We’ve all heard the scary stories. A fellow entrepreneur or friend in the biz signed up to work with a coach (life, health, business, you-name-it) and were totally sold … only to find out the perceived value had no results to back it up.

So how can you tell before you sign the contract and send your money along? How can you be sure that the person you’re working with is the real deal? Here are a few things to look out for:

Okay kids, take a deep breath. I’m going to say something that probably won’t make you feel great inside. But keep reading, because there’s a purpose. The instant someone turns to self-deprecating humor, I immediately know a few things about them.

The beauty — and the dark side — of entrepreneurship is that everything is decided by you. Your schedule, your clients, your services/products, etc. But that also means it all falls back on you. You are the sole person responsible for the success of your business, and there’s no guarantee it’s going to thrive. Guest blogger and amazing intuitive eating counselor Allison Mosso talks about how to keep going anyway.

You probably clicked on this title because you feel like there’s something missing from your life, or you have a desire to do more. This is exactly how travel writer and blogger Lindsey Ranzau felt before she launched her blog, Look About Lindsey. Get her tips and tricks for following your passion in this special guest blog!

When I first started talking about imposter syndrome in podcasts, on social media, or on the blog, I got a lot of people with the same response.

“Wait, what is imposter syndrome?!”

I had no idea that it wasn’t a topic widely known. I assumed that the people I was coming into contact with knew what I was talking about. So rather than assume others know what it is, I decided to answer the question myself.