Today I’m excited to share the courageous story of one of my best friends and entrepreneurs. If there’s one thing that all of us entrepreneurs share, it’s the feeling of fear when we come across a new challenge or risk.

That’s why I’m so excited to share Nichole Starkman of Americana Cakes and Sweets and her journey to entrepreneurship. Not only is she an inspiration in terms of being brave enough to bet on herself in an uncomfortable location, but she also shows that sometimes the journey to entrepreneurship isn’t immediate, or linear, or intuitive. It’s about betting on yourself and jumping even in the face of fear.

When I first started coaching, I never anticipated the amount of people who would compare what I did to a friend they have, or a relationship they’ve cultivated. And I often hear the question: “Is it like that?”

So let’s clear things up once and for all.

When starting a business, there are often a slew of things you want to figure out right away: business plan, pricing structure, website, products and/or services, etc. And generally, this are all things that people can figure out on their own, whether they have a background in business and marketing or not.

But the one area that I see people get stuck time and time again is in acquiring clients and customers. Where do I advertise? Do I advertise? What social media platforms should I use? How do I promote myself? Where should I market?

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:

Marketing, mindset, empowerment, community, self care, business planning, goal setting, time management, burnout, imposter syndrome — these are just a few of the topics I cover in this blog, and with my clients.

But the one thing I find most entrepreneurs are curious about is which of these are the most common. It’s a question I get asked time and time again: “What do most people who work with you focus on?”

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.

One of the things I’m told time and time again is that you all are interested in learning more about the real behind-the-scenes of my businesses. So let’s talk about coaching, and what you need to do to get ready to work with a coach of any kind.

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!