Why those '6 figure' business coaches are failing you
Note: This post was originally written by me on 5th April 2016 and published on my previous website LaylaSaad.com. This article has been shared on Facebook thousands of times and was a catalyst for my own Wild Mystic Woman journey. As I have now taken down that website, I am migrating this viral article here as I know it has served as soul business medicine for so many soulful entrepreneurs. I pray it serves you too.
Big love,
Layla xo
There's a phenomenon happening in the online business world that is doing a huge disservice to creative entrepreneurs who want success on their own terms.
I call it the rise of the '6 figure' business coaches, and it is the reason why so many women entrepreneurs are feeling self-doubt and frustration.
Yes. I'm talking about the Fearless Girl Bosses who want you to Stop Playing Small, Be More Visible, Crush Your Competition, Overcome Your Money Blocks, Charge Your Worth and Hit. 6. Figures.
I think I covered all the buzz words there, right?
Aren't those the words we see over and over again, across multiple business Facebook groups, webinars, opt-ins, blog posts and coaching sales pages? Aren't we told that these are the keys to becoming successful?
And yet... Something just doesn't feel quite right about it all. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.
WHO ARE THE '6 FIGURE' BUSINESS COACHES?
They are the business coaches who prioritise theirs and your financial success over everything.
Their sales pages are filled with the 'no bullshit' language that tells you that the reason you aren't raking in loads of clients and money right now is because you have the 'wrong mindset' and that they're going to help you do exactly what it takes to hit those figures.
They may or may not have a 6 figure business themselves (whatever that means) but they certainly view it as THE symbol of success. And they are willing to do whatever it takes to get themselves there as quickly as possible, and to teach you to do the same.
And this is where the problem lies.
When your coach prioritises financial success over everything, she's going to give you the EXACT methods she has used to create her own success. And the reason that's a problem is because she is not you.
And if you are a woman who's highest values include self-expression, freedom, authenticity, intuition and honesty, then this is a major problem. Because you can't be in alignment with your own values and simultaneously be happy with following someone else's cookie-cutter method for becoming successful.
It's just not going to work.
SO WHY DO WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS HIRE BUSINESS COACHES WHO OPERATE LIKE THIS?
Well, because of fear.
More specifically, the fear that comes when you've been working in your business for quite some time and you're not seeing much of a return.
You're broke. Financially and emotionally. You've had a trickle of clients and money coming in. And all around you, you see women who may have started their businesses around the same time as you did, but who are making loads of money.
You start to question yourself: What am I doing wrong? Why haven't I been able to do what she has been able to do? When will it be my turn?
Whether you realise it or not, you're waiting for a fairy godmother to swoop in and tell you that she's going to help you get exactly what you want, as quickly as possible.
AND THAT'S WHEN THE '6 FIGURE' BUSINESS COACHES STEP IN
Perhaps it's someone that you've heard a lot of buzz about.
She charges a sh*t load of money, but she promises amazing results.
You're desperate and her sales page hits on all of those pain points of why you're not making the money you know deserve.
Plus, you've seen so many other people rave about her so she must be worth it, right?
So even though you're pretty broke and your intuition is telling you that something isn't quite right, you scrape together whatever money you have left and you sign up to work with her. You put your intuition down to fear, and you remind yourself of what the coach told you on your sales call with her - that you're only going to become successful if you're ready to invest ALL this money on yourself.
AND THEREIN LIES THE FIRST WAY THAT THESE COACHES FAIL YOU.
They treat you as 'low hanging fruit' by preying on your desperation and the lack mentality that you have because you're not making enough money.
They tell you that the reason you're not making money is because you are playing small / have an upper limit problem / aren't charging your worth / need to fix your mindset. And that they have the magic pill to help you fix all of that.
And while all of those statements might have some truth to them, what they're not telling you is that, like any creative process, the entrepreneurial journey takes time, needs daily devotion and requires you to take risks to create something truly original.
That it's not just a matter of following their step by step plan, but rather that each one of us has our own path for reaching that success.
For some of us it happens in just a year, for some of us it might take 5 years or more. And if it takes you longer, it doesn't make you any less worthy or brave or smart.
Not only that, they send you the message that any other coach who charges less than they do, has a smaller list and has only been in a business for a few years isn't worth investing in, because they won't be able to teach how to become a Fearless Badass Girl Boss who makes lots of money and hangs out with all the cool girls.
Yes, they use FOMO to convince that you should work with them.
AND THIS IS SECOND REASON THAT THEY FAIL YOU.
They are more interested in themselves than they are in being of service to you.
They're not interested in what makes you unique, what your message is about, how you can grow your expertise and knowledge so you can become excellent at what you do, and how you can build a business that honours your intuition and your creativity.
They're not interested in giving you the space to go at your own pace or making sure that you always feel in alignment with your core values.
They just want to make money, and to teach you how to make money and then they want to call it 'heart-centred entrepreneurship'.
WELL, I'D LIKE TO CALL BULLSHIT ON THAT.
There's nothing heart-centred about telling your clients that the only way to become successful is to do it your way.
There's nothing heart-centred about convincing your clients to trust you over their own intuition.
There's nothing heart-centred about using FOMO and predatory internet marketing practices to cajole and shame people into working with you.
THE '6 FIGURE' BUSINESS COACHES ARE FAILING YOU
They're failing you by convincing you that it's more important to make money fast than it is to become excellent at what you do.
They're failing you by disregarding your deep need to express yourself creatively in everything that you do.
They're failing you by making you believe that you are playing small in your business, even if you've been working your butt off everyday for years - producing, marketing, growing, putting yourself out there, falling apart, putting yourself back together and trying to figure this thing out.
They're failing you by sending you the message that how you are perceived by others is more important than how you actually are. That it's important to perpetuate the #GirlBoss mythology on Instagram, even if you're falling apart in real life.
They're failing you by putting you in a box labelled 'The Cookie Cutter Strategy To Making It Online And Hitting 6 Figures', and then convincing you that you are the problem, when you don't want to fit into that box.
They're failing you by convincing you that you'll only feel fulfilled when you hit those magic numbers - 5k months, 5 figure launches, 6 figure business.
They're failing you by sending you the message that the substance and depth of your work doesn't matter. What matters more is getting paid, and getting paid now.
They're failing you by convincing you to double and triple prices, even though your intuition tells you that your business is not ready for that yet. They'll tell you that that's because you have money blocks.
They're failing you by sending you the message that if their methods don't work for you or don't feel right to you, it's because you are just not committed enough and aren't really hungry for success.
YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS.
Tony Robbins said, "success without fulfilment is the biggest failure".
The '6 figure' business coaches are leading you down the path of biggest failure.
Because while they might be able to help you make a lot of money if you follow what they teach you, you'll always feel a sense of mis-alignment and deep dissatisfaction, because you will have sacrificed what was most important to you - your creativity, your truth, your intuition and your core values.
SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT ALL COACHES WHO MAKE 6 FIGURES OR WHO TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN YOUR BUSINESS ARE BAD?
No! Of course not. Nobody is bad. And making money isn't bad either. In fact it's very good!
But it's important to make the distinction between the coaches I've described in this post, and the coaches who are financially wealthy AND support you in building your business in a way that honours your core values.
You deserve to work with coaches who honour your worthiness, rather than teaching you to hustle for it.
Who not only want you to succeed financially, but want you to do it in a way that's right for you.
Who believe that true success isn't just about being able to say that you have a huge subscribers list, or that you've had a 5 figure launch - but who want you to become a true leader in what you do so that you really can change the world through your work.
It is more than possible to become financially successful AND stay in integrity with what matters most to you. And I would argue that in today's world, where we are all so discerning about authenticity, it's the most important thing that you could strive for.
Don't let them make you believe that you have to be anything less than the best version of who you really are.
After all, that's what real success is.
