After finding out that her job was going to be eliminated with only three months notice, Marianne took ownership of her situation and decided to invest her talents in helping others by building a side business coaching.

When we receive bad news about layoffs or closures, it’s tempting to just dust off the ole’ resume and cast it back into the job market. At first, that’s what Marianne decided to do. But when she started reviewing her qualifications, she realized that her previous positions had actually led her to do quite a bit of coaching, which she really enjoyed.

48 Days offered exactly what Marianne was looking for: a supportive community and a comprehensive program to help people with a passion for helping others turn their talents into a coaching enterprise.

I knew immediately that this was the next step for me.

Through the Coaching with Excellence program, Marianne learned the importance of mindset, and finding each of our unique zones of genius where our talents and passions overlap to produce actual results. She started to reflect on her previous jobs and identified the aspects of them where she was able to offer special insights and talents to those she helped and interacted with.

When the time came when Marianne’s job was supposed to be eliminated, instead of being let go, she was actually given the opportunity to shift into more project management, leadership, and coaching positions that allowed her to maximize her talents. These new opportunities helped Marianne get some of her first paid speaking gigs, and eventually led her to her first one-on-one coaching clients.

Instead of resigning herself to letting go of this job and moving on in the face of bad news, Marianne decided to invest in herself. Her employer recognized her initiative and drive, and helped her keep developing her skills.

This one shift in mindset—from a loss mindset to a growth mindset—helped Marianne keep her career afloat and her opportunities open.

Marianne’s story really goes to show that there are almost always opportunities around us. We just might not see them unless we know where to look for them, how to look for them, and how we fit into them.

“I often think of the audio, Acres of Diamonds (get your free copy), which I learned from Dan. In this, it’s all about looking for the opportunity right in your own backyard. 

Instead of saying, ‘Oh no, I’m gonna lose my job’ or I’m miserable in my job,’ there is a switch. Now the focus, instead, is, ‘How can I really focus in on what is right in front of me I simply might not be seeing yet?'”

Marianne also started working on developing multiple streams of income, and finding new places and people where she could offer her talents and skills. She went through the Coaching Mastery program, which helped her develop a vital toolkit for starting her own independent coaching business in addition to her new positions at her job.

“So the first thing I did when I came back from “The Sanctuary” (48 Days Event space) was to go through all my Facebook, LinkedIn, and cell phone contacts and I made a long list.

I just started calling people and telling them I’m coaching now. I’d ask them what’s new, and look for opportunities with them or people they knew. That was the first thing I did.

From there, I started getting some clients, and then worked on building out a Venn diagram for some other streams of income. I put together some content, and held a workshop right away. And then I started my organization, and all of those things started to unfold more and more…not with every step meticulously planned; but me taking action one step at a time.”

18 months after receiving her 3-month notice, Marianne had used her new training and her shift in mindset to advance in her career and develop her own independent coaching business. But, like any new business-owner, Marianne experienced her fair-share of challenges along the way.

Marianne credits a lot of her success to one particular aspect of her mindset: the idea that if you are uncomfortable with the unknown, that infinite opportunities will open up. She started attending networking events to learn more about what other people were doing in the independent coaching space, and she started to embrace the idea of approaching new kinds of clients. She even decided to cold call her town’s newly elected mayor and offer her services!

Today, Marianne has a book, Chaos To Clarity, that helps many build the confidence and courage they need to make their dreams come alive, and she’s a successful speaker, leadership trainer and coach. She has coached the mayor of her city and his colleagues — all because she took action and led with a service mindset.

Learn more about Marianne Renner and her business.

If you’re ready to start your own coaching journey, check out Coaching Mastery.

Marianne is also a mentor in our 48 Days Eagles Community. If you want to join a supportive, vibrant community of small business owners, entrepreneurs and self starters, who walk together to find or create work and a life they live, check us out here.