Today we chat to the wise and wonderful Mara Glatzel. She takes us behind the scenes of her successful coaching practice, from how she uses Satori to how she learned that doing things her own way was the key to growing her business.
Name: Mara Glatzel
Where in the world are you: Wellfleet, MA, USA
Business motto: Keep your eyes on your on paper.
Where’s your favorite place to hang online?
These days I am more than a little a bit obsessed with Instagram. I’ve found that after years of crafting wordy blog posts connecting through snapshots and captions from my daily life has been really compelling for me. I am a visual person, so filling my feed to the brim with gorgeous images feels really good compared to the constant scrolling through status updates or tweets.
Also, from a business perspective, it allows potential clients to get to know me better, increasing the feeling of trust between us before they begin working with me directly. Through sharing these moments from my daily life, they are able to experience the fact that I strive to walk my walk, each day. Overall, it’s such a cozy, gorgeous platform for connection.
What inspired you/kicked your ass into going full-time with your coaching business?
Honestly, the leap from delicious hobby to full throttle business was motivated by having bills to pay. I made the leap from part-time to full-time about three years ago, and found that once my safety blanket was pulled away, I started to get really creative with how I showed up online and what I was able to create for my audience. This type of “leap and the new will appear” tactic isn’t one works for everyone, but it felt exhilarating to begin taking my work seriously. It required me to deeply trust in your own ability to follow through, and pushed me to start talking about my work in a different way, actually marketing my offerings out loud instead of in whispers, and adding in additional income streams to support me between bigger projects.
What was the biggest obstacle holding you back from growing your business?
In the beginning, I struggled with feeling as though there were all of these rules that I needed to learn and follow in order to be successful. I voraciously took every class I could get my hands on, desperate to hire an “expert” to “fix my business”. But, each of these lessons took me farther and farther away from my own truths and creativity. I was trying to grow my business by making my business just like everyone else’s… which really didn’t (and doesn’t) work. Once I started giving myself permission to begin doing things my own way, I started carving out my own little corner of the internet, and my business started to grow in earnest. I still take classes and work with experts, but I work to integrate ideas into my own ideas for my business model instead of assuming that they will know my business better than I do.
Why did you sign up with Satori? What benefits have you seen?
I have been using Satori since the very beginning of my coaching business. When I first started having to negotiate client information, scheduling, and invoicing, I was desperate for a tool that seamlessly did it all for me and was really pleased to find Satori. (Especially after trying just about everything else on the market. Wink.) Since then, Satori just keeps getting better and better. Once I had it set up, I found it really easy to guide someone through the quick steps so that I can focus on getting down to the really good stuff… our work together.
What’s been your best source of getting new clients?
I am lucky to get most of my new clients through referrals and word of mouth. However, I also work to direct much of my traffic to my weekly newsletter, a community that I nurture with weekly, fresh content. I find that through serving this community with consistent attention and love, I am easily able to fill up spots in programs and 1:1 work.
What’s your most popular service?
At the moment, I am primarily coaching 1:1 through a yearlong program for women called Gather made up of ten women who are working with me both privately and within a group setting. Outside of Gather, I run e-courses on distinct topics that come up again and again in my 1:1 work. My most popular class is called The Deep Exhale – 28 days of learning how to rest and make space for meeting your needs… without sacrificing your ambition or desire to show up fully in your life.
Mara Glatzel, MSW is an intuitive guide for women who are yearning to belong to themselves. As she gathers women together, Mara facilitates daily conversations about intention, truth, and celebration. At the core of her work is the desire to live a well-intentioned life, which means… more joy, grit, and vibrant imperfection to spare. Hang out with Mara on Instagram, Facebook, or sign-up to receive weekly missives filled to the brim with the absolute best of what she’s got – unfiltered vulnerability and heart-opening encouragement.