Many of you are positioning yourselves as “coaches” here in the 48 Days community. I see your activity in the Coaching with Excellence group or you’re one of the 87 people who have already joined our Coaching Mastery Program. Every day I am asked by more people, “Dan, can I be a coach?” And my response has always been, “Are people coming to you now for your advice and opinion?” If they are, it may be a short step to position yourself as a coach. If they are not, then perhaps you need to explore some other options. (The fact that people are asking does not mean you are fully competent as a coach but it is likely a starting point.)
In his book The Millionaire Messenger, Brendon Burchard addresses this question – “How could I possibly be considered an expert, and who would want to listen to me anyway?”
Here’s his response:
First, never forget that on the highway of life, you have come further than some others, and the lessons you have learned are both helpful and valuable to others.
At this point in your life, you know how to tie your shoes, but others who are years younger and many miles behind you do not. You know how to drive a car; others do not. You might know how to get a job, while others do not. You may know how to get promoted, sew a blanket, get a great deal on a car, write a song, product a movie, create a blog, get out of debt, lose some weight, improve a marriage, lead others, deal with criticism, give birth to a child, manage employees, ace an exam, find an agent, overcome fear, care for a sick loved one, give a good speech, buy a house, find the perfect clothing style, resume a normal life after a serious illness, or nearly anything you can think of. Others may not.
While you may not consider yourself an “expert” there are likely others out there who are willing to pay for
the value of your background and experience. I have always enjoyed gardening and we have a lot of flower beds on our property. Having grown up on a farm I have a lot of knowledge about plants, fertilizers, etc. But I just engaged a gardener to step in and take over. His knowledge is definitely several notches above mine – and I am more than happy to pay for the added expertise. If I have a plumbing problem I can probably go to Home Depot, get some supplies and a little advice and come home and muddle through it. But I typically just find a competent plumber to do in 30 minutes what it would take me 3 hours to complete. 
Just last night I was teaching one of my granddaughters how to whistle. She thinks it’s amazing that I can do it so easily. In the same way, you probably have something that you understand well, that would be of great value to someone else.
If you are ready to explore the exciting opportunities of coaching, read through Can You Be a Coach or check out our elite Coaching Mastery Program.
On May 12-13th we’ll be enjoying two days with 48 of you in our Coaching with Excellence event. This is our most popular live event and is has been the launching point for many of the coaches you see in the 48 Days community. (Yes, we close the doors at 48 people so we can look at your specific situation and use the group wisdom to accelerate your coaching success.)
And no, I did not charge my granddaughter to teach her how to whistle. The beauty of coaching is we can provide lots of value without lots of overhead. Sometimes we just give it away.
Claim your seat at Coaching with Excellence now. We’ll put your name on a seat where you can hear the birds sing and release your best creativity.
Dan, I agree with your coach discussion above. I think the main thing is that if you are adding value to people, and are giving them something that works, they will keep coming back. I have found that word also gets out that you are a good coach, and others will seek you out. I am reading the book from John Maxwell right now called: Everyone communicates, few connect. I there John makes an excellent point that it is all about giving. I have found in my years of coaching, that this skill is imperative to be successful as a coach. Thank you for sharing.