Today marks the 7th anniversary of what began as Fenske Strategic Coaching and has now become FSC Group, Inc. I find myself reflecting on the learning that I’ve experienced throughout this growth.
First and foremost I find myself extremely grateful for those that have been a part of this journey. From family and friends to the stellar group of individuals that contribute to the daily successes of FSC Group I stand in sheer amazement. Amazement at the way that those around me have supported this idea of mine.
Thinking back to when I first started this entrepreneurial journey I often heard “now that you’re retired” or “now that you aren’t working what are you going to do next”. ‘Scuse me – what I was doing next was building a business that I could be proud of. Building a business that allowed me to partner with individuals and organizations striving for growth. Those wanting tomorrow to be different than today. Building a business that would allow me to step into and live my values on a daily basis.
A special recognition to my not so silent, silent partner. He’s always got my back and has been there for all the building pains and celebrations. Thank you for your support Dave. Also, my never questioning, never ending cheerleader Mom. I was fortunate to be raised in an environment where the values of hard work, perseverance and kindness were displayed on a daily basis. Thanks for your words of encouragement Mom, no matter what my crazy idea of the day is.
I often tell the story that I was sitting on the couch eating cheezies wondering why business wasn’t walking in the door – and then I remembered – I have the tools to build this proactively and not solely reactively in response to others.
Tools We Teach vs Tools We Use
Networking Strategy
First things first, I remembered the value of a Project 100 and set out to develop a list of contacts that I could approach to let them know about the coaching practice I was building. Supporting others through this exchange of information allowed me to create meaningful introductions, offer expertise and sometimes just simply listen. People want to help people.
In order to articulate my offerings I worked through building a personal brand – after numerous revisions of who I wanted to work with, what the benefit to them was and a bit about myself the brand of FSC Group, Inc. was born.
A boutique consultative firm partnering with individuals and organizations to empower excellence.
Once I had my contact list started (as all good contact lists are mine is a living document) I determined a realistic and sustainable reach out daily target and started to contact others. Although the daily contact number has dropped a bit I, or a member of our team, are still committed to daily meaningful conversations with others around the benefit of coaching.
Wheel Exercise
Needing to know not only what my offerings are, I also wanted to establish a priority chart. A spot to ensure that I was continuing to grow and develop my own coaching and business ownership skills. I did this by identifying the reputation I wanted to build for FSC. “MCC Level in Everything We Do”. Once I identified the reputation I wanted, I set out the top 8 characteristics of this reputation and then determined where I was at that point, and where I wanted to be.
Disney Strategy
As FSC grew into a place of further offerings and brought on more team members, we sat down and determined what vision we were collectively striving for. The team was invited to think as a Dreamer – there’s no parameters just dreams. We then moved into the position of Realist and Wise Wizard. This exercise allowed us to determine individual strengths and areas of responsibility, as well as the long-term goal of having each client feel like our only client in their time with us.
Personal Accountability
I attempt to find the time weekly to determine what went well over the past week and what could have made the week even better (www/ebi feedback model). It is also at this point that I reflect on the learnings (oh my, 7 years later and I’m still learning) as well as establish the goals for the upcoming week.
I believe that we should all use what we teach and teach what we know. In order for a tool to be tried, tested, and true it has to work effectively for the intended purpose, and what better way to navigate the do’s and don’t of personal, professional, and business development than by employing the strategies we teach in our own lives and businesses? Me has turned to we over the past seven years as FSC Group moves steadily towards showing up as MCC Level in Everything We Do. Thank you for being part of our journey thus far, and I speak for all of us when I say that we can’t wait to be a part of your journey in the years to come!