Life After Exit: How To Rebrand Yourself From Business Owner to Coach

As entrepreneurs, we tend to view the exit of our businesses as the ultimate North Star. I’ve sat in countless Forums or other EO meetings where, as soon as someone shares the news of an exit, everyone almost in unison says: “Congratulations!” We don’t even know whether it was a successful exit, but the event itself evokes celebratory reactions.

I remember reading a Harvard Business Review article in which the author shared that, after congratulating him on his exit, his mentor followed up with, “Now get ready for a depression.”

It’s the dark side of an exit that is rarely talked about. As entrepreneurs, we are so driven to work tirelessly toward our vision that we seldom think of what awaits us after that vision becomes a reality.

The Emotional Impact of Exiting a Business

Yet the dark side of exiting is a reality, in large part for the most understandable reason. Our businesses are such a core part of our identity that, when we no longer have them, the question inevitably becomes:

“If I am no longer a business owner, then who am I?”

I run a personal branding agency, and we work with many post-exit entrepreneurs who come to us with that exact question. Our personal brands are an expression of who we are — but who are we when we are no longer business owners?

Many post-exit entrepreneurs tell me that suddenly, they feel irrelevant. Some will vulnerably share, in true EO 5% fashion, that they feel by exiting their business, they also exited the prestige they carried. Some are shocked to realize that the phone suddenly stops ringing and that a large part of their social network seems to exit along with their business.

Find Your Unique Value Proposition

Post-exit journeys differ. Some entrepreneurs retire completely; others start new businesses from the ground up. I’ve seen many EOers make the decision to become a business coach after an exit. The WHY is clear: to help fellow business owners achieve success and to share the wisdom accumulated along their own way. And yet, the journey of launching a business of one, building a brand around themselves, and engaging in active self-marketing is so entirely different from what most experienced while building their 7+ figure businesses.

So, what’s the game plan for a successful business owner suddenly turned business coach? Here are four steps to accelerate your success by rebranding yourself:

1. Identify a very clear differentiator.

Whether you are a Scaling Up coach, EOS coach, or use an entirely different methodology altogether, chances are there are many other coaches competing for the same audience. What is your unique angle? How can you position yourself in a way that will allow you to stand out?

2. Pinpoint how you want to be perceived.

As you prepare to self-market (and self-market, you must as you begin to promote your business of one), how do you want to position yourself? Will your content be short and to the point? Funny? Inspiring? Authoritative? Build lists of specific words that describe how you want to be perceived and what you want to avoid. The clearer you are on how you want be perceived, the more likely your self-marketing initiatives – whether executed by yourself or by a third party – will align with your authentic self.

3. Find the right platforms.

You are your own marketing department now. And whether you like it or not (and let’s be honest: most of us cringe at the idea of having to self-promote), marketing yourself is essential. It’s the only way to establish authority, position yourself as a thought leader, create trust, and build a pipeline of relevant clients. Find the platforms that speak to you.

4. Be consistent.

I can’t tell you how many clients hire us to create their LinkedIn content, only to give up after a couple of months because of the effort it takes. Yes, you can find a ghostwriter or a personal branding agency to help ease the workload, but the thought leadership is still yours. For a consistent presence on LinkedIn, you will need to budget at least three hours per month, even if you get high-caliber support. The ROI of a strong LinkedIn presence is undeniable: with merely two or three posts per week, the algorithm is likely to place your content at the top of your contacts’ feeds. And this means you remain top-of-mind in your network without having to follow up with them incessantly. From there, trust is built, and opportunities rapidly follow.

There you have it: the next phase of your entrepreneurial journey, pivoting from business ownership to business coaching. The journey of rebranding yourself may be a challenging one to embrace but, done right, it sets you up for immediate success. Rebranding is not about creating a logo or a punchy byline; it’s about differentiating yourself in a real way by reflecting on what truly sets you apart and communicating that to your network consistently.

Coaching may be a new identity for you, and regardless of the challenges you may face in reinventing yourself, one thing is clear: You are now poised to inspire, to teach, and to impact at scale. What an exciting and meaningful role to pursue!

Contributed to EO by Marina Byezhanova, an active member-leader within EO and a member of EO Canada Bridge chapter who recently wrote about her experience on EO’s Tanzania Exploration.  An entrepreneur, global speaker and university instructor, she is on a mission to inspire entrepreneurs to stand out, speak up and be radically authentic. She is the co-founder of Brand of a Leader, the personal branding agency for entrepreneurs.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog. 

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The post Life After Exit: How To Rebrand Yourself From Business Owner to Coach appeared first on The EO Blog.