 Hi, I'm George and today I'm here with one of my clients, Ilsa Nopin, and she's gonna be sharing with you some of the lessons she's learned in building her coaching business. Maybe it'll help you as well and we'll also learn about how she works with her clients and what kinds of things she does. So hi Ilsa, great having you here. Hi George, thanks for having me. Yeah, so let me read the the short bio that you sent me so that everybody can have a sense of what you do and then we'll go into some of the lessons you've learned as you build your business. Alright, so here it is. So Ilsa is a career and leadership coach. Her passion is to help her clients step up to the next level in their professional development and to live the life that they want. She creates a learning environment where her clients uncover their uniqueness and harness it effectively. So I'll have the link to her website in the end of the video. Ilsa is currently in Portugal, but Ilsa you might be relocating to Belgium. Might be, yeah. Yeah, so but you do work with clients around the world and you do Zoom calls like this or if they're in locality, of course, it could maybe do in person, I guess. Yeah, yeah, I have some clients indeed with whom I work here locally, but most of my clients are spread all over the world so I work online with them. That's great. Yeah. So let's get started with some of the some of the important lessons you've learned as you built your coaching business. Where would you like to do any particular thought you want to start with? Yeah, I think the main my main lesson is what I got from working with you is really structure. When we start working, I felt like, no, I realized that the main building blocks of the business, building type of business that I am building, but I really didn't see how to put it together, how to get down to it, how to create more effectiveness. And so that's really one main thing that I feel I've taken away. It's creating the structure in my business and understanding how things are linked, how they influence each other and what to do, what the different steps are. So it's really, it's like, no, I felt like I was a bit in a spider web and, you know, this was all untangled and simplified. That's another way. And can you think of an example where of a piece of the structure that was helpful for you? Well, so much, I think it's understanding the marketing. So how what type, you know, a simple thing about what type of posts to create a blog post and so, you know, what are the themes? You know, I have big groups of themes and then underneath, you know, in each theme I can divide that into further subjects of posts. So that's, for instance, one structure rather than thinking, oh, what am I going to write about today? It's really, okay, I've got these big themes and I can go through it and say, okay, you know, I can write about this and then next time I will write about something else. That's one example, for instance. Yeah, and another example I know that we've worked on is, you know, getting new clients from Facebook, right? You know, you have begun to become consistent in sharing your thoughts and your experiences on your Facebook business page. And then you are also using Facebook ads to get the word out about this content. And as a result, you're getting inquiries and right, so tell us about that experience. Yeah, so indeed one other big lesson that I have learned is really the value of consistency. So, you know, it's being consistent in my posts and then understanding on how to, what else to do it because putting them up is one thing, but indeed that whole Facebook marketing strategy, if you like, to use how to do it, how to create audiences, how to be able to reach the people and also the concept of having a warm audience and a cold audience. You know, all these things, there's a lot of knowledge that I got from you and I realized that now I'm also able to create things myself, you know, while six months ago we're so we start together creating certain audiences now I realized what it means. So, um, so how to reach the people who are potential clients. So, and then indeed what I've noticed is that I get more inquiries. I've got clients or clients coming back after they try to post. They, I, you know, I noticed that then they come back. So, you know, there's definitely a clear value in being consistent and and having that strategy indeed. Yeah, yeah, it's it's interesting, right? Because it's when we create content, it's not just for potential clients to find us, but it's also for previous clients to benefit. Yeah, and to remind them maybe of some of the things that we've talked with them about uh, to encourage them in the in their ongoing transformation. And then when they feel ready again, of course, they're they they feel like they've been in touch with you, right, because of the content. And so then they reach out again. Yeah, yeah. And even for current clients, sorry just to add, even for current clients, they would then in my sessions, in our sessions refer to a post and they say, yeah, you know, that's resonated because of this and that or whatever. So so you you feel that, you know, you're you're building out stronger relations with with clients. Yeah, um, do you want to tell us about, okay, so consistency, I totally agree is so important in terms of in terms of our marketing and our and really marketing itself, um is a vague word and some people really hate it. You know, how do you, I'm curious, how do you see marketing now? What does that mean for you? Yeah, indeed, I used to hate it too. Well, now I see it more as, um, one hand adding value to to my clients, it's just, you know, sharing ideas, thoughts, um, tips or, you know, things like that. So it's on one hand, just sharing, uh, value with my clients or even, um, yeah, just, uh, how should I say, now it's more, I am also, uh, let's trick to myself, like, you know, it doesn't all have to be, uh, perfect. Allow myself to experiment and also not to be perfect. You know, sometimes I might put up something where I think, oh, well, it could be better, but better that than nothing. Uh, so, yeah, I think, uh, there's an element in there too. It's just, um, experimentation and and therefore taking it all a bit lighter. Uh, while learning, I mean, you know, that you can say, okay, well, next time I'll do it differently, but, um, but it's just, you know, making sure that it, that it moves, uh, and that, you know, it also stays, uh, a bit more fun and light, joyful, as you would call it. Yes, yes. Uh, so another part of the consistency that I think is challenging for people is finding a rhythm with which they can be consistent. No. Tell us about what you've learned in trying to find that rhythm for yourself. And, and if you want to share any aspect of your rhythm, uh, because everybody's rhythm is different, right? My schedule, I always tell people, listen, I can, I'm happy to share my schedule with you, but it's not following my schedule. That's important. It's learning from what I, how I'm doing things that may be interesting for you, may be useful, and then crafting your own schedule that matches your energy and your life responsibilities and, um, you know, your goals, right? But tell us about that for your, for you. Yeah. Um, indeed, well, I'm still in the process of finding, um, my ideal rhythm. Um, so I haven't, I'm not that far yet, but what I do realize is that having that structure that, uh, understanding of how to approach, uh, my business helps me in, in, um, making sure that at least I do show up and that I do the things that I want to do. So I might not do it every morning, uh, but what I, uh, do for instance, is that I work a lot with, with a timer. I think, okay, now I'm just going to write for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever it is. And I noticed that it helps me to just come up with at least something which is good enough to, to, to be put up. Uh, so when I'm on the time constraint, I, well, not sure I do it only when I'm on the time constraint, but I really try to use the timer as much as possible so that I, it helps me, um, you know, come to, to results, uh, and, and, um, getting into that rhythm of also showing up. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Yeah, I, I use timers as well. Yeah, I learned it from you. Yeah. Just throughout the day, it's so helpful for me to have a sense of, you know, what, one of the things, yes, we, we, we work more sort of consciously when we see the timer going, but also I think once the timer ends, it's important to take a break. Yeah. It's helpful for me. I just take breaks otherwise too much time at the computer can, can, can burn this out, you know, from, you know, here. So, uh, great. Anything else you want to share in terms of business lessons before we move on to another topic? Um, no, I think I've, for now, I think that the main, I think I've shared the main thing that means that, that's all that was. Yeah. So let's talk about what kind of work that you do with clients. You do career coaching, you do leadership coaching right now. You're even, uh, an organization is pursuing you to do some cultural change for their organization, but you work mostly with individuals and you do workshops to help people understand their talents and how to use them and et cetera. But, but, uh, instead of me saying what it is, why don't you share with us what you love working with clients? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Indeed. Um, I think, uh, talent management, uh, is, is, um, well, it's close to my heart in the sense that I believe, uh, that, that, um, you know, everybody should really work, know their talents and work as much as possible with their talents. So, and that we could craft, uh, create our lives, uh, around that. So, um, well, what I do with my, my, uh, clients is really, uh, helping them, um, identify surely their talents, uh, and other things that are important to, um, get the, be able to identify the career that they all want, uh, to, to have because some of my clients are coming, uh, to, to me, to, because they want to shift career. So it's helping them identify the new career that they want to pursue. But it could also be a career acceleration, which again, talent management, uh, is very important where, um, you know, career accelerating means, okay, how can I, you know, move faster to my, uh, get my promotion, uh, or being ready for, uh, to, for stepping up in my, in my, in my role. Um, so it's really about, yeah, about that, about stepping up, about really, um, making, uh, the most and, and stepping into their, their power. Um, yeah. So, so I would think that, uh, uh, a key part of my work. Yeah. And the work you do, you know, you do the one-to-one work with clients and that's how most people would, would, you know, they're interested. They would just contact you for the one-to-one. Um, do you do like an exploratory call or? Yeah. I always have an exploratory call indeed, uh, where, uh, because some of my, uh, clients are also coming to me for life coaching. So, uh, it's really seeing, okay, what's the need of the clients. Um, and, and, uh, then see which program would be the best fit for them. Um, so, yeah, also interesting is that I am now working with very different, like, different generations. Uh, so I've started working a lot with, uh, millennials now. Um, I'm teaching at, uh, at the university here at Catholica. And I will also have, uh, new clients now who are millennials. And they're very different from this morning I worked with somebody in Australia who, uh, is, um, around her sixties. And so, so I work with very different, uh, different generations. Uh, and they all have their particular, um, how to say, particularities, you know, it's a very, it's a different approach for each generation. So I also give workshops indeed, uh, and I like that. I like, uh, the interaction. Um, so I love to work with, uh, with groups and, uh, I'm moving more and more. Uh, well, I want to move more and more to, uh, also online workshops. So that's going to be the next step. Well, and what would you say, given that you look at talents and things, if you were to look at your own talents, like what would you say makes you unique as a, as a career leadership and life coach? That's a good question. Um, I, um, well, what I'm also getting as, as feedback is that, uh, so I have a strong empathy in the sense that I understand the needs of people and I really, um, want to also help them come to, uh, the solution that, uh, they, they want. Um, so it's also being solution oriented, uh, creative also coming up, you know, trying, helping them to think out of the box and myself also thinking, uh, out of the box, if not without a box. Um, also thinking in terms of, you know, strategy, because, um, okay, you know, it's, it's when we talk about, uh, crafting one's life is when you think of what life you want to have in, uh, then 15, 20 years, you know, then there is, we have to create that vision and then also look at, okay, so if I want to get there, what are the steps that I need to do to take today to get there? Um, so that, um, yeah, I would think those are just the main, uh, talents and, and also my sharing of knowledge, which is why, you know, I enjoy, uh, giving workshops. It's sharing the knowledge and, and spreading the word and of, of, you know, for instance, sharing my knowledge around talent. Now, you know, the more people would know about it, the more people would be happy in their life and their professional life. Yeah, that's great. Also, uh, you speak multiple languages, right? Yes, I work in English, French and Dutch, so that's my mother tongue. Uh, French was really my first language and, uh, well, I don't really work in Portuguese, um, but of course I have some clients who are Portuguese and, you know, I understand enough and I speak it well enough, but I don't speak it enough to feel comfortable in professional, uh, environment. Same with Italian, I used to speak it very well, but that's, uh, um, I don't really use it. So English, Dutch and French, you work in all three languages, that's amazing. Yeah. All right, well, let's wrap up this conversation. Is there anything else you want to share before we, before we go and, uh, just, uh, I should mention with, if anybody is interested in connecting with Ilsa, um, the, your website also is truenorthconsulting.eu, true t-r-u-e north n-o-r-t-h consulting.eu and I'll put that in the link of notes as well as, uh, your, the link to your Facebook business page and anything else we've decided to put there. It's fine. So thank you. Thank you, Ilsa. Thank you and, uh, thank you. Bye-bye.