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4 Comments

Where to find people whose life I want?

Hello Indiehackers,

To find a Coach or Mentor, John Doherty shares his 3 criteria in the Indiehackers podcast*.

The third criteria is:

Do I want their life

That resonated with me.

Frankly, I want Richard Branson's life**, but the chances of him coaching me are nihil. Also his billions are too far removed from my 0 revenue.

How do you find mentors and coaches who's life you want but who are within reachable distance, let's say one year ahead of you?

Thanks!

Joris


*ep 209
**you might ask why:
(1) succesful entrepreneur
(2) his life is about fun
(3) still happily married

posted to Icon for group Self Development
Self Development
on October 31, 2022
  1. 2

    Hey Joris! Replied to you on Twitter, but figured I'd reply here as well.

    So, the three things I said are meant to go in that order. Do they have experience doing what you're trying to achieve, do they have experience coaching, and then are they living a life you'd want to lead.

    By living a life you want to lead, I don't mean "whose success you'd like to have," as in your Branson example.

    What I mean by my statement is are they the kind of person you want to emulate? Someone might be majorly successful but their personal life is a mess (divorced or unhappy marriage, kids seem to hate them, working all the time), they're all about the "hustle" mentality, they're a maximizer (do everything to the Nth degree) when you're more of an 80/20 person, working weekends and teaching others to do that when you have hobbies you love, etc.

    How do you find these people? First, find the people who have experience doing what you are trying to achieve and have experience coaching.

    Then, follow them on social media, engage with them (and see if they engage back, if that's important to you), see if they invest time in you ahead of working together, etc.

    You can never know 100%, but you can learn a ton about someone just by doing this.

    Hope that helps!

    1. 1

      Thanks for the feedback John!

      To clarify, the reason I like Branson's life is indeed because he's

      • still married to the same spouse throughout most of his career
      • is having a lot of fun while building his business

      What I learn from your reply is that I'm missing a step. I have to decide what I'm trying to achieve. On the long term, I wouldn't mind owning an airline, but I need an achievable step to get there, I haven't found that one, and hence I cannot find the people to emulate!

      Thanks for your reply, I had a blast listening to your podcast!

      1. 2

        Right, though I'd say he seems to be having a lot of fun through his career. But the questions to ask yourself are about his balance (if he has any) and how he spends time with his spouse, and if that matches up with how you and your life works (or how you want it to work).

        Start here.

        1. Know the business you're in (SaaS?)
        2. Find people who have built that type of business before and grown it.
        3. Follow them.
        4. Find the people in that space who are coaching. Don't commit to anyone yet.
        5. Follow them. Interact with them. Try to get to know them a bit. See how they interact with others. Watch their life and see if that gels with yours.

        Hope that helps.

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