I find it challenging to ask for help.  I make all kinds of excuses in my head about not wanting to put people out.  Or I I say that I’m not able to communicate what I need or want so that friends can help me.  But a lot of times, not asking for help, has to do with pride.  I want to believe that I can do it all myself.   If I can’t do it all myself, it is like I have to admit that I have failed in some way.  But I had to let people help me when I started my business.

One of the biggest lessons I learned in starting my business was how rich it was to get help from those around me.  Not only was it necessary to the start and survival of my business, but it made my experience much more fun and provided a richness and expertise that I could not have provided on my own.  

I needed to practice coaching for hours and hours to perfect and develop the skills of coaching, be able to excel in my classes, and get my certification.  I had a hard time asking for help because I was kind of embarrassed and I was afraid of invading the time of my friends and family.  Because I asked for this help, I accomplished these necessities, plus so much more.

I have a daughter that is not in school full time yet and there have been many times where it felt like a challenge to get the work that I needed done while trying to take care of my girls and their needs at the same time.  I had a friend that took care of my daughter some so I could get some extra work done.  And I also had many times where at night or early in the morning my husband would give me the space and time to go to a coffee shop to get some much needed focused work done.  

I have family, coach friends, and close friends that provided me with so much support.  They have been such an encouragement during this process, and they have provided much needed information to me.  I have asked them to read information that I was putting out, look over aspects of my website, and pick their brains about aspects of my business and what I could do to make it a business that would meet the needs of those I was trying to reach.

There were many ups and downs with being in coach training and starting my business.  I have needed the emotional support of friends and family.  My husband has given me unconditional support through this whole time, showing his confidence in me that I was in the right place and that I would succeed.  I have a friend that has helped me to keep my eyes on God through this process and encouraged me through her words about what she sees in me in relation to coaching.  My family has listened endlessly to all of the aspects of my business and the enthusiasm I feel at entering this career.

I have needed to ask my kids to be patient and flexible while I had to be on telephone calls for school, meetings, and with clients.  My youngest had to sit in the car quietly watching a movie, while I took classes sometimes.  

I had to let my friends help me by getting information from them about starting my business and leaning on their expertise when I had none.  I had to let them do things for me that I could not do for myself, like creating a masterful video and doing my makeup so I would be camera ready for my video.  

I had to let people help me with technical advice on simple and complex technology issues when I had no idea how to tackle the problem or even where to look to get the answers and help that I needed.  

I needed to let people help me by  “liking” and commenting on my posts on social media, so that they would get viewed and “liked” by more people out there.  

I haven’t had as much time to do the household tasks and things for my girls as I used to, so I have had to ask my husband for help with these things.

I had to depend on my friends sharing with their friends and family about what I offer through life coaching.  This provided me with clients to practice on and hone my skills.  

This is just my story.  I had to let people help me.  I have to let people help me.  I am so grateful for the family, friends, and friends of friends that have been there for me during the start of my business.  

What’s your story?  What family member or friend do you need to lean on for help?