP Waitlist here.
You’ll be the first to know when it’s open and enjoy exclusive bonuses that you won’t want to miss.
SHARING = LOVING
I help YOU get paid to change the world.
Hey, fellow purpose-driven human!
I’m Milena. When I was 24, I said no to corporate job offers to “do my own thing.”
9 years, some major fumbles, 3 TEDx Talks, 1 published book, 50,000 followers, and hundreds of clients (from 15+ countries) later…
I make a multi-six-figure living as a coach while spending most of my time walking barefoot in my apartment. #introvertgoal
I know you want to make a difference.
I’m here to help you turn that calling into a financially sustainable coaching business — while staying away from the hustle, and skipping the pitfalls that trip up most new coaches.
Quit your 9-to-5. Move to a paradise island. Slow yoga every morning. Work from sunlit cafes. Make time for loved ones (including yourself). Grow your influence. Wake up excited about your day. And serve only the clients who light you up…
All of that (and more!) is possible, once you have the right support.
Let me help you shine.
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