I have made a HUGE decision to continue to add value to my personal brand. If you have read my #ThoughtFULLThursday blogs, you know I love to build better teams. I do this by sharing what I have learned from the various professional and personal development channels I access. One day it may be something I learned from a book, another day a podcast, and another day it may be something I learned from someone else I thought was inspiring.
The other day, I was reintroduced to a young aspiring entrepreneur. The first time I was exposed to her, she was presenting her business plan to our entrepreneurial advisory panel in hopes of learning how to scale her current business and perhaps set herself up for future funding. This panel consisted of Michael Gerber (author of the eMyth series), Fred Parrish (co-author of eMyth: CFO), LizDelia Gerber, and myself. The panel was designed to provide an expert for the different areas where a new entrepreneur might struggle. We had the small business guru, the financial guru, the mental guru, and the hiring expert. All important areas when growing a business.
After she presented her business model, we moved on to the next entrepreneur and I did not hear from her for almost a year. Now for the rest of the story…
I randomly ran into her recently at a place of business I frequent every week. She works there now! We immediately connected and I shared with her what I was doing with personal branding and how it had led to a podcast. As the weeks went on, we continued to talk and she shared her dreams of a new business model she wanted to start. Last week she asked me to be her coach as she launched her new business.
My first thought….I am not a Professional Coach! I had to reevaluate this thought and really think about what I had just said in my head. I coach people every day; I just do not call it coaching. I agreed to help her in her quest.
This started me on a new path or I should say an additional path in my professional development and personal branding.
I have decided to become a Certified Professional Coach.
Big decision! Now that the decision was made, it was time to figure out the next steps. I reached into my network to find other professional coaches and asked them how they became certified. This led me to the International Coaching Federation (ICF) who is recognized as the authority in all things coaching and is the accrediting body for coach training programs. I found their website a little confusing, but finally found a list of accredited programs for the path I wished to take.
Next, I researched several of the organizations and scheduled a time to speak with a representative. The price for the programs varied greatly, so I needed to understand why and which program would work best for me. After lots of research, I have decided to enroll with IPEC. Their program consists of three phases, the first one being the longest. Altogether, I have committed to almost a year of training in order to earn my Certified Professional Coach designation. Once completed, I will be able to apply for additional certifications with the ICF.
I did not make this decision in a vacuum. I also turned to my mentors, my professional coach, and trusted friends. This is not a direction I had envisioned when I began my journey to creating a personal brand, but I believe it is the universe’s way of showing me how to not limit myself. I am nimble and ready to pivot when it makes sense to do so.
Today I challenge you to be open to making a pivot when you see an opportunity that makes sense. Let me know what the universe shows you!
