6 Lessons to Build and Grow your Parent Coach Business by Parent Coach Club

build your business

PARENTCOACH

I SHARE

LESSONS

TO HELP BUILD AND GROW

A SUCCESSFUL

PARENT COACH

BUSINESS

Eliminate

Find Your

Take the

SELF-DOUBT

COMMUNITY

FIRST STEP

CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT ONE STEP AT A TIME

If you are a Parent Coach

J O I N

L E T ' S O N L I N E

U S

C O N N E C T &

I N

P E R S O N

WELCOME

Welcome you amazing Parent Coach, you! I am so happy to see you here...thank you for investing in your business by downloading this valuable e-book! Within the pages of this e-book I share:

6 lessons to help you build and grow your Parent Coach Business! My specialty is supporting Parent Coaches in building their business by giving them the tools and resources they need. YOU are a heart-centred Parent Coach and you are brilliant at coaching parents, but the business side of running your coaching business may overwhelm you. You may find that you are putting loads of content out in the world, but just not getting the clients to show for it. You are not alone. There is a better way. Let's get started! I don't want to see you struggle one more day. It is time that you created a business that grows and thrives with you at the helm!

Jennifer XOXO Jennifer, Business Coach for Parent Coaches

P.S. Head over to our website now to download FREE resources that help you grow your Parent Coaching Business! 50

Business Coach for Parent Coaches

I help Parent Coaches STAND OUT as leaders in their field. www.jenmccallum.com - page 1

Personal note from Jennifer, It is such a joy to work with Parent Coaches from across the world that have the ability to transform the lives of families. What an honour to work with and know most of you personally. If we haven't had a conversation with you yet, please connect with me. I love hearing what you are doing, how you are impacting families, and how I can support you so you can continue to move your business forward. Here is my calendar link: https://calendly.com/parentguide

Hope to chat soon,

Jennifer McCallum Founder of Parent Guide Inc., since 2001 Business Coach for Parent Coaches

P.S. Head over to our website now to download FREE resources that help you grow your Parent Coaching Business! 50

Business Coach for Parent Coaches

I help Parent Coaches STAND OUT as leaders in their field. www.jenmccallum.com - page 2

contents 09

ELIMINATE SELF-DOUBT

ASK - DON'T ASSUME

You are worthy of success, you have a gift that someone else needs, and you have the ability to create your best life ever.

Always ask your customers what they want...and then find a way to give it to them!

Surround yourself with people that will support and encourage you.

Be grateful and never forget where you started from.

Find a solution to a problem = that is your business.Â

If people don't know what you do, how will they know how to refer you?

FIND YOUR PEOPLE

SOLVE A PROBLEM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 3

BE GRATEFUL & HUMBLE

DEFINE YOUR NICHE

what if the answer to your life and business success was

H U M A N C O N N E C T I O N

here are 3 ways we can

C O N N E C T Join our ParentCoach Community www.parentcoach.club

1:1 Business Coaching for Parent Coaches www.jenmccallum.com

Retreats for Parent Coaches www.jenmccallum.com

www.jenmccallum.com - page 5

ABOUT US I am a mother to four incredible kids, wife of 25 years to an amazing man, and business owner for over 19 years. Creating millions in sales and over 59 published parenting resource books as well as numerous online magazines for parents. Creating a community for Parent Coaches allows me to share everything that I have learned running and growing a successful business over the last 19+ years. My business has changed over the years - but always in the direction that is rooted in my core values and strengths. I believe that family comes first, hustle and long working hours are outdated, and having a peaceful home filled with love is my idea of success (oh, and enough money in the bank to do what we want, when we want!) I would bet that you want that too!

WHAT'S INSIDE You are a brilliant Parent Coach, or else you wouldn't be here wanting to learn and grow. This growth mindset is what will set you up for a successful life and business. Leaning into your gifts, your passions, and your expertise, allows you to find your path toward the work you were meant to do. Throughout the following pages I have shared how I became a Business Coach for Parent Coaches by following what brings me joy, and holds true to my core values. I share 6 valuable lessons to help you build and grow a successful Parent Coach business. I have two main go-to quotes in my business. 1. We rise by lifting others! 2. Community over competition. I believe there is an abundance of work for Parent Coaches in this world and that if we all work together, we can all succeed. It's a beautiful feeling to know that you have a community that is always cheering you on and lifting you up! If you are a Parent Coach and you feel isolated in your work, finding it hard to get clients, and drowning in content overload, you are not alone. We are all in this together and we are here to support you! Parent Coaching combines both worlds of business and family. We talk about hopes and dreams, make plans, set goals, and create our individual idea of success. It is the perfect combination that creates balance, peace, joy, and the freedom that allows us to live our best life ever!

Access Parent Coaches from across THE WORLD right now

Subscribe to our NEW YouTube Channel here! Expert advice when you need it! www.jenmccallum.com - page 8

Lesson #1 - Eliminate Self-Doubt

YOU ARE WHAT YOU TELL YOURSELF YOU ARE...SO CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY. YOU ARE WORTHY OF SUCCESS, YOU HAVE A GIFT THAT SOMEONE ELSE NEEDS, AND YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE YOUR BEST LIFE EVER. JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 9

ELIMINATE SELF-DOUBT I am not ready. I don’t know enough. So many other people are more qualified. I don’t have enough time. I really don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t think I can do it. What if I fail? Does this sound familiar? I know it does, because we all have these voices in our head telling us this every day. And if we listen to these voices, we don't move our business forward. There is a way to change our brains...and I am about to show you exactly how to do this so that you can end this self-sabotage and start creating the life you deserve and a thriving Parent Coach business!

My hopes is that this book can help you change your inner voice and help guide you to knowing that you are ready, you are what you tell yourself you are, and you have a gift that needs to be shared. Let's work together to change our negative self-talk to positive and the truth we tell ourselves will sound more like this: I am ready. There has never been a better time. I am smart and qualified. I will make time for what I love. I know how to get support. I can do it. I cannot succeed if I don’t follow my passion. I must try. Let’s change these negative statements made out of fear, to positive encouragement and love...because you are worthy of success!

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TAKE THE FIRST STEP You may wonder how we are going to do this, but first think about times when you were about to try something new and you didn’t have fear? The first time you rode a bike, the first time you drove, or the first time you asked someone out…or asked someone to marry you! When you try something new you are taking a risk of either succeeding or failing. It's scary, right? Becoming an entrepreneur is all about taking risks, each and every day and these negative thoughts are only natural. Everyone has these same questions and fears, only a small few decide to face these fears, and push forward. This fear is what will drive you forward to succeed in business or stop you from ever trying. But let’s turn that fear around…first things first…start using different words to drive yourself forward, break through the fear and become the success that you deserve to be.

"WHEN YOU TRY SOMETHING NEW YOU ARE TAKING A RISK OF EITHER SUCCEEDING OR FAILING."

I started my business in 2001, 2 years after I first started thinking about it. I had a problem, I found a solution, and I knew I could help others. So, what stopped me from starting in 1999? It wasn’t my husband, he was always incredibly supportive, it wasn’t my family or friends…it was me!!! I was a new mom and that was terrifying enough…thinking I could start a business was just not imaginable. After 2 years of talking about it (to anyone that would listen) I decided to take the first step. Start! Oh, and a sister that came over every week to ask me why I was still talking and not doing! (thank you Nancy!) The problem I had to solve was finding parenting information and resources to make the right decisions for my family! I had questions like "where can I find breastfeeding support, playgroups, research on best practices, and, how do I raise a happy, healthy child, how do I balance work and life, how do I listen to my own gut and not the negative judgements of the world, how do I end parent guilt and be more sure of my decisions?"

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Fast forward a few months later when I found it difficult to find information about things like: cloth diapering, organic food, community playgroups, and daycare options. I felt like it was a full time job to research all the choices I had to make as a parent, and in the process was saddened by the time I was missing out on just enjoying my new baby.

I thought it would be easier to be a parent, but soon after we brought our first child home from the hospital I realized that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have all the tools I needed. I had a difficult time breastfeeding. At the time, all I had were bags of pamphlets and fliers (pre-Google days!) and family and friends with lots of different advice. We ended up back in hospital with our new baby a few days after the birth. It was a traumatic experience for all of us and thanks to the fabulous nurses, we were able to make it through and leave a few days later with a healthy baby.

There had to be a better way...and I knew I wasn't alone. If I was going through this, there must be other parents out there who had the same trouble finding information.

"THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER WAY...I KNEW I WASN'T ALONE."

Lesson #2 - Ask, don't assume what your customers want

...ALWAYS ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT...AND THEN FIND A WAY TO GIVE IT TO THEM! JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 13

TURN FAILURE INTO LESSONS How could I help other parents? Maybe a pamphlet would help, one that listed all the community resources – something like the phone book (remember them?) but just for parents??? But I had another problem - I wanted to raise my kids – I didn’t want to go back to my office job – missing their first step, first words...I just couldn’t do it. How could I manage to stay home? I needed a solution. I grew up in an entrepreneurial home, my mother and father both trained teachers gave up the security of a paycheque to live their dream of farming and raising their kids in the country…and eventually becoming incredibly successful entrepreneurs. Having this upbringing gave me, and my four sisters, an inner knowledge that we could make anything happen…if we were passionate about it. My parents were strong, focused, and smart people, having both huge successes and failures, showing us the beauty and freedom of being an entrepreneur and creating the life of your dreams.

It is maybe because of this upbringing that led me to start my first business in college (and the fact that I knew there was more to life than Mister Noodles for every meal☺) I began baking muffins and selling them to the other students in residence. It took a while to turn a small profit, and although it wasn’t my million-dollar idea, I did learn a lot. My biggest takeaways from the experience was how to research, work with a partner, market, and really listen to my customers.

"...ALWAYS ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT...AND THEN FIND A WAY TO GIVE IT TO THEM." One good example was that I LOVED Red River Bran Muffins…and without asking around first, I quickly found out I must have been the only one. Those muffins did not sell well and they cost a lot to make. But, when the chocolate chip muffins were ready, they always sold out before they left the pan. It was a great experience and gave me some tools to take forward into my next venture...always ask your customers what they want...and then find a way to give it to them!

www.jenmccallum.com - page 14

Lesson #3 - Find your people

"SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT WILL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE YOU" JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 15

LEARN FROM OTHERS After college I was always thinking about business ideas…but never having the courage to branch out on my own, I continued to work for others. This time allowed me to gain useful experience in many areas from sales, to management, to negotiation, and most importantly, patience. I looked at each job as a stepping-stone to my future and the reason why, when I was ready, I would be successful. It is really interesting to me that for most of my life I have thought about, talked about, and dreamt about starting a business, but after I had my baby, when I actually had a business idea in front of me, I wasn’t thinking, “what a great business idea!” I was thinking, what an awful problem I had, and I bet others have the same problem. I wanted to make parenting easier for others so that they didn’t have to go through what we did. This is sometimes how things happen. It is kind of like the saying that when you stop looking for that special someone, you find them. My business started out as a need to find a solution to my problem…not intended to be a business at all…only to provide a solution for other parents.

It was during this time that I realized the value of surrounding myself with people that would support and encourage me. Trust me, there were many days that I wanted to give up. I found a network of people that knew the intricacies of running a business. I spoke with all my sisters who were already brilliant and successful entrepreneurs, and I found myself a Business Coach. I went to networking groups, read hundreds of book, took courses, and listened to anyone that could offer new perspectives and ideas to grow my business. It was an exhilarating time. So much to learn and not enough hours in the day! Looking back, I know I wouldn't be where I am now without all the support that I received in those early years of my business.

"I LOOKED AT EACH JOB AS A STEPPING-STONE TO MY FUTURE AND THE REASON WHY, WHEN I WAS READY, I WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL."

www.jenmccallum.com - page 16

Lesson #4 - Be Grateful & Humble

"BE GRATEFUL AND NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU STARTED FROM." JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 17

RECOGNIZE OPPORTUNITY AND BE GRATEFUL FOR EACH STEP FORWARD And this next part is exactly how I started to turn this idea into a business to help others… just one step…I picked up the phone. Let me repeat that because this is the most important step – I picked up the phone. I called the maternal newborn care units at the local hospitals and asked them if they would hand out a pamphlet of resources if I put it together. Without question, they agreed. Now to figure out how to do this. To put things in perspective, this was a really difficult time for my husband and I. Living a life of fun, travelling, and not a lot of savings, we started a family with a naive notion that all would work out. One baby, one income, and then along came baby number two and no income. My husband was in-between jobs when our second child came along. We were young, so happy to have two beautiful, healthy children, but so worried each and every day about how we would pay our bills. It feels like a whole other life when I look back on it now…the fear always in the back of our minds that we wouldn’t be able to pay the mortgage that month, and that we would have to borrow money from family (nothing terrifies me more).

We always had food on the table, able to grow some veggies in the back yard but we certainly did without all the things that I feel we take for granted now. I remember one specific day during this time…it was early summer and, not having a penny to our names I decided to search through our winter coats to see if there was any change… luck would have it that I found a few quarters. I put the kids in the stroller and walked up to Tim Hortons (if you are a Canadian reading this...you know how we treasure our Timmies:). I ordered a small coffee and a couple of Tim Bits and took the kids to the park. (And, yes I shared my Tim Bits:) I can tell you without a doubt that was the best coffee I had ever had in my ENTIRE life! I swore to myself that I would never forget that moment, how grateful I was to have a simple coffee, how sweet it tasted…it tasted like hope. Ok…that’s a bit hoaky but honestly, it was a pivotal moment in my life…I had a few of these moments in my life, but this tops the list.

"BE GRATEFUL AND NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU STARTED FROM."

www.jenmccallum.com - page 18

So, at this point we have a toddler and a newborn – no money, no job prospects, and a promise to the local hospitals that I would deliver them a pamphlet of resources. How would I make this happen? Well, I needed money to pay for the printing. I had to look at it like a business. With a lot of family encouragement and an amazingly supportive hubby, it started… We had a computer in my office, which happened to be the closet in our living room. We had a very small house and even smaller with all the things that come along with babies…swing, highchair, toys, little clothing that always seemed to be in piles in the living room etc etc. We had a phone, actually a landline – remember them? And that was about it. Keep in mind that this was just the start of email, not everyone had a computer at work or at home, and I don’t even think Google was born yet…or just born…I will have to look that up!

"I NEEDED MONEY TO PAY FOR THE PRINTING... I HAD TO LOOK AT IT LIKE A BUSINESS."

I had a conversation with my brother-in-law, and he mentioned he had a fax machine that he wasn’t using. I accepted the fax machine and started sending out a letter with a signup form to local businesses and organizations that work with parents. Did they want to be listed as a trusted parenting resource in this pamphlet? I would send these faxes out after the kids were in bed – and I would finish up around 1:00 a.m. each night/morning! This is how it started. I would make my follow-up calls during the kids nap times (being as quiet as I could so they wouldn’t wake up early) and send my faxes out at night. This would have been a perfect plan if my sweet new baby would ever sleep – but just so things weren’t too easy, she decided that she would only sleep in my arms and heaven forbid that I lay her down in her crib. This made things a bit more challenging, and I know there were super difficult days, and many days that nothing happened with my business, but now that she is a teenager, I treasure that time I had holding her. I also have something so sweet to tease her about, especially when her friends are around.

THE ROLLERCOASTER And this went on for a few weeks and then this… I am not ready. I don’t know enough. So many other people are more qualified. I don’t have enough time. I really don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t think I can do it. What if I fail? Starting your own business is like riding a rollercoaster - every single day. It starts out good – I can do this…and then, I don’t know what I’m doing…and then, wow – someone is paying me to do this, and then…I can’t do this…and so on, and so forth. Couple that with the insecurities that come along with being a new parent and it is a recipe for disaster that is triggered by selfdoubt.

"ALWAYS GET A QUOTE BEFORE THE WORK IS STARTED..."

And then this happened…. A local business sent me a cheque for $140 to advertise in my pamphlet. And then another company sent me a cheque, and so on and so on. It wasn’t long before I had just enough to pay for the printing of these pamphlets, only these pamphlets ended up to be a 100 page, spiral bound book! A book…but I knew nothing about printing a book! I sourced out a local printer to work with. This experience happened to be a huge learning curve for me and taught me many lessons that I have used since, such as – ALWAYS get a quote BEFORE the work is started and have a good idea of what you want BEFORE you start paying someone to produce your product. I will share many more lessons another time…but these two are definitely my go-to reminders each time I begin a new relationship with anyone for products or services.

Lesson #5 - Solve a Problem

"FIND A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM = THAT IS YOUR BUSINESS." JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 21

FIND A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM That first year, with a toddler and 5 month-old baby, we delivered our books to the hospitals as promised. I kept my expenses very low...not taking an income and I was able to make just enough to pay for the printing. What a celebration we had! I CAN do this! Each year, the business grew – not only in revenue, but also in other locations. By year three we added a book in another city, by year four we added two more books. I summarized this all with a quick snapshot of how I got started, skipping over so much, but the biggest takeaway that I can give you here is….find a need...pick up the phone…take that first step…you will never succeed if you don't start! Oh...and believe in yourself! I had a problem and I found a solution. My problem grew into a very successful business, with revenue in the millions and over 59 resource books printed to date! Sounds easy, right? Trust me it wasn’t – I made a lot of mistakes – but I learned from each mistake and used those lessons to continue to grow my business. Beginning with a resource book for parents of newborns, it grew into added resource books for parents of children starting school, and most recently, for parents of teenagers.

Over the years I have mentored and coached many entrepreneurs. I have helped them start, grow, and scale their business all while finding and keeping the joy and excitement for life. Now, I have the pleasure of supporting only Parent Coaches by offering Business Coaching, a supportive community, and opportunities to learn and connect with each other online and in person. I don't know a family that couldn't benefit from having a Parent Coach - I have hired them and I know first-hand the value of their work. This is why I want to support them in doing what they do best. By niching my Business Coaching to supporting Parent Coaches, I am able to serve them in an authentic way, focused on exactly what they need help with, and building a community that will stand behind them.

Lesson #6 - Define your Niche

"IF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DO, HOW WILL THEY KNOW HOW TO REFER YOU?" JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 23

YOUR NICHE Here we are at, what I consider the most valuable exercise you can do in your business - define your niche! But before we dive into defining your niche, let's review the first 5 lessons in this book that will help you continue to build and grow a thriving Parent Coach Business!

So far we have covered 5 lessons: 1. Eliminate Self-Doubt (Mindset) 2. Ask, don't assume (Market Research) 3. Find your community (Connection) 4. Be grateful and humble (Core Values) 5. Solve a problem (Find a Need) and now the 6th lesson and possibly the most important 6. Define your Niche (Market and Serve) Let's get to work on defining your niche so you can stand out in a crowd of thousands of other Parent Coaches, and start creating raving fans that refer you often! "DEFINE YOUR NICHE SO YOU CAN STAND OUT IN A CROWD OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER PARENT COACHES, AND START CREATING RAVING FANS THAT REFER YOU OFTEN!"

Defining your niche isn't the easiest task in a Parent Coaching business and it is the one that I receive the most resistance from when I am coaching Parent Coaches. If you are like other Parent Coaches, you don't want to turn away anyone. You want to help all parents no matter what they are going through. Most people fear that by defining your niche too much, you will lose out on business. In fact, you will be surprised to hear that the opposite is true. If you are trying to help everyone, you end up helping no one...because people don't know how, specifically, you can help them. Remember, if you make things too confusing or vague, your clients don't know what to do so they do nothing. Think of it like this. If you are over 50 and you want to take care of your skin properly, would you be more attracted to an advertisement with a young woman on it or someone your own age? If the marketing said "Skin care for women over 50", would you be more attracted to that or to marketing that said "Skin care for women"? The more you can speak to a specific audience, the more you will get noticed.

Here is another way to think about niching. Imagine if someone was having a conversation with a friend at a dinner party and they are telling her about their child that is dealing with addictions. Now imagine if this person knows 10 Parent Coaches but only one that niches to supporting parents of children dealing with addictions. Who do you think she would refer her friend to? I strongly encourage all my 1:1 clients to define their niche so that even their mother-in-law will know what they do! :) This may all make good sense to you, but you may be wondering how exactly you can do this and where exactly you should start. My first suggestion is to really think about what you are passionate about and what audience you enjoy working with. There are a few other steps that you can take to really define a viable niche as well. I go through this training in our ParentCoach community where I record a new training video each month. If you are interested in joining us, click here to join, or here to chat with me about our community. This free guide below is a great start and will give you a lot to think about!

Click here to Download a FREE Guide on HOW TO NICHE YOUR PARENT COACH BUSINESS

Parent Coaches...

What would your picket sign say? STAND out from the crowd to create raving fans!

ADDICTIONS Parent Coach

L Y IN G

Parent Coach Parent Coach

Parent Coach

A N X IE

Pare nt Coa ch

Parent Coach

t Paren Coach

My sign would say: _________________________________________

Paren t Coach

"SPEAK TO A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD"Â JENNIFER MCCALLUM

www.jenmccallum.com - page 26

DON'T GO IT ALONE Thinking you can do it on your own? You could, but why would you want to? I can tell you that I definitely did not build a business on my own, and I can’t think of one person that did. There are so many choices to make, so many programs to use, so many ways to fail and succeed – why wouldn’t you want support from someone who has been there and done that? By joining our ParentCoach community, you will have an opportunity to benefit from my almost 20 years in the parenting busines. You can connect with other like-minded Parent Coaches in our private Facebook Group, where you can learn, share, and grow together. It’s like having your own marketing team, research team, personal coaches, and cheerleaders, all in one non-judgmental, super supportive way!

Community over competition!

PARENTCOACH.CLUB

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE MEMBERSHIP WHAT YOU GET A listing on the ParentCoach website - add articles, events, videos and podcasts Interview placed on our Youtube Channel Access to a Private Facebook Group to connect with other Parent Coaches A 2-page spread in our upcoming ParentGuide or ParentTeens magazine Monthly Mastermind Group Calls Monthly Expert Training to Grow your Business Invites to retreats, conferences & events PLUS MORE - starting at $27/month

Click on the videos below to hear from our members

THANK YOU! Thank you so much for taking the time to download this e-book! To review, here are the 6 lessons to help you build and grow a successful Parent Coach business: 1. Eliminate Self-Doubt (Mindset) 2. Ask, don't assume (Market Research) 3. Find your community (Connection) 4. Be grateful and humble (Core Values) 5. Solve a problem (Find a Need) 6. Define your Niche (Market and Serve) These 6 lessons are just a start...once you niche then the fun begins! I hope you consider joining us - you won't meet better people that are learning and growing together!

Together we rise by lifting others! Come join us!

XOXO Jennifer Business Coach for Parent Coaches

JENMCCALLUM BUSINESS COACH FOR PARENT

COACHES