If you don't have criteria for who you will and won't work with, you'll go through a lot of stress and frustration that you could have avoided. 

In Book Yourself Solid, Michael Port talks about having a Red Velvet Rope Policy.  You treat your coaching business like a hot new restaurant that's opened up - not everyone just can waltz in and expect a table.  

Or you're like the popular night club in town, with a bouncer at the door with a clipboard in his hands, checking carefully to see who can come in and who can't. If a bad apple makes his way into the club, he's quickly thrown out on his behind. 

Not many coaches think of their businesses this way. 

Full disclosure: I didn't in the beginning either ... 

I used to accept almost any client - if he/she had a pulse, or could fog a mirror, I would welcome them in.  Even if they seemed like a bad fit, I would tell myself that I was good enough that I could make it work.

I got burned enough times that I finally got fed up and wrote out my criteria for my ideal client.  Here's my ideal client: 

1) Is an action-taker 

2) Wants to make a big impact 

3) Is coachable and respects boundaries 

4) Is fun to work with 

5) Pays me on time and what I'm worth 

When I first compiled this list, I went through the clients that I was working with at that time and immediately dropped any that didn't fit. I thought it would be hard to do that, but I felt immediate relief. 

If you don't have your criteria yet, take an hour to get it down on paper.  And judge every potential client that you talk with against that list. 

The coaches who are in my 10 Clients In 90 Days group program learn to respect their businesses, and to enforce important boundaries. 

If you're ready to get serious about your business, the next group opens up soon (the week of September 11th).

A few spots remain: 

Marc