How many times have you sat there and thought “I’m just not getting to where I want to be”?

How many times have you looked at someone else growing their business and thought “What am I missing?”

How many times have you thought “I might as well just give-up, this isn’t meant for me!”?

Chances are, you’ve probably thought all of those things on multiple occasions right?

I know that’s what I used to think… I couldn’t figure out why I was working my a*se off, seemingly doing all the right things, but just growing at snail’s pace. It always felt like I was just missing the mark somehow.

As a solopreneur, I’ve been at rock-bottom with my business on many occasions – questioning whether I should just throw in the towel and go back to “regular employment”, resigning myself to thinking I’ll only ever make a modest salary to scrape by…

You see, a major problem I’ve noticed amongst women solopreneurs like us, is that they are filled with incredible ideas, businesses & drive, however their confidence as an entrepreneur is lacking and their digital marketing strategy is not in-line with what they actually want to achieve.

We often think we know what success means to us & we can often compare our journeys to others, to the detriment of our own progress. When this happens, you’re not truly flourishing there – in yourself, or in your business.

Imagine a world where you have clarity and focus when it comes to marketing your business, not fear and overwhelm. How amazing would that feel?

When I saw true growth in myself as an entrepreneur and my business

If you’ve felt lost, confused, unfocussed, overwhelmed and ready to quit in your business – believe me I’ve been there too!

But now, my business is more successful than ever, I’ve had the highest-income months so far and I feel truly aligned with what I’m doing and who I’m working with. Want to know why and how?

I started investing in myself! And I mean truly putting myself and my business first – making it a priority – taking it seriously. This has happened in many ways, but the most significant has been investing in a coach and mentor. Paying someone who I could identify with, who’s further along the journey than me and who I knew had something to offer my personal and business development, has been easily the best investment I’ve made in myself and my business in the last 10 years… and I wish I did it sooner!

“I looked at everyone around me who was growing and flourishing as entrepreneurs and realised they all had one thing in common… they weren’t doing it alone!”

It was stomach-churningly expensive for me at the time… BUT, I knew that I was stuck in a rut, losing my momentum and starting to resent my business, because it wasn’t flourishing and I wasn’t flourishing! So although it meant I was kissing goodbye to a large chunk of my profits, I looked at everyone around me who was growing and flourishing as entrepreneurs and realised they all had one thing in common… they weren’t doing it alone!

And just a few months into working with my coach and mentor, the investment was paying off and paying for itself! I’d doubled my monthly income and the investment in my development was no longer eye-watering – it was an essential outgoing and business expense.

That’s when my mindset shifted…

My whole outlook and the way I thought about myself and my business had changed – it was more positive, it was more motivated and it was more serious. And guess what happens when you feel that way about yourself? Others feel it too! And I know I wouldn’t have got there without the support of a coach and mentor and this is why I truly believe that having a coach or mentor is an integral part of success for any solopreneur or small business owner.

I’m going to tell you 5 ways that having a coach or mentor improves your chances of success and helps you truly flourish…

1 – A Coach or Mentor has your back!

Ever felt like it’s bloody exhausting running a business on your own? You spend time so much time in your own head, questioning everything and trying to make decisions. You’re the ideas, the branding, the marketing, the social, the developer, the relationship builder, the sales person and everything in between.

Of course you’re going to get burnout and of course you’re going to lose momentum and maybe even faith in what you’re doing and why.

When you work with a coach or mentor, you have someone to offload on. You have someone to help you process your thoughts and ideas. You have someone to give you a pep talk when you need it most. A good coach or mentor has your back in your business and feels part of the team.

2 – A Coach or Mentor has tried, failed and learned already!

The benefit of a mentor particularly or certainly a coach with experience in your niche or area – is that they have been there and done that. They will have tried and failed and learnt from those experiences and will be able to impart that knowledge on you, so you can benefit, without needing to do the same!

I know that when I work with my mentoring and coaching clients, I can tell them everything I’ve tried over the last 10+ years and dissect what’s worked, what hasn’t and what I’ve learnt. That’s invaluable and I wish I had that person in those first few years of business.

And if they haven’t done it themselves, chances are, they’ll know someone who has!

3 – A Coach or Mentor keeps you motivated!

Ever spent an hour on a Monday morning making your plan for the week, setting your goals and hitting the ground running – only to have completely lost track and feel like you’ve not stopped all week, but got absolutely nowhere by Friday?

You’re not alone! That feeling then puts you on the back-foot for the following week and stops you making steps forward – which is why so many of my clients often come to me feeling “stuck in a rut” or “stagnant in their business growth”.

A coach or mentor keeps you motivated as they can give you a pep-talk when needed, help establish clear goals and KPIs that mean something to your and your business, as well as create a strategy and action-plan. Which moves me nicely onto point 4…

4 – A Coach or Mentor keeps you accountable and on track!

With a strategy or action-plan in place, a coach or mentor can be there to hold you accountable and keep you on track.

We all know what it’s like to set goals, buy new stationery and fill it with actions and to-do’s and then quickly drift-off or get consumed with delivery and therefore end up re-writing the same goals week after week after week.

A coach or mentor can check-in with you regularly to make sure you’re on track and help you overcome any issues or struggles that may be throwing you off! This is invaluable when you work for yourself as just a few minutes with, or a short voice-note from (like I do with my clients) your coach or mentor can remove the obstacle that may have blocked you from progressing for days, weeks or even months if you were on your own.

5 – A Coach or Mentor means you don’t have to do it on your own!

Solopreneur… there’s a clue in the title there… solo!

Most of us, even if we have small teams, or VAs or even a business partner, can end up feeling very isolated when you work for yourself. Particularly if you’re a company of one! Everything is so much harder when you do it alone and even the most introverted of entrepreneurs, can benefit from the insight and energy that someone else brings to the mix.

As I have outlined already, a good coach or mentor will feel a part of your business, will route for you and support you. They’re there to check-in with, bounce ideas back and forth with and help strategise plans and solutions for your struggles. It means that when you’re having those “moments” (which we all have), you have someone to turn to that gets it! You don’t have to do it alone and if trying to do it all solo is stopping you from flourishing, then I can almost certainly say that finding the right coach or mentor will make the world of difference.