How A Coach Can Help You Feel Confident with Being Seen
No matter how many inspiring female business owners and professionals I work with, one theme comes up more than most.
Showing up as confident and the worry that you might come across as arrogant or “too much”.
And yet, when I launched Your AJency whilst living in Chicago I was surrounded by confident business women - and guess what - none of them were cocky, arrogant or any of the negative connotations you might have with “confident business woman”.
Instead they were empowered, strong women who weren’t afraid to charge their worth and get their business and their brands seen. In fact, I’m so grateful that I got to launch a business where confidence seemed second-nature. (I even wrote a blog about it!!)
The tide is changing though, and more and more I’m pleased that the women I’m working with are sure that they want their business to get noticed - they might just not know where to start. That’s why I’m so thrilled to welcome Kate Bishop to the Your AJency blog. She is a confidence coach on a mission to help brilliant, but frustrated professionals and business owners feel confident in being seen.
Read on to find out her top tips as a confidence coach and how to break down those barriers to boosting your brand visibility!
Feel Confident With Being SEEN
By Kate Bishop
I have this question time and time again from so many of my clients; whether they are employed or running their own businesses - how can I be seen without showing off?
Essentially it comes down to being brave to show up, create posts about your business offerings or your personal brand at work which is easier said than done.
We may have heaps of ideas of what we want to put out there in our social media, our marketing or PR but something always stops us.
I’m ashamed to admit how many times I’ve promised myself I will create a short video or reel but then will always find a reason not to do it - I end up positively procrastinating by doing other tasks but not the essential one of being seen consistently.
This is part of the battle - identify what is stopping you from doing what you need to do. Is there a fear holding you back? Are you not sure how to best get your message across?
Would an expert like Anna from YourAJency or Tash from Culpepper be able to elevate you and your visibility so you feel more confident and motivated?
If you are battling a fear then getting up close and personal with this fear is key to understanding how you are holding yourself back.
Remember - this is not actually about you - it is about your business, your services or product being seen by your ideal client who can then decide to work with you.
Give them the opportunity to make that decision by allowing them to get to know what you do.
Being Your True Self
A common block my clients, especially women who run their own businesses, face is that they will come across as being too pushy, assertive or even aggressive if they put themselves out there too much.
Let’s start with the fact this is biassed thinking - “limiting beliefs” in coach speak - as we are automatically making an assumption on what others will think of us.
Once we recognise that bias we can begin to switch our mindset from “I’ll be judged” to “My business will be seen by more people who will in turn lead to more clients”
Sounds simple - but it takes time and effort to correct our negative and limiting thoughts.
Flipping it even further is the removal of ‘I’. This worked for a client of mine who is an interior designer as she felt she had to put all about her business and her life on Instagram. However, when we worked on this together she realised it was really her work she wanted to showcase, not her life and inner secrets. She created a strategy which showed off her work and her home but had boundaries around what she didn’t put out there.
She regained control and therefore motivation with becoming visible,
How can you do this without being too pushy/assertive?
When it comes to highlighting your work, products and services and therefore your worth and value, start by identifying who needs to know what about you.
Then - tell them.
Understanding who your ideal customers are and what they need to know about your business reduces the fear factor as you are answering their questions or inviting them to learn more about your business.
Being Brave
Now that you are informing those who need to know about you, your work and your value, it is time to be brave and push a little more. Bear with me as yes you can and we will take it slow.
I always start by asking what confidence means to my clients. It’s so subjective and to be honest I am not a big fan of the actual word ‘confidence’.
For me it is a mask we feel we have to put on in certain situations - our confident selves in meetings or when networking or in our Reels and Lives.
When I coach clients we look at what confidence feels like to them and for a lot of people they lose that word and instead we find more suitable and empowering terminology such as ‘brave’, ‘self-assured’, ‘inner-belief’ - mine is courage.
By doing courageous acts each and every day you build your confidence foundations to look back on and see how far you have come and how much you have accomplished.
This is rocket fuel for clients when they face the unknown or challenges especially when battling their visibility fears.
Being the Driving Force
Even when we do all the fantastic development work above we can still struggle to show up. Therefore, my final tip is to take it slow, step by step and remind yourself of your driver by being visible.
These are the classic coaching questions I ask with how I might answer:
What are the benefits of being visible?
I’ll get more leads so more clients so be successful.
What does business success look like/mean to you?
Earning enough money doing what I love to facilitate the life I want to have.
What’s important about this for you?
I LOVE what I do - I feel it is my calling as I make a transformational positive impact on clients through rebuilding their confidence and supporting them to find their dream role - everyone should experience this at some stage.
I’m a good coach - I will always work to improve my skills here but I know this is what I am meant to do based on all of my clients’ success to date.
My business enables me to be flexible and have freedom whilst also ensuring I care for my health and family.
What is the impact on you if success occurs?
I will continue to do work I fully enjoy whilst knowing I am making a positive difference to others lives and continually learning whilst reaching more people through being visible.
This brings me fulfilment and contentment - true happiness.
The more it grows, the more of the things I love I’ll be able to do such as travel to explore, potentially live in a different country and continue to create my ideal life.
What is the impact on you if this doesn’t happen?
If my business is not a success then chances are I will have to return to employed work with an organisation where I will not be doing what I love, have little flexibility and freedom and at risk of burning out again.
Often we need a mixture of the carrot and stick approach to show up by reminding ourselves of our reasons why we want to be visible and what the repercussions are if we don’t make this happen.
It always helps to have an expert on your side as your guide, your mentor, your cheerleader - or even your coach so I encourage you to consider what support you now need to ensure you are making your business visible - consistently, bravely yet on your terms.
Kate Bishop is a confidence coach who helps brilliant, but frustrated, professionals and business owners rediscover their spark and own their working week with bravery and courage.
Together with her clients, Kate plots a a work strategy that ignites their purpose and passions designed around their lives (not the other way around!) so that her clients can build the ideal balance they crave.
Kate helps her clients to (re)build their confidence so that they feel calm and and in control when having to make big, hairy decisions.
Get in touch with Kate to rediscover the joy in your work and create a life where Mondays are just as fun as Fridays!
Website: https://www.kate-bishop.co.uk/
Instagram: @katebishopcoaching