Have you thought about investing in business coaching to get some clarity and guidance? I caught up with Regina Weeks, also known as Coach Regina Weeks to understand how Business Coaching can help you become a success.

Ujima:What lead you to become a business coach?

Regina: Great question. I stumbled across it. It was a time that people did not have access to coaching , especially the African American community. There was no such thing as a life coach or business coach. In our time, we would talk to our relatives or people we deemed successful but most time it was the church pastor.

I started my career with a non-profit as a lay minister in different capacities. I did counseling for women, children and families. My initial introduction to coaching came from the non-private sector , to help people find self sufficient means through employment.

Ujima: Specifically, what services do you provide?

Regina: I believe in a holistic approach. I do not just address the business side, I have to address the human and personal side of a person. There are coaches who have exclusive niches, such as just life or just business coaching. With me I feel your business is effected by your life. Helping you to be a better person will help you become a better business owner or entrepreneur. I tailor my products or program to help a person live an abundant life. A transformational life.

I help startups, assist a business with resources and community advocacy. I assist with helping a person find their niche, developing their brand. What is their brand? How do they fit in the market place? Are they fit to be a entrepreneur?  Depending on where they are in the process, I coach them in these steps. If their needs are more than what I can provide, I refer them to other coaches.

Ujima: What are the common needs most entrepreneurs present to you ? Is there a common thread?

Regina: One commonality is they have an idea but its putting feet and legs to the idea. They don’t know what direction to go or what is available or what it takes to be successful. They have the desire and want to do it but when they receive the bill they don’t want to pay the price. Count the cost first. Many people have ruins or structures that have been abandoned because they didn’t count the cost. You have to be okay with making mistakes. When you fail do you capitalize on the mistake?  Many people go to school and spend dollars on an education but their life resembles nothing to that piece of paper. They wake up and realize they want something else. The stage is being set for the one thing but you have to give yourself permission to try. What does their puzzle look like and discovering why or what they are doing. What are they trying to achieve?

Ujima: If someone has never worked with a coach, what should they expect?

Regina: Coaching varies from person to person coach to coach. Some are very strategic and some people are organic. Find a coach who challenges you. A coach is someone who sees you in a light you can’t see. They love you enough to tell you the ugly truth about yourself but gives you room to figure it out and find your solution.
Coaches give you guidance on the map but does not go step by step with you on your journey. The coach gives you all the tools to read the map and directions but you have to take the next step. You have to be self-directed. Find a coach that can bring the best out of you and sees the best in you.

You may have multiple coaches. There are motivational coaches, business coaches, coaches that only work with you through the launch of your new business, so finding the right coach for where you are is the key. However there are coaches that can be with you throughout your whole journey.

Ujima: What is the value of working with a business coach?

Regina: They have been where you are. They can  relate and hold your feet to the fire. You will be challenged to go beyond what you think you are capable of. It’s better to have a guide. A coach can warn you about quick sand ahead. A coach is your internal warning system. The coach points out the rocky road and helps you run the marathon. Helps condition you for the terrain ahead so you can run your race.

Ujima: What do you enjoy about coaching; what is the most difficult for you?

Regina: I enjoy seeing the progress my clients make. Milestones my clients make is like seeing a child walking for the first time. Launching their website, purchasing their business cards or opening their business. When they fall but with my help get back up. You see highs and lows. The most difficult is knowing that not all clients get it. I have been in the position to help a client take the winning shot but we lose it.

Ujima: What else should people know?

Regina: Everyone should have a coach in their life. You need partners for your journey. Many times having a great business coach can help with a lot of frustrations in starting a business. Investing in the beginning to get you going in the right direction is needed. You can have a life coach, a spiritual coach, or mental health coach. Whatever you need make sure you have a partner on your journey. Someone in your life you respect whether paid or not.

Ujima: How can people contact you?
You can reach me at Coach Regina Weeks, Business and Life Coach. My office number is 512-753-9990. I offer a free introductory coaching session. Scholarships available as well. I do not coach everyone who wants it. I may not be a great fit for them and will refer to someone who is a better match.  Coaching for me is to help people and give value back to my community and the world. Having the right fit is very important to me. Make the mental investment and receive the coaching . Do you really want the coach? When you hear the honesty, can you handle it? Corrections don’t always come with cookies and milk, coddling and rainbow skittles. Do you want the ugly truth vs. a pretty lie?

Follow @coachreginaweeks, on Instagram, Twitter and Periscope. Website will be coming soon. I want it understood I’m not a trained Psychologist . My degree comes from school of hard knocks and the non- profit area.

Ujima: Do you feel hearing the truth hold people back from getting the help from a coach?

Regina: Coaching has taken on another level. In the black community we learned at grandma’s knee or grandpa would tell us not to do something. But now you have to make an investment for coaching. We are not taught to make the investment in our self. But clothes and hair is considered an investment.

When you make an investment in yourself you are making yourself better. Are you investing in yourself, or in things that stop you from being your best self? What are you investing in? Reality TV or Empire when you don’t have an empire? I can tell where you invest your time.

Coaching is not always with a another person. It can be through books, mentors, and people around you, your partners on your journey. Yes the people on your journey does change. Coaching is a gift. This person helps you navigate through difficult times and seasons.

If you are thinking of investing in yourself, you may want to reach out to Coach Regina to see if she’s a good fit for you.

@coachreginaweeks #businesscoaching #ujima2016 #everydayheroes #behindthescenes #businessfocused #growth #investinginyourself #coaching #coachingboss #goalgurl

Damita Miller-Shanklin, Ujima