In the online business world, we often joke about having to do “all.the.things.”
And it’s true!
Business owners are often marketers, accountants, sales specialists, and CFOs, not to mention responsible for delivering the core products/services themselves.
Sometimes it can feel like when you work for yourself, you’re in this all alone.
You might feel like there’s no one to check in with, ask questions to, or get guidance from. 😩
But friends, doing “all.the.things.” can and DOES lead to burnout, and when it does it is nothing to joke about.
So don’t let yourself get to that point!
What’s the solution, you ask?
ASK 👏🏽 FOR 👏🏽 HELP 👏🏽
Whether you’re looking for a coach to help you strategize to reach your business goals or get your mindset into a better place, or you want to start outsourcing some everyday business tasks, hiring some help is always a good idea.
But you don’t wanna hire just anybody!
Starting a working relationship with a coach or a contractor is really exciting but is also really personal.
You have welcomed someone into the world of your biz or your life, and that person has to be someone you trust.
Here’s the thing about the internet, friends.
The internet is a blessing. Like … without it, you couldn’t order takeout, online shop, or stream your fave shows at any time from the comfort of your couch.
The internet has also made it accessible for SO many amazing online empires to take off. Yours included! 💛
But because of the internet, anyone in the world can show up online saying that they are a coach or a service provider with little to no proof that they can live up to the title.
This means that they might not have the training, experience, or expertise to be worth your time or investment.
Because of this, you have to be extremely cautious when looking to start a transactional relationship online.
When it comes to protecting your biz, we’ve always got a few tips up our sleeve.
Today we want to help you learn how to vet a coach or service provider before you invest in them to help you grow your biz.
Here are our 4 best tips to get you started! 👇🏽
1. Do a Thorough Search
This might seem obvious, but do a COMPLETE search about the individual or company that you are looking to work with.
We’re talking:
TikTok
MySpace (JK, you don’t need to go THAT far.)
Find out if they have an online presence.
If not, consider this a red flag. 🚩
But if they do have an online presence, check to make sure it’s consistent.
If you notice that they’re going by a bunch of different names, associating themselves with different companies, or sometimes acting as an individual and sometimes not, these are also red flags.
These are signs that either they are not doing consistent upkeep of their online presence or that they are not committed to doing any ONE thing.
This might indicate *dabbling* and that is NOT something you need to be spending money on, sis. 🙅🏽♀️
If they have an online presence, another thing to check out is their content.
Figure out if the content that they are putting out is valuable.
What are they doing to nurture their followers?
Do they have an investment in educating their community on a consistent basis?
Make sure their online presence isn’t all lifestyle photos and sales posts.
Think about how hard you work to deliver high-quality content to your online community!
If someone isn’t showing up in a similar, consistent way, you might not want to put your investment toward this service.
2. Get Good References
Next, you’ll want to take a look at their online platforms and find past clients and current members of their community.
Go ahead and reach out to these people and ask for a reference.
You might be thinking, “They’ve already shared testimonials on their socials and website, why do I need to hear more?”
Remember, even if a business is sharing testimonials on its own online platforms, these are curated.
They are only sharing the reviews from happy customers. If they have a bad track record, they will try to bury those reviews at ALL COSTS.
So go ahead and find references yourself.
Make sure that this person has a track record of facilitating results for their clients.
If not, maybe skip this coach or service provider.
3. Check Their Experience
Once you’ve got some solid reviews of this person or company’s work, it’s time to figure out what kind of experience they have.
Figure out how long they’ve been in the industry and how long have they been operating.
What background do they have in the service they are offering you?
You need to be sure that this professional is capable of supporting you effectively. And you need to know this BEFORE you make any financial investment in what they do.
You’ve gotta protect yourself from being anybody’s guinea pig.
Practice makes perfect, but you don’t need anyone practicing on YOU.
We are not trying to throw shade at anyone just starting out.
Lots of beginners have an amazing online presence, fabulous references, great experience, and are SO worth your time and money.
You were a beginner once upon a time! Look at you now! 💃🏽✨
We just want you to be protected from spending money on a service that won’t deliver the kind of help you need to take your business to the next level.
4. Know Your Goals
Finally, you’ve gotta know what YOU want from your coach or service provider.
You need to be crystal clear about your ultimate goal and make sure your coach or service provider understands that.
If you are searching for a coach or service provider knowing exactly what kind of transformation or deliverables you desire in return for your investment, you are on the path to finding your service provider soulmate.
With your goals in check, you’ll be able to hire someone who can confirm that what they do aligns perfectly with what you
need and the rest will follow.
Check out our ready-to-use, lawyer-approved, plug-and-play legal contract templates! So you can upgrade your client contract while staying Profitable & Protected™✨
Not sure where to begin? We’ve got you. Grab our FREE Legally Launch Handbookto get the legal lowdown on everything in entrepreneurship, without the confusing mambo jumbo. We’re serving it up straight & to the point. (Heads up: It’ll forever transform the way you view your client relationships!) Grab your copy now.
*The information presented in this blog post is for educational & informational purposes only. This should not be a substitute for customized legal advice from a licensed professional in a private setting. If you need legal advice, please consult with an attorney. This is not a law firm.