“Listen to advice and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”  Proverbs 19:20

What does a 4th grade basketball player playing on their first real team and the top scorer in the NBA have in common? They both have coaches.

If you’re thinking of starting your own business, a business coach can be extremely helpful in discerning what steps need to be taken to reach your goals.

And let’s be honest: thanks to the internet, starting your own business is a possibility for the majority of Americans, whether it’s the full-time gig for a recent college graduate or the side hustle for a stay-at-home mom. Personally I fall smack dab in the middle of the latter group.

The Business of Coaching

A few months ago, I started a mental health blog where I write about my experiences of living with bipolar disorder as a Catholic woman, wife, and mother.  I wanted to reach out to other mothers struggling with their mental health, but I didn’t necessarily feel called to being a therapist or a counselor.  After doing some research, the job that came closest to what I thinking of was “life coach” (a term that I’m not in love with, but for lack of a better one, there it is).

The more I prayed about it, the more questions I had about the business side of this idea. I was good with vision and details as far as connecting with others go, but I didn’t know where to start on the business and legal end of things.

My Coaching Session

So you can imagine my excitement when I was listening to The Catholic Feminist podcast one day and CWIB’s Emma Moran and Elise Crawford Gallagher were guests.

 I was thrilled to find out that there were business junkies out there who were young, successful Catholic women and a wellspring of knowledge that I needed.

After further research, I discovered that Emma was a small business coach for creatives.  I wasn’t quite sure I fell under the category of “creative,” but I was confident that I needed some advice. Her first consulting call was free (as many are), so I figured I had nothing to lose and I scheduled a consultation.  

The process was ridiculously easy. I chose a time that worked from her schedule, wrote up a quick idea of what I needed help with, and hit the “Confirm” button.  I received a confirmation email from Emma personally within the next 24 hours. She was very honest about not being sure if we would be a good fit, but she was still very open to the consultation, as was I.

Our phone call was set for the evening, after my kids went to bed, and it was SO GOOD.  The Holy Spirit was fully present and it was so wonderful to talk with a real business coach and get some real objective feedback. Our conversation could not have been smoother and it felt like I was talking to an old friend.

What I Learned

Ultimately, it was made very clear to me during our conversation, that while I was excited to plunge into this business endeavor, I was going to have to be patient.  Business ideas may come and go, but true missions do not.

I realized I needed to hone in my ability to focus on others first, particularly given with what I feel called to do. I don’t want to start a business to talk about myself – rather, I want to use my strengths of intuition and connection to help others. Emma was really helpful in allowing me to gain clarity in this vision, and was extremely supportive and honest in her feedback.  She helped me define the “what” and “why” of my vision, which is fundamental for anybody wanting to go into business.

At the time of our conversation, I was considering the online Master’s program in Psychology through Divine Mercy University, which seemed to be a perfect fit for my interests and state of life.  Thanks to that consulting call, I am now enrolled and starting classes in May. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to write about my personal mental health journey on my blog and discern what this future business could look like. And when the time is right, you can bet I will be giving Emma another call.

Whether you’re in the beginning stages of envisioning your business, or you’re in a rut and need a new perspective, I believe that having a business coach can be a highly valuable, if not necessary, asset.

After all, even the top scorer of the NBA was once a 4th grade basketball player – and I doubt he fulfilled his potential without some good coaches along the way.

Talia Kruse is a wife, mom, and lover of the faith. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 24, she seeks to spread the message that joy is still entirely possible in the vocation motherhood and marriage, even with mental illness. When she isn’t studying to become a life coach or wrangling up her toddlers, you can find her washing dishes, having coffee with friends, reading, sewing, or blogging over at deardymphna.com.