Using Michael Ellsberg’s 8 Steps To Getting What You Want Without Formal Credentials.

Step 1: Choose Your New Field of Learning
Step 2: Showcase Your Learning
Step 3: Learn the Basics of Good Networking
Step 4: Within Your Budding Social Economy, Start Working for Free
Step 5: Develop Case Studies of Your Work
Step 6: Develop Relationships With Mentors
Step 7: Learn Sales
Step 8: Sell and Deliver Your Services Within Your Social Economy

This November I read Michael Ellsberg’s post, 8 Steps To Getting What You Want Without Formal Credentials., which I followed for Decemner.This post is about how I’ve used Michael’s 8 Steps to Getting What you want, Without Credentials, to become a lifestyle coach in the past 4 weeks.

Step 1: Choose Your New Field of Learning

Peer Coaching

I attempted Tim Ferriss’ slow carb diet 6 times. Failing miserably each time, usually on day 4 or 5 after raiding the pantry, and eating all the cheetos and Doritos I could find. And sadly, the before pictures looked exactly like the after pictures. I was finally successful on my 7th try. What was the difference this time? I did the diet with my girlfriend. Having a buddy kept me accountable, and I was able to stick to it for 30 days.

Here’s a photo

My friends and I work for ourselves and we don’t always have someone to hold us accountable. So I started Lucid Lifestyle, http://LucidLifestyle.com , a  network of lifestyle designers, who want to help others live their a lifestyle of their design.

Step 2: Showcase Your Learning

http://Lucidlifestyle.com

I haven’t detailed all that I learned so far, but I did share a blog post on How to Automate a Service Business, that some of my friends found helpful.

Step 3: Learn the Basics of Good Networking

I regularly attended The Art of Active Networking www.artofactivenetworking.com in San Francisco. The group’s founder, the exceptionally well connected, Mark Sackett taught us that networking is not about you, but what can you do specifically for someone else. This is how I now try to approach networking.

Last year, I helped organize a weekly 4 Hour Work Week meet-up in Berlin, to meet other entrepreneurs and lifestyle designers. Keeping the principals of active networking in  mind, I attended each meet-up with the intenion of helping other , rather than worry about what I needed.  It’s amazing what happens when you make this switch.  I was much happier helping others, than I would have been even if I had gotten what I wanted from others.

As a result, I made more friends than I have at any other networking event, many of whom I still talk to you today.

Step 4: Within Your Budding Social Economy, Start Working for Free

When I launched LucidLifestyle, I posted the project to the Berlin 4HWW group, asking if anyone was interested in 1 free month of coaching. Three friends volunteered to be the first guinea pigs. They each have their own muses, and were looking to get a few important things done before the holidays. So I was excited to see how I could help.

Melissa Rachel Black
http://theeatteam.com/
Melissa won an around the world trip from Tim Ferriss, by raising the money to help build a library through Room to Read.
She now needed to get prepared for her trip, and launch her new project. http://theeatteam.com

We decided to have weekly phone calls every Friday, to review her goals.
We discussed what she wanted to do that month, and what she needed to do to get there.
Each week we reviewed her progress… I offered my advice on topics such as marketing and productivity.

Camila Prada: http://camilaprada.com
Camila is a great artist and sells adorable ceramics via her site, http://camilaprada.com

Her goal was to sell her remaining 70 units before the new year.  We prioritized the best methods for getting this done. After 4 weeks, she realized Facebook drove the most sales.
One of my favorite soccer coaches explained that successful coaches tend not to micromanage their players, but simply “get out of the way”.  I realized that coaching has a lot to do with shutting up and listening. I listened and when appropriate I offered guidance based in my own experience. That was about it. In the end, I realized as a coach, I wouldn’t help them make every single business decision, but rather help them to to help themselves.

Step 5: Develop Case Studies of Your Work

I’ve always found video testimonials to be more effective than case studie.

Plus case studies are a pain in the ass to write and I’m too lazy.

So instead, here’s a video testimonial from Camila herself!: http://youtu.be/ZC58OJ3UhfY

Step 6: Develop Relationships With Mentors

Two years ago, I worked with life coach and I loved it. Since I did not have a coaching accreditation or previous experience, and needed to learn what the hell a coach does, I emailed my former coach and mentioning that I was starting in lifestyle coaching. She read the 4 hour work week and  was excited about the concept as well.

So, she walked through some of the most important things about being a coach, including:
What is most satisfying about a life coach? What’s the process of working with a client?

Here’s our recorded conversation

I interviewed two other established coaches.

Camille Preston, AimLeadership.com

Camille, an established coach who consulted for fortune 500 companies and the CIA, mentioned something that really struck me, to be a successful,  life coach you don’t really need to be certified. Life coaching as a niche, is so saturated, that it’s important to set oneself apart. A “coach” must work on a specific problem, company or individual and build a brand and a reputation. This is far more important than a accreditation, and many coaches are successful life coaches, without having formal coaching credentials..

This realization, that I can start coaching without having formal credentials, was helpful. Especially given the unique niche of Lifestyle Design coaching, where accreditation doesn’t really exist.

Dr. Jackie Martin,
My conversation with Dr Jackie martin, taught me about the passion of helping others evolve as people. And that authenticity and sincerity are critically important if a coach is to be successful. She walked me through her process for coaching, and even demonstrated it on me, by first asking me “What is your purpose?” I stammered for a bit, then gave what I felt was a canned response, “to help people succeed…” Her response, “all I hear is just words”. I recoiled at first, then realized, that it was true. They were just words and there wasn’t much feeling behind the words “to help people succeed”, and as an experienced coach, she was willing to call me out on that. I had to sincerely reconsider the rather deep question.  This was a great learning experience, and without authentic and sincere in her approach, I don’t think I would’ve responded the same.

Step 7: Learn Sales

Sales are my favorite part of any project. I’ve had experience selling my services as a freelance web designer 3 years ago by cold calling prospects on Craig’s list. I also recommend Brian Tracy’s Success Mastery Academy, which dives into sales and personal success.

Step 8: Sell and Deliver Your Services Within Your Social Economy

My first paying customer.

My father!

My father is 5’10, weighs 280 lbs, and recently started having ongoing chest pains. This Christmas, rather than having a regular dinner with the family, it turned into an intervention, with me leading. I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do such a thing if it wasn’t for this past month of coaching, I had with my peers. In the end, my family and I came up with  a routine for my dad to follow, including weekly calls with me, a diet, and a personal trainer (his Christmas present)

In the end

I enjoyed helping my friends so much, that I now, I set aside Friday afternoon, just for helping others. These past few weeks, I’ve scheduled a number of calls with friends in my circle that need help with little things such as Pay Per Click ads, setting up website, or starting a new muse, and I’m happy to share my advice, and talk, even if it’s just to help them clarify their thoughts.