Finding clients is something almost every new business owner struggles with.

Today, I want to build on the more general advice I have shared previously about how to grow your client base, and offer you something even more valuable and specific; the exact breakdown of where my own clients have come from over the years.

So here you go - a list that has taken me 3.5 years of concentrated focus to learn.  
 
30 original sources of where my own coaching clients have come from. ( ~ 150 clients, in no particular order)

1. The Ask newsletter (yes the one you're reading)
2. LinkedIn
3. Instagram
4. Femstreet community
5. Found & Flourish community
6. Google My Business page
7. Blog/SEO
8. Workshops for corporates & startup communities including On Deck, Bethnal Green Ventures etc
9. Creative Mornings breakfasts
10. This resource I created
11. Previous colleagues I have worked with
12. My coworking space
13. Printing flyers and putting them in coffee shops
14. Hosting online workshops (alone or with collaborators)
15. Referrals from existing clients 
16. A coaching referral platform
17. A freelancer platform
18. A creators' Slack community
19. A Substack meetup
20. Current clients renewing
21. Twitter
22. A corporate I am a registered coach for 
23. The Stack World community
24. Church servoce
25. A Medium post
26. PR - this Courier mag feature or this Sifted feature
27. Practice, the coaching software I use, their community
28. The Talent to Money summit I ran last year
29. Wives, boyfriends, partners of current clients
30. Supplier swap! They helped me with something in my business, then became a client later

Phew! They say a good business person always knows where their sales are coming from, so I encourage you to make your own! 

As you can see from this list, I am always in an environment where a new client could emerge. It's not just about posting one one channel/platform and hoping for the best. It is preferable to have a core channel your clients come from, but for most service providers I know, it is random. You have to be visible in as many ways as makes sense for your industry and time commitments.

Just being visible in business is one part of the puzzle. 

The other integral aspect is ensuring that you have a clearly defined service offering (join the masterclass if you need help with that), along with a strong brand messaging, and testimonials/social proof.

What you can't see from this list is that sales has been one of the biggest learning curves for me as a business owner. It has not always come easily. I've had sleepless nights worrying abut money. I get ghosted by prospects I've spent hours speaking to. I've changed my approach, messaging and proposition many times over ... iterating based on learning the hard way about what does and doesn't work.

These challenges are the same every business owner must go through. (We never said this would be easy!).

I'm a better business owner for these challenges, and still know that month on month clients find me in all of these places and will continue to do so.

If sales is a big part of what you need to work on to reach the next income level in your business, then take a look at the Unique Contribution programme. 

During sessions, we get crystal clear on your USP and approach and then build your sales toolkit and confidence so that ideal clients become your real clients. 

Curious? 

Leave me a message or reply to this email, your first session is a free taster.