Chelsea Hester-Bradt
Mar 9, 20206 min
Updated: Mar 16, 2020
When I first launched my business - March of 2019 - I agonized over what to call myself.
Soulful Food and Body Image Coach?
Food and Body Mindset Coach?
Mindfulness & Intuitive Eating Coach?
I came up with many lists trying to find the perfect "label" for myself. The box I belong in.
To this day, I'm still not 100% set on a particular title to describe the type of coaching I do (I'm open to suggestions and feedback 😉), but I had a huge "a-ha" moment about my current job title.
THESE are the titles that describe what I do on a daily basis. THESE are the titles that I embody as I walk through the world. THESE are the mindsets I hold when I'm learning new things & meeting new people.
Coaching is a small portion of what I do. And saying I'm a coach doesn't paint nearly the full picture.
So for those of you who ask me:
"How's your business going?"
"How do you spend your days?"
"How many clients do you have"
This post is for you! Here's an inside look at what I do every day, where I put my energy, and break down all the different elements of running a business.
Little did I know, when I started this business, that I was about to spend 80% of my time writing.
Each blog post is 3-4 pages single spaced.
Each email is 1-2 pages single spaced.
I write a lot.
The main types of content I create are:
Blog posts - like this one. For the first 9 months of my business I published a new blog post every Monday. I've since dropped down to every other week so I have more time to do 👇 all the things listed below.
IG graphics for posts and stories - Canva* is my best friend. Canva allows me to feel like a graphic designer while having zero training. It's great. I either use a picture for my posts or design a graphic in Canva, write the caption, and schedule my posts and stories for week in Planoly*.
Pins for Pinterest - For every blog post I write, I create 5 pins advertising it (with Canva) and then use Tailwind* to schedule all of my pins. I post approx. 30 pins a day to Pinterest, but I schedule all of this in advance with Tailwind (A true God-send if you want to be active on Pinterest).
Freebies - I have a collection of free downloads I've created. Some are posted explicitly on my website, some are sent in emails, and some are included in blog posts. Again, I use Canva* for all my design needs.
Emails - I write weekly, Monday emails for my readers and also write extra emails when I'm launching a new service or announcing a big update. Convertkit* is the email martketing platform I use and love. They allow me to segment and tag my list which means I can label you and your interests so that I only send relevant emails your way!
Pictures - When I'm not using Canva to design a cool graphic for IG, I need pictures. This means I ask Chris to take pictures of me often, I use the self-timer on my phone, and I regularly schedule "photo shoots" where I go around and take pictures to specifically fit my brand. I use Lightroom Mobile to edit all of my photos.
In Sheets I have a calendar for blog posts and a calendar for IG posts.
In Docs I draft all of my blog posts, IG posts, and emails so that I can reuse and re-purpose content as needed.
Meeting up with 2-4 professionals A WEEK to discuss the ways in which we can support each other and/or be business friends who are in this crazy thing together. #gamechanger
Attending networking events
Attending festivals as either a vendor or customer and introducing myself to as many people as possible
Pitching myself for podcasts. I loveee being on podcasts. It's refreshing to talk about my passions for food and body image rather than write about them. A different side of my personality comes out.
Emailing professionals in the field - I reach out to fellow helping professionals to schedule virtual coffee-dates, phone calls, or email back and forth about what we do.
I set quarterly goals and break those goals down into monthly, weekly, and daily tasks.
These goals and tasks get put on different Trello boards and then transferred into my paper planner - The Passion Planner.
Currently I track my mileage manually and note them in a Google Sheet, but once I have some extra $ to spare in my business I'll invest in Mile IQ. This app tracks all your driving miles and prompts you to categorize it as a business or persona.l 👌👌👌
I do my bookkeeping with YNAB* and Wave. YNAB serves as my budgeting software (which I also use for my personal life and 10/10 recommend) and Wave is how I send invoices.
Taxes. Mwahaha. Nobody told me that hiring an accountant to do my business taxes would cost $500. Sooooo. I did them myself this year via TurboTax. With a few hours of research + my very detailed and itemized expense tracking (thanks YNAB), I figured it out!
I'm a coach!!! Let's not forget the main attraction!
As a coach I:
Track leads - I have a Google Sheet where I keep track of people I've had meaningful interactions with or people who have expressed interest in my program
Onboard new clients - (contract, invoice, intake paperwork)
Support current clients via coaching sessions, Voxer, and emails
Continue to modify and improve The Soulful Food and Body Experience
Run an Intuitive Eating Basics group here in Greenville, SC
YAY! That's a wrap!
As you can see, being a "Food and Body Image Coach" involves way more than hopping on Zoom with my clients.
Ones with a * mean I get some sort of a bonus if you subscribe (aka they are affiliate links).
Trello - Trello is my life. It hkeeps literally every aspect of my business organized from content ideas to setting goals.
Grammarly helps me produce content with minimal spelling and grammatical errors.
Canva* - for any sort of graphic design needs
Convertkit* - the email marketing software I use
GSuite - as my main storage hub of all my documents, spreadsheets, and emails
Mile IQ - for tracking business miles
Wave - as my free accountant
TurboTax - for taxes
Wix - for all things website