The entrepreneurial journey has taught me a lot. Most of all, the lesson that ‘if I desire to help, then I must first do!’
During this journey I haven’t only chosen my path to walk in business intuitively, I have also made sure I experienced (at least once) some of the things I preferred to naturally stay away from.
Why on earth would I do this, I hear you ask.
Well, although my instincts would say I don’t need to adopt certain tactics, structures or narratives, I still felt called to explore them. To better understand them, the approach and appreciate why they weren’t for me, apart from the head, heart and gut instinct.
It would be fair to say then that I have done a lot of things in business that I knew wouldn’t be my path or my way forward. Rather than be deterred naturally by my intuition, I made conscious choices to experience a bit of what I was repelled by, so I had the experience under my belt and I wasn’t solely guided by instincts.
To me this is a prime example of marrying my logical thinking side with the intuitive to explore and understand my real comfort and discomfort zones.
What happened though when I stepped into this space of experimentation was magical, because I had no attachment to the outcome. I went into business situations with the pure intention of experiencing them. That was it!
I feel that this makes me a much more well-rounded and receptive individual, experimental, not too ‘woo- woo’ but plenty at the same time, because I know I’m always looked out for.
It’s not that I am going against the grain to be difficult or challenging or testing my intuition. It’s more that through challenges, for me, there is always growth. So, when I know I do not want to do something I do not do it, unless it’s something I am speculating about, something I could learn from, something that makes me feel uncomfortable yet I know could teach me something and make me a better version of myself. For example, applying for awards, submitting articles, speaking on stage, hosting events and going through rigorous training!
This approach has made me a better Coach and Mentor to my clients as I can guide them on real life experiences through variables. Not just what I specifically do and believe works for me. I can see the pros and the cons to a multitude of ways to build a business and develop a career. I encourage them to experiment and try things out as well. It’s the best way to know what you like and don’t like in business and life for that matter. Instead of making hypothetical choices, that may limit your opportunities outside of that comfort zone, of what you know.
Now there are obviously limits to this thinking, but here’s some of the things I tested out, against the judgement I knew to be true, and the results:
I knew I wanted to be an organic marketer, building my business through referrals and success stories. Yet I played around with facebook ads in the past to give me exposure to knowing how they work and how to use them if needed. Honestly it did nothing for me in regards reaching people but I feel really confident talking about them now and the power of social media on that specific platform so my clients can weigh up if they want to use that strategy or not.
I knew I didn’t want to limit my clients to joining my programs during my launch times, I felt that if someone was ready they were ready and my schedule of programs and launch timetable was irrelevant. So, I allowed people to jump into my group programs when they felt called to, and this worked, until this year when it no longer felt aligned. Yes, it felt scary to launch something, especially a new membership and close the doors, but I had tried the other way and in this case it felt messy and disrespectful of those building the community. Goes to show things can and do change.
I have used the phrase ‘I only have 2 more 1:1 coaching places, and 4 more calls this week so if you want a spot please can you let me know within 24hrs.’ I knew it was a douche move, regardless that it was true. I don’t really roll like this, but I had to try it on and see the response and whether I could pull it off. Needless to say, if felt yuck, did nothing for me – thankfully I said it to someone I knew wasn’t really committed – and it did nothing for them. Experiment experienced, never to be repeated I proved myself right on that one.
I agreed to payment plans with people I knew had no intention of actually paying, but I so wanted to help them, so I stayed, committed and supported them. Lesson here was they weren’t that committed as they weren’t invested so no change occurred, even though I put my heart and soul into their transformation. Expensive exercise in time, money and emotion. This is no longer repeated. I value me, money and my client’s perceptions of those things too!
I went for coffee with an acquaintance and thought she was batty, never imagined she would be interested in working with me, but I wanted to be nice. Turned out she was the most serious and amazing client ever! To this day, she blows me away.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many more!
But what all of these experiences taught me, were:
to trust in my own intuition and calling,
to be less judgemental and assuming when making choices what to do and not do.
to release the attachment I place on the outcomes and learn, value the experience and know that as long as my intention is to grow and expand I will always win!
I encourage you to weigh up the ‘pro’s’ and ‘con’s’ of going ahead with options and opportunities on alignment alone. Value the lesson in the rejected or repellent idea, as what you may choose to dislike today, may well surprise you tomorrow.
Think more, what could this provide me in growth and experience, and less of whether you’re likely to succeed and I assure you that you will develop and grow though the experience every time with that mindset!
With Gratitude always,
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an International Award Winner in Business, and Internationally Accredited Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner, Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Co-Author of the book ‘You Are Meant For More‘.
Alison is committed to helping you mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
When you are sick, you do not self diagnose, you go see a Doctor. Who is an expert at getting you well again.
When your car is faulty you do not tinker with it to try and figure it out, you go to an expert a Mechanic to do what they do best and get your vehicle road worthy again.
When you have an issue with your plumbing, heating or electrics, you go seek out a professional to get the job done right the first time and well, so you are safe, compliant and covered.
So why is it when you start out in Business you think that you do not need an expert to help you establish yourself?
This is the normal behaviour and thinking of what I see, to go it alone and struggle. So, I would like to tell you why you are making a vital mistake with this logic.
Your business is an expression of you. You are the most important person in your life and this soul business you are establishing is not only being created to bring you an income to support all your material needs, it is bringing vitality to your life force too.
When you are designing a purposeful Business why would you put yourself on hold, or in the practise arena. When you can seek out an expert to build you and your business in a shorter, more efficient and effective time. So that you can start reaping the benefits of this new found freedom?
I used to be safe with my money, I used to make sure I didn’t over extend myself. Until one day I realised I couldn’t keep putting myself last in the priorities, or waiting to make money before spending it.
When you are designing a purposeful Business why would you put yourself on hold, or in the practise arena. When you can seek out an expert to build you and your business in a shorter, more efficient and effective time. So that you can start reaping the benefits of this new found freedom?
I invested in a Coach to be the expert in business to support me to get my brand, my life and my expertise crafted quickly, efficiently and practically.
This was not only an investment in a coach but in myself and my future.
I can tell you that I never regretted this investment because quite simply I am the very best investment I can ever make, because I’m a sure thing. Counting on myself and working on myself will always be critical to my success, and learning from experts as I go is fundamental.
When you invest like this and show the world you are stepping up, the world steps up to meet you where you are at, it is expansive and extraordinary. This is quite simply what you’ve been willing into existence, but you have to show your commitment to be able to receive your match.
So tell me….
• Do you believe you are a sure thing?
• Are you worth investing in?
• Is there anyone else out there that’s an expert you could learn from?
• Are you terrified to back yourself?
Whether you say yes or no to any or all of those questions it doesn’t matter because I can tell you right now, You are a sure thing, you are worthy of investing in and there is always someone ahead of you in the game that you can learn from and of course you’re always a little terrified to back yourself because failing is scary and so is succeeding, believe it or not!
If you have a desire to be in a purposeful business but are lost as to what that looks like, then I am the expert to help you. I can see intuitively what you bring to the world and the potential and possibilities to create something magical. Just check out my testimonials.
And, if you have a conscious business that you are looking to begin, design, build, develop or scale then I am the expert to support you to bring even more of yourself to the world successfully with immense clarity. Just check out my Conscious Creation Business Accelerator, or book in to discuss working with me…
The only decision you really have to make is, are you ready to step into who you are becoming?
Yes or no? Find your expert to help you – simple as that!
So, tell me because I am so curious to know, what do you currently need an expert for in your Business or Life?
With Gratitude always,
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an Internationally Accredited Coach and Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Co-Author of the book ‘You Are Meant For More’.
Alison is committed to helping You mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
I used to cringe at the title ‘Life Coach’, in fact I actively tried everything to avoid using it.
I even got accredited to stand out as a governed and regulated coach in the field to be with the best coaching regulatory body, the International Coach Federation.
I used to see all over social media Coaches popping up offering their value, their unique funnels, systems and programs to get you virtually anything you wanted.
Now let’s be honest, how many of those free sign ups hooked you in because their words and content were just so appealing and you couldn’t resist giving it a try?
I know I bought into the freebies, webinars and challenges in my early days. Yet I never opened any of their genius optins or workbooks and I rarely ever made the webinars live.
Because honestly, I knew the outcome was going to be an upsell, a way to try and get me into a program or something.
Not that there is anything wrong with this, these systems work, and I’ve experienced enough and learnt about them that I honestly know that they can and do. Just not all of them.
Now this process became synonymous to me with the word ‘Coach’ and for me, it didn’t feel right.
Coaching in my book is exploring the depths of a person’s soul and beliefs and experiences to support them to find their own strength and system to manage their way to success. This begins with clarity of what their version of success looks like. And I do not believe there is a system or funnel that can work exactly the same way for everyone. Especially not empaths and intuitives.
There are programs that can share knowledge and teach you to grow and expand your perceptions and thinking, but they cannot speak directly to the soul of each person uniquely without a measure of 1:1 connection with a personal Coach.
Now there are some amazing Coaches, and I know a lot of them, so this is in no way negative to those in the profession, or those who use systems and funnels, everyone has to work in their own unique way. Now, that is what I advocate for.
However my experience has been that for me there was always a disconnect, and I know for a lot of other people too with the over used and confused term of ‘Coach’.
The way in which I ‘Coach’ was always very different, that I honestly didn’t want to conform to a term that seems diluted.
I decided to go out to my clients at the time of starting my business and I asked them what they thought I stood for and what results they got through my unique ways of Coaching.
Each one of them came back with the terms of receiving great Clarity & Success. And that is how I coined the term and title of ‘The Global Clarity & Success Coach.’ It was delivered to me by my Clients.
Why am I telling you all this?
It’s because I have had some discovery calls recently with some sensitive and empathic souls who are here to make a difference in the world. But, they have been burnt. They have been burnt through buying into the funnels, programs and systems or promises from ‘Coaches’ who they thought would care and help them get their Clarity and Success and they were let down.
This has honestly broken my heart.
Yet, having spoken to me about what is different with my group coaching and 1:1 programs they have opened up to trusting me to get them the results they need, personally and professionally.
So, what was the difference that I made to them?
They all said that they felt I cared, that I could see the soul and purpose in their mission and they believed I’d have their back. Because let’s face it, designing your life or business or career is a holistic process.
To me, they felt heard, understood and supported, which is how everyone deserves to feel when they invest in me and themselves.
They are not another acquisition to me, they are not a number. They are souls with purpose, pain, experience and challenges and I sure as hell see them, feel them and support them.
I see their potential, their light and dark and I see the connection. I feel it.
If you have been burnt by other Coaches, Coaching Programs or unfulfilled promises, or courses with no substance and you have been on the fence about trusting someone else to guide you I can honestly say please do not lose hope or sight of your vision.
You just haven’t found your Coach yet.
Finding the Right Coach for you!
We are not all the same and you need to do your research. Here are some questions to ask before jumping in with a Coach. Because I want you to feel empowered and worthy, so ask some or all of these:
• Who is this coach, what do they believe in and stand for?
• Do your values align?
• What promises or guarantees do they make to look after you?
• What is their experience, in life and business?
• How much time will they spend directly with you?
• What is their coaching style?
• How will they check in with you if you’re not showing up or following through?
• What advice do they give, versus coaching & mentoring? (It’s not all the same!)
• What will they do if you’re not satisfied?
You are entitled to understand them, to connect with them and feel into their genuineness, this is ok. If they are the right coach for you they will want you to care and be able to confidently respond, and they will answer their truth.
I am not the Coach for everyone and I appreciate that. Regardless I want you to feel empowered to find the right Coach for you as I believe everyone benefits from a Coach. Specifically the right Coach for them.
I got called ‘The Coach Who Cares’ the other day as a gorgeous soul was in tears, because she felt finally heard, safe and supported.
Now that is the connection you need to make with your Coach.
In my group program you get personalised time, you get your chance to be coached every single week by a coach who cares, by a coach who gets to know you and is invested in you as much as you are. I want to see and feel my clients get success, feel clarity and drive their own results because they have the beliefs and tools to do so, their way.
Yes, I can teach you the funnels, the systems and programs yet I’ll encourage you to do it your way, to break the rules to follow your intuition and inner guidance to get you your version of success. I’ll cry with you, laugh with you and lovingly kick your butt if you need it. But I won’t leave you alone when you need me the most even if you think you want me to. I’ve got your back and business.
So if you want to interview me, to check out my vibes and energy then book in to have a chat, let me show you how different I am from every other ‘Coach’.
I’d love the opportunity to support you to Consciously Create your vision, your way!
With Gratitude always,
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an Internationally Accredited Coach and Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Co-Author of the book ‘You Are Meant For More’.
Alison is committed to helping You mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
Well, this can be an alien concept, when so much of the time we spend wishing for a magical time of year, yet in reality we end up being triggered, a little disappointed, if not overworked and then somewhat under appreciated – sound familiar?
Christmas time and even New Years are prime examples of how imprints of our perceived and entrenched beliefs about this time of year dictate our expectations and what the holidays represent for us each. For me, I grew up dreaming of a white Christmas, a roaring fire, the smell of a freshly cut tree, the sparkle of lights and lots of laughs, traditions and merriment. It was a perfect image I had of happiness and love, a day filled with friends, family, lots of engaging conversation, magic and Christmas movies. Most of the time I actually got a lot of this, but in reality there were other aspects that came with it. Cooking, cleaning, serving, misunderstandings, obligations, and exhaustion for me and others.
My image of Christmas was distorted from movies and my imagination of what I believed Christmas should be, a time when everyone puts aside their differences and lived harmoniously. But in reality who can honestly do that? The pressure we put on ourselves, and more over others, to be able to achieve this is inaccurate and perhaps impossible.
Why should one day be any different than any other? We can decide to put aside all differences, obligations and our expectations of ourselves and others any time when we actually choose to follow through on that singular thought process and intention. It won’t happen automatically, it will take time, but it can be done. And maybe that’s what this time of year actually reminds us of? Our abilities to adapt and change, the holiday season gives us the gift of time, and reflection to be able to make the change and be surrounded by others who are also journeying in the same direction, therefore there’s a greater level of compassion and empathy.
Christmas and the holiday season for me now is more of a stark reminder of the choices I make to be the person I want to be and how if I choose I can temper my behaviours, thought processes and reactions. Even in the time of the most overwhelming emotional world state, which for an empath can be extremely heightened.
So, at this time of year I invite you to get reflective and lower the expectations, by beginning with a light reflection. You can check in on the following to start to support you towards this change of view:
What has your year been filled with, how you have found the majority of your time has been spent? (thinking, feeling & doing)
Have you felt fulfilled and purposeful? When was this?
What feels important for you to acknowledge and address in order to make amends, improve going forwards or be more receptive to in the future? (take each situation in turn to respond, as it comes to mind)
And what do you want Christmas and this holiday season to be a trigger for? Reflection, family time, relaxation, relationships?
What has occurred in this festive season that has enabled you to be more of who you want to be usually (if at all), and how can you invite more of that into your life?
I know that reflecting on the space I’m in, the life I want to live and the legacy I want to leave behind has made me appreciate this time of year in a unique way. I hope that these questions and a little of my perspective will give you pause for a deeper enquiry, to get out of the expectations of Christmas and more into a new way of feeling and being – your way.
Here’s to an enlightening, and happy holiday!
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an Internationally Accredited Coach and Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Co-Author of the book ‘You Are Meant For More’.
Alison is committed to helping You mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
Maybe I’m doing something wrong, what more should I be doing…?
These are all the things I hear from aspiring entrepreneurs and I get it. I was once where you are, and it feels yucky, scary and bleak.
I get it, I truly do.
But you know what I figured out? A way to re-think and see weeks with no income as abundant. And you can to.
You see, when you’re in a regular job or career, you likely only got paid once a month, right? So it doesn’t need to be any different in your Business. Especially when you’re starting out.
You are working everyday towards an income in your business, so you need to make sure at the end of the month your wages pay your needs. Sounds pretty logical. And in fact it was the same at your career job. You had expectations, a job description, tasks to achieve and deadlines to do it by. It is no different when working for yourself, although this is usually where we falter.
This ultimately means putting in solid and focused activities towards your perceived outcome, every single day and not deviating from the plan. Now I could go off on the importance of planning, but I will leave that to another post.
For now, you need to be able to see the cycle of your activity as contributing to something – usually your pay day!
You see, you need to go through a period of establishing your business, which goes through the following stages:
Concept, Creativity & Inspiration – this is where you actively come up with your vision for product or service, you feel excited and cannot wait to get stuck in to making it a reality.
Design, Development and Product – you actually make your moment of inspiration a reality and get cracking on building that which you envisaged to produce your dream. This usually feels like a hard slog, but worth it in the end, this is a time consuming phase.
Marketing and Generating Sales – this is the sticky bit, now you have your thing, how do you tell people about it? You might feel lost, or disappointed at this phase, or mildly optimistic. This is your first go round, go gentle and tap into your stage 1 excitement to share that with the world.
Providing Services or Products in the abundance exchange – you start to deliver your offering and receive in exchange, which feels great – but you begin to feel the catch up of what you’ve been through to get here, sometimes it can feel as though it wasn’t worth it. Again, it gets easier the more frequently you do it. And now you have one thing, so you’ll always have it.
Do you see, there’s actually only 1 of the 4 stages where you are receiving income, in the beginning of your Business, or with a new service. The rest of the time you are actively generating activity to lead to the outcome of serving your people and ultimately being recompensed for doing so.
This is why making sure you are taking aligned action in one of these stages every single day feels purposeful.
When you can see this cycle of activity and you get comfortable with your outputs and you keep on creating and repeating, this is when you start to scale your Business.
But for now my gorgeous aspiring entrepreneur you are starting, you are building and you need to allow yourself permission and time to go through this process to truly know what’s working for you and your Business.
When you have one offering that is working well for you and your audience, that is when you can scale. That is when you can build more and spend more time in each of these areas while you have other strategies ongoing in the other service.
You see, you are one person, you are all things to everyone – but mostly you are striving to make a difference and you are doing so.
Just remember whichever phase or stage you are in within the cycle of your Business, you are learning, growing and establishing and these things take time.
Be kind and considerate of yourself and take aligned action every darn day, knowing that you are creating this cycle of activity that is aligned for you, your business and your customers.
One person (thats you) will make the difference you strive to, as long as you acknowledge and respect the process you will go through to get there.
If you want to know more about Business Building and how I can support you, I am opening up Applications to invite in my Ideal Soul Client to join my Conscious Creation Business Accelerator Program.
If you are wanting to be supported, to learn and grow with like minded Spiritual Boss Babes Apply Now for your free discovery call – you honestly have no idea how magical Business can be when you are in the company of total Inspiration, Community and Support.
Alison xoxo
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an Internationally Accredited Coach and Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator and Speaker.
Committed to helping You mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
There are a few things I have come to realise that your audience and your potential customers need to know about you and your business, and I’m betting that they currently don’t.
If you are an empathic and intuitive aspiring or conscious entrepreneur this information is going to be key to connecting and growing your audience and building your business.
And if you implement these three things now, you will build your business, without question!
Firstly, I’d like you to think very carefully about how you currently share your products, programs or services with your audience or potential clients now. Are you confident that they clearly know what you offer? And how they can work with you, and progress working with you?
Maybe they know what your programs or products are called, or what you sell – but do they know the Benefits of what you offer?
Tip 1 – Share the benefits of working with you first
Everyone can have fancy named programs over a certain period of time or epic content, but honestly, people need to know what that’s going to give them, do for them or how it will enhance their life or business in order to buy into it.
So always lead with the benefits first. They can have all the other information once they know they need the benefit.
Now, why are those benefits important to you? This is probably something that not a lot of people mention. But in order for you to truly understand these benefits your audience and or potential customers need to understand why you’re the one to get them through – why not go somewhere else, to someone else?
Consider these things and adjust the way in which you share your benefits, it ill start to make an impact for you and your audience.
Tip 2 – Connect the importance of the benefit with your specific why
Now, if you truly want to connect to your audience, and build a relationship with them, have them understand you and form a connection to you, so that they trust, like and know you. Please tell them your why.
Why is it so important for you to deliver this said benefit, what does it mean to you?
Now this is where it can feel too vulnerable to share, but there are ways of showing layers of experience in your own time, but allow your passion for delivering this said benefit to shine through – it makes all the difference to your audience, truly.
This is possibly the hardest part for intuitive empaths in business to give time too, but it is so worth it for yourselves and others.
Tip 3 – Share your value, be the expert that your audience need
It can be hard to acknowledge and appreciate your own worthiness and the results you have created through your epic business. And often times we do not spend enough time savouring our accomplishments.
But our audience and and our potential customers need to know we acknowledge this and honour it as part of the process. Because we are becoming leaders in our fields, experts within our businesses and providing the products and services we do, have and are.
This is more than confidence, this is in fact appreciating your own value and sharing it with the world, knowing the benefits you give and connecting that to how you have journeyed from your why.
You see everything is connected for us, as the business owner, we just have to make that connection for our potential clients and customers and share from a place of undeniable truth in our abilities. Do not waver or shake, stand firm and know the magic you bring through fulfilling your purpose.
Give your potential client and audience the same unwavering faith and confidence in you, and they will be called to work with you.
This is authentic marketing, this is Conscious Business Building and this is a taste of what you get when you work with me.
If you’d like to discuss how together we could Accelerate you and your Business authentically then schedule your discovery call now – I’m looking forward to talking to you.
Alison xo
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an Internationally Accredited Coach and Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator and Speaker.
Committed to helping You mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an International Award Winner in Business, and Internationally Accredited Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner, Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Co-Author of the book ‘You Are Meant For More‘.
