Life Coach

Do you have a knack for helping people? Can you listen objectively and ask the right questions in order to help someone drill down to a core issue? Can you listen for what is not said as well as the spoken word? If so then you may have a future as a Life Coach.

A life coach is someone who helps people to improve their lives. Life coaching is not therapy, which deals mostly with the past. A life coach will not tell a client what to do nor do they judge their clients, instead they work with a client in the present to work towards future goals that are outlined by the client. This is done through listening to the client on many levels, supporting the client in setting goals and asking powerful and direct questions to help clarify their goals and plan necessary actions steps to achieve their goals.

While a Life Coach can help in all areas of ones life, many coaches choose to specialize in one or two areas. You may choose to work with clients regarding their work life such as changing careers or taking their existing business to a new level. You may want to work with clients looking to better cope with stress and create ways to balance their lives. Another niche you could specialize in is relationships. It doesn’t really matter which area you choose to specialize in the need is there and the potential for success as a coach is great.

You don’t need a big fancy office or go schlepping from home to home, coaching can be done face to face, over the telephone or through email. This is one of those jobs that lend itself to flexibility in the way it is performed. Anyway that communication works between you and your client is the correct way.

If being a life coach sounds like the career for you some homework must be done before you can sit down with your first client. There are many routes you can take to starting a career in this growing field. One way is to go through training, become accredited and certified. The other is to start your business as any small business would in your state and begin. Currently there are no countries that require accreditation in order to practice as a life coach.

If you choose to become accredited or take some sort of training classes there are countless online schools that will be more than happy to oblige. Just know that since ther is no universal standard for the life coaching profession there is no universal standard for schools. One that has been around for quiet sometime is Coach U that was started in the early 90’s by Thomas Leonard. He also started a second school called Coachville’s School of Coaching, which is not accredited. If you do choose to attend a school for training look into the school. Read testimonials, ask questions and note not only the response but the time in which it takes to respond to you. You will also want to read the school’s philosophy and make sure it is in line with yours. When it comes to cost there is no direct correlation between the cost of the school and the quality of training or materials. Most clients who look to see if their coach received training rarely, if ever, look into the school itself to see the cost or quality of it’s courses.

If training is not for you and you simply want products to help you get started right away you can do that as well. One such product is The Solution Box – Become A Coach

Virtual Assistant

Some people dream of rolling out of bed and walking to another room of their house in their slippers and robe, settling down in front of their computer and begin to work. Well if you are a virtual assistant you could do just that. In a nutshell, a virtual assistant is someone who performs office duties from a remote location for other businesses. You may type invoices, schedule appointments, arrange meetings, type recorded meeting minutes, track project status, type proposals, perform research, prepare and mail marketing campaigns, design or update websites, ezines or blogs. For the most part anything you can do in a standard office you could do as a virtual assistant in your own location. Before you begin this endeavor think about what activities you enjoy doing. You can pick and choose the services you will offer – it’s your business.

Please don’t confuse telecommuting with being a virtual assistant. The difference is that a telecommuter is one who works for the company as an employee with benefits and such. A virtual assistant, on the other hand, is a business owner who contracts work from other businesses. You will need to be organized, dependable and disciplined. While you can set your own hours you will need to be flexible.

To start a virtual assistance business you will need to contact your state and determine what is necessary in order to become a legal entity doing business in your state including state and federal filings and registering a business name. You also need to contact your local municipality to see what forms and fees are necessary to run a business from your home. Don’t forget about business insurance, legal assistance and a business bank account.

You must also have a fully functioning home office with phone, computer, printer and fax capabilities. You will need to have a professional looking website that clearly states the types of services you offer. Don’t forget about business cards and a marketing plan to drum up business. If you require capital to start your business venture you will need to prepare a solid business plan to present to a bank for such a loan.

A good place to start is to join a few virtual assistant organizations. They have fantastic message boards and the members are always willing to help out. Two that I recommend are Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce and VA Networking. When you are ready to begin your business, one tool that may fill your needs comes from VA Networking called Virtual Business Start Up System, it contains practically everything you need to begin your business.