Stop Comparing Your Coaching Business to Others: It's a Trap!

Our new client came to us after having a rough time on her own.

For months she worked alone each and every day to build her new coaching business. Setting up systems, learning new programs, researching content strategies, implementing marketing funnels, and so so much more.

Every day she spends her precious free time learning. Building. Working. Trying. Putting all of herself, her heart and soul into this dream of reaching out and helping others with her dream business.

She has so much to give. So much hope, so much faith in herself and her gifts and how much she can help others. So much excitement and high expectations for her business and the growth and success that she dreams of.

She wants to succeed. She wants to help others. She wants to live out her passion and dream instead of the unfulfilling day job she has working for someone else. The vision is there, and every day more pieces fall into place.

And yet  . . . success is not happening like she thought it would.

Growth isn’t happening, clients aren’t finding her, social media posts are getting crickets. Pins and Tweets and posts are sitting there unviewed, unclicked, ignored, and neglected. Blog posts aren’t being found or read. Resources and classes aren’t getting opt ins.

She feels ignored. She feels rejected. She feels discouraged and overwhelmed.

Read more: Genius Tips for Coaches to Avoid Overwhelm

The Comparison Game

Comparing her coaching business to others is a huge challenge. 

Every day she is bombarded by social media posts of other entrepreneurs and coaches who have “made it.” Images of calm, happy, well-dressed and successful business owners living out the life she so desperately wants to live.

They are so good at what they do. They have so many followers. They get to live out their passion and dream without working themselves to exhaustion every single day. They get to go to Bali and Paris and host hugely successful classes and Summits and have email lists filled with hundreds of passionate subscribers.

It feels so reachable, because of all of the information and advice that is out there online. All the how-to blog posts, masterclasses, online courses, downloadable freebies, advice-packed newsletters, all telling you how to build your business their way. It’s all there, waiting to be digested and implemented in her own business.

All she has to do is this thing and this thing and that thing and that other thing and then and then and then . . .

And then just keeps fizzling out.
And then just leads to another and then.
And then never leads to those massive, explosive results she keeps hearing about. Keeps seeing others claim they achieved.

Why hasn’t success happened yet?
Is she doing something wrong?

Should she just give up and admit this will never happen for her?
Compared to other coaches, she is miles behind with little hope of catching up...

Related: 3 Business Mistakes Every Coach Makes (and how to avoid them)

Comparison Leads to Doubt and Discouragement

The doubt, information overload, feelings of inadequacy, isolation, and rejection are swirling around in her head. Her optimism and excitement is dimming, her hope for achieving success is shrinking, her fears are mounting and threatening to sink her.

Maybe it’s not meant to be, she thinks. Maybe this just isn’t going to happen for me like it did for everyone else. I tried and tried and it just didn’t work.

All of her work and struggles and efforts and putting her sincere, genuine self out there for the world to respond to has left her feeling rejected and inadequate. Now she thinks it’s time to start to withdraw back toward safety, to pull herself back before she gets hurt anymore. . .

Was all of this just a huge mistake??

STOP.

This is the time to STOP for a hot second and regroup.

Mini Coaching Session: Are You Comparing Your Coaching Business to Others Too?

The client in this story could be you. This person might in the exact same place as you right now.

And if so, here is how our (Sherri and Jessie’s) loving advice to her (and you) begins:

Breathe.

Close your eyes, quiet your mind, and just breathe for a few moments. Feel your pain, feel your hurt, feel your frustration and disappointment and allow these feelings to be felt.

It’s ok to feel discouraged, it’s ok to feel stuck.

What’s important is what you do next.

Open your eyes and listen to what we have to say. (
This is Jessie and Sherri’s time of truth).

We have been where you are. We have coached so many others who are where you are.
Hear us when we say WE UNDERSTAND what you are going through.

You are NOT alone.

You are on a journey. We know, we know, you have heard this before. But it’s still true.
Building your business is a journey.

Every single coach started their journey right where you did: at square one. With no audience, no programs, no systems, no team. They started with nothing and built from there. Bit by bit, day by day, month by month, year by year. Growth built upon growth build upon growth.

Every entrepreneur can and will reach these times when their business is not moving forward.
They get stuck.

It’s so good to admit when you are stuck! Because that is how you start moving forward again.

Being stuck is not a problem. Refusing to take action to get unstuck is the problem. Constantly comparing your business to others and feeling like an imposter or a failure is a problem.

You have the power to get moving again, to get out of your rut, to shake off the dust and get back on the road toward success.

The good news is you also get unstuck (much faster and easier, we might add!) by reaching out and getting help from those who have been there.

Read more: Get Unstuck and Grow a Successful Coaching Business

You and Your Business are Unique, So Stop Comparing to Others

As tempting as it is, you absolutely, 100% cannot compare your coaching business journey to someone else’s. You cannot try to duplicate someone else’s business. You should never compare your journey’s beginning to someone else’s middle or end.

Someone else’s program or class or advice can absolutely help move your business forward in certain ways. But someone else cannot propel you to immediate and lasting success. That is up to YOU.

Because you and your business and your life are 100% unique. As they should be.

We can’t all do the same thing, we can’t all offer the same services, we can’t all go after the same audience. The world is made up of so many people in so many places, who need vastly different services. You (and only you!) can help some of those people.

Because what you are offering is special, unique, spectacularly one-of-a-kind.
Just. Like. You.

And that’s how it should be.

Building a Business is a Journey, Not a Competition

This is not an overnight thing, from zero to six-figure success. Looking at these other successful entrepreneurs, you have no way of knowing the journey they went through to arrive where they are today.

You didn’t see the trials and struggles and self-doubt that undoubtedly plagued even the most confident coaches at some point in their journey. You also don’t see what goes on behind the scenes and inside each coach’s mind. The struggles, challenges, and hardships they may be battling every single day beneath the shiny surface.

So don’t take it personally if you don’t yet see the skyrocketing analytics or comments, likes, shares, views, or opt ins that you were hoping for or even expecting. Don't compare their current results with your own, because you are at different points on your business journey.

Related: Pricing Strategies for Coaches: 7 Ways to Shift your Money Mindset

Keep Showing Up

Don’t doubt yourself or stop putting your authentic, genuine heart out there for others to see and connect with. Whatever you keep inside of you is one less way to help others.

Maybe you post to Instagram and reach that one person who really, really needed to hear your message or advice. Who has now been helped and served by you and is eagerly anticipating more.

So don’t pull back or pull away.
Continue putting your quality, genuine message and content out there into the world.

What you see now is not the reality of what might be coming just around the corner.

Create a Plan to Stay on Track

Now that you heard all of this, it's time to readjust your time management and prioritize your task flow.

This business-building is a marathon, not a sprint, and it can be so easy to burn out if you don’t pace yourself and adopt a healthy relationship with your new business.

1. Take care of your body
It seems so simple but can be very hard to implement. Drink water, eat wholesome food, get enough sleep, and nurture your family and social life. You are a whole, complete person who needs balance and fuel to keep showing up as your best self.  

2. Take breaks

Every day, take some present moments with yourself and the special people in your life. Take a step back and breathe, reflect, and rest. Powering through your days and weeks without enough down time is a fast pass to burnout.

Read more: Beat Burnout and Breathe Life Back Into Your Business

3. Celebrate every win

You have done so much in such a short period of time! Celebrate that, celebrate yourself and your growth. Think of the foundational pieces you are putting in as you build your business plan, the ways you are getting organized, the systems you have put in place, the knowledge and awareness you are gaining through all of your research and training. 

You can and should be proud of any growth in your business, of any progress you make.

If you want to compare anything, compare yourself today to yourself a few years ago. Be so proud of your progress and accomplishments, every step of the way.

4. Take time off

It's important to not dedicate 100% of your time, money, energy, and self to your business. Take vacations, staycations, days off, and be aware of your own limitations and boundaries. Your business should fuel and feed you, not completely drain you to the core. 

5. Adopt a big-picture mentality of where you have been and where you are headed next.

Remind yourself WHY you are building this business, WHO you want to help, and WHAT purpose you aim to serve. Stay focused on your mission, your purpose, the value you want to bring to your clients’ world. 

The day-to-day nitty gritty details can cause you to lose perspective about your long term plans and goals. Those tiny actions add up to big results, so make sure you are headed in the right direction.

6. Find ways to maintain your energy and excitement for your business and the purpose you set out to achieve. And have fun!!

Without the passionate energy and drive that motivated you to start this journey, you will not have the endurance to see it through to completion.

The effort that you are putting in IS working, it just. Takes. Time.

Dance breaks, yummy snacks, motivating music, a positive workspace, all of these work in tandem to create the ecosystem to support you as an entrepreneur. You are the heart and soul of your coaching business, so hold tight to your passion and vision. 

Read more: 5 Ways to Have More FUN as You Build a Coaching Business

Comparing your social media, content, brand, images, or materials to other coaches shouldn't make you feel drained or discouraged. Tune out all that noise and focus in on what makes you and your business unique and special. 

This client wanted us to share her story because our advice truly helped boost her mindset and her business.

Hopefully this same wisdom and truth can bring comfort and reassurance to a difficult time for you as well. And serves as a reminder that you do not have to do this alone.

Here are just a few ways we can help:

• You can join our Collective Community or Real Support for Coaches Facebook Group and meet other coaches to give you advice, feedback, encouragement, and support.
• You can get on a free call with us (Sherri & Jessie) and decide if starting a coaching relationship is your next best step forward.
• You can download our free resources to jump start you down the road again. 

We want you and your business to succeed. And that success is much, much harder to achieve alone.

The truth is this: new coaches like yourself shouldn’t embark on building their businesses alone. You have us! Our experience, our insight, our advice to keep you moving forward.

So whenever you have those moments of doubt or discouragement or feeling like it’s not working, reach out to us.

You are amazing, you are growing your business right now, so celebrate and appreciate the wins and progress you have made.

Because you are heading for greatness.

Know this, hold onto this, and enjoy the adventures that lie ahead.

We are right here for you. 😊

Save this pin and read this post the next time you start to compare your business to the competition!