Better Things Start on the Inside

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in coaching but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Erin Randall, Founder of Ad Meliora Coaching, located in Austin, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Ad Meliora Coaching ("ad meliora" is Latin, meaning "to better things") is a bespoke coaching and consulting practice. I'm all about happy people doing great work. My clients range from some of the world's biggest companies to tier-one research universities, small businesses, and individuals wanting to do the hard, internal work to move forward. While the bulk of my work is coaching, I also do a lot of teaching, mentoring, and facilitating. I help my clients ask the hard questions about themselves and their organizations and have the hard conversations. I help to move people from being stuck to finding their way forward.

Tell us about yourself

Whenever I'm asked how I got started in coaching leadership teams, organizations, or people, my response is always the same: "Because no one else wanted the job. From there, I did a deep dive into the experience, deliberate practice, certifications in various coaching modalities, and more. I didn't want to do this work simply; I wanted to become great at it.

In 2015, I was very ill. I'd been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, so I spent the next 18 months with the obligatory fun of chemo, radiation, and three big surgeries. I returned to my corporate position, only to find that I was being laid off. While that was not hugely surprising, I did take that as my sign to go and do the work that I wanted to do, not just subsist on what was in front of me. The door for Ad Meliora Coaching opened because of all the work I put in place to get to the door.

Motivation has not been difficult for me. If anything, it's filtering all the ideas that come forth, so many of which have been good! For example, Magnesium, coaching circles, new ways of teaching, blog posts, new programs - never before have I been so creative. But I'm also motivated by each person with that I come in contact. I see people wanting to do more and be more, and they just need someone to help hold that space with them. I'm motivated by their grit and drive to become more tomorrow than they are today.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

What I am most proud of is - everything about launching major transformation initiatives at global corporations - I did something great, but it didn't land with the audience, but I picked myself up again and made it outstanding for the next audience - and they loved it. I did something great, but it didn't land with the audience, so I made it radically better for the next audience - and they loved it. Mentoring others in this work. Creating Magnesium and bringing it to more people each year. And when current clients tell others about the work we do together, they reach out because they want to do that work, too. I'm proud of all of this, and I'll be even more proud of my work tomorrow, next year, and in the next 20 years.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

As a business owner, what I love to do most - coach organizations, teams, and people - is sometimes what I get to do the least. And that is hard. I've had to learn how to develop new products, pitch to clients, develop contracts, build community, market my work, and speak at conferences. While all of this is hugely important, it's not always what I love to do. But I'm learning to find the creativity and craftsmanship in these parts, too, to ask for help from friends, to be brave and vulnerable, and to show others that I'm learning as I go. And I am learning because I continue to improve and adapt.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Give yourself some grace. You are starting something amazing and new, and you won't always get it right the first time. Take a moment to reflect, retrospect, and learn from every engagement. Then, take that learning forward. Look for progress, not perfection.
It takes time to build a business. That old rule of thumb that it takes 3-5 years is true. You might be faster and slower, but give yourself some time. Time also helps in giving you space to craft the business you want, not just react to what is coming up from the market.
You are the most important asset for your business. Don't forget to schedule a time to recharge, continue your learning, and make progress on a dream. Have a picnic with your family, hike with your cousin, or take your partner out for a long weekend. You need time, too, to continue what you're building.

Building something - a business, a relationship, artwork, a new program at work - has a foundation on learning to trust yourself. I launched my own coaching and consulting practice in the autumn of 2019. A long-planned trip to Tanzania in January 2020 meant things got going from a business perspective in February 2020. So yes, I essentially started my own business just as a global pandemic was heating up. Oy vey. (And I'm not even Jewish!) Could my timing have been more off?

I give myself permission to fail. Yes, it's okay for me to fail. I'm doing so many things this year that I've never done or even thought to try (sales, marketing, building, and launching my product) that it would be ridiculous to think that I'm going to do everything right the first time. So, I fail, but I fail forward. I take a hard, objective look at what I've done, noting what worked, what sort of work, and what didn't even get off the ground. I ask for feedback from people that know more than me. And what happens? I get better, I improve, and things move forward. I build trust with myself by not expecting perfection.
I do it anyway. Glennon Doyle quotes, "The braver I am, the luckier I get." That is me. I do all kinds of stuff now that I never ever foresaw that I would do, and a bunch of it scares me half to death. But I do it anyway. Because I've done other things that scare me, I know I can do the next terrifying thing, too.
Take care of me. Yes, I take care of myself, building trust with myself because I know I have my own best interests at heart. Some days that means a long hike with our dogs, others making homemade soup, or even days that I hardly leave my computer because I have so much to do. I know what I need, and I've done a darn good job of delivering up until this point, so why stop now! Building trust starts with me.

There is never a perfect time for anything, and we will always have upheaval in some area of our lives. But now, NOW is the perfect time to build trust.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.admelioracoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/admelioracoaching/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/admeliora.coaching/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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