Let your business inspiration soar when you fly solo ...

I’ve updated the “Rent Sheryl’s Brain” page. Here’s how.

Sheryl’s Brain: Not Just For Lawyers Anymore

The biggest news is probably the expansion of my coaching services beyond the legal profession to service professionals of all stripes. This might seem strange if you’ve never hired a coach before, but the skills a coach uses are transferable across a number of businesses. Of course, I still welcome lawyers; you’re a special breed, with a special place in my heart.

Overview of Coaching Services

When I started coaching, I began by asking myself a number of fairly simple questions. While the questions are simple, though, the process of answering them definitely isn’t. Those questions:

1. What am I good at?
2. What do I suck at?
3. What do I love to do?
4. What do I hate to do?
5. What do I perhaps love to do, and am maybe even good at, but have no business doing?
6. Who do I want to work with?

I figured out that I’m good at dreaming big, and at turning those dreams into workable plans. Actually, I kick ass at that. I suck at doing that in the context of personal relationships, though, so if your problem centers around getting along with your senior partner, you’ll probably want to find another coach.

I’m no good at doing technical work for others. That surprised me, frankly. I’ve always set up my own blogs (with one exception), and I’ve never had any real problems doing so. But I tried doing the technical set-up work for folks awhile back, and I can safely say it wasn’t exactly a resounding success. So I found people who were genius at it and loved to do it. I refer technical problems to those folks.

I’m also good at teaching others to do their own technical work. I think that’s odd, given that I’m no good at doing it myself. Perhaps this is the pseudo-proof behind the hateful old adage “those who can’t, teach.” But, in the very limited context of blogs and websites and me, it’s true.

I have no business coaching others in substantive legal issues. If you want to work on your litigation skills, or draft better documents, your needs are best served by someone else.

I want to work with people who are intrigued by the possibility of dreaming big, much bigger than they’ve let themselves dream in the past. I want to work with people who are willing to transfer thoughts and planning into action. I want to work with people who are willing to give the notion of total personal responsibility for their lives and outcomes a try. If you’re dead set on blaming mom or your senior partner or the prof who hated you in med school, I’m probably not the best fit for you.

I’ve developed a few packaged services that might help you out, in three basic categories.

1. Blogging and Social Media
2. The “Going Solo” Decision
3. Established Solo Practices

Blogging and Social Media Services

If you just don’t get Twitter, or you want a blog but aren’t sure where to begin, or have a blog but aren’t getting the results you want, check out the Blogging and Social Media Coaching Services page.

I can help you make sense of it all, and design a comprehensive approach that doesn’t suck the juice out of your days and make you see little “@” symbols when you close your eyes at night. (Worse: I actually dreamed in HTML code one time. Trippy. And bad.) There’s a solution for bloggers who need an objective analysis of their work and site, and one for bloggers who want some help getting going, or reaching their traffic goals, or communicating more effectively with their targeted readers. There’s also the option of straight-up by-the-hour solutions for specific blog or social media problems.

The “Going Solo” Decision

Ah, The Decision. Always capitalized. Always intimidating. Sometimes you wrestle with it for years. Sometimes it comes upon you in a blazing epiphany (usually after a grossly-unfair and completely vague associate review). And sometimes you fall into it because you have no other options. However you get there, you might want someone to bounce things off of — preferably someone who’s been there, done that.

I can offer you a few options, depending on your needs and budget. The most economical option is the Small-Group Solo Flight Course, in which I take 3 to 7 people through my six-week course designed to help you organize your thoughts and feelings about whether to go solo. Its purpose is to allow you a structured way to gather critical information, discuss it with like-minded potential solos, and truly design the work and personal life of your dreams.

If you’d prefer to work one-on-one with me, you can choose the One-on-One Solo Coaching package, which can be used to cover any aspect of solo practice, from the decision through planning and preparation to launch and beyond. It’s not just for professionals who haven’t yet decided to move forward with solo practice.

Established Solo Practices

Every coach, it seems, has some kind of mastermind group package, and I guess I’m no different with Solo Superstars.

The reason we all gravitate towards these programs, though, is that they work. The energy in a group of highly committed and empowered people working together to further personal goals is just indescribable. I’ve participated in a few groups such as this myself, and while this will be my first time leading a mastermind group (although I’ve led groups on a more targeted focus), I know without doubt that I’ll get as much out of it as the participants will.

Finally, there’s the Solos Time-Out program, which is a regular monthly teleconference I’ll be leading on specific, predetermined topics which are applicable to any group of solo service professionals. I’ve already prepared the first few conferences, and brainstormed ideas for several more, such as:

• Time management – going beyond “Getting Things Done” to getting it all done, on time and under budget
• Business planning for solos – why you should take the time for regular business growth planning, and how to do that as a solo
• Creating an empowered support staff – hiring the right people is just the first step; in this conference, we’ll explore how to empower your employees and create true ambassadors for your brand
• Managing your online reputation – how to keep tabs on what folks are saying about you online, and making sure the best, most relevant information comes up first in search engine results
• Getting and staying healthy – your personal health is your greatest asset; in this call, I’ll give you some simple ideas to incorporate healthier habits into your hectic schedule to raise and maintain energy levels and keep yourself well
• Hiring consultants and coaches – how to tell when you need help, and how to find the best person for your particular problem

These aren’t firm and fast topics, by the way.  I’ll announce each month’s topic within a week of the previous conference, and feedback from TIS readers and clients will be a primary factor in that decision. If I keep getting a lot of questions about a particular aspect of solo life, chances are you will probably see it in an upcoming Time-Out conference.

Questions?

If you have any questions about any of these services or programs, I want to hear from you. Just use the contact form on this site and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.