Babes,

You know in your business when you just have a sense that something isn’t quite right between you and a client?

Maybe they’re not responding as you expected, or showing up as you agreed, or talking to you the way they used to- in formal terms, THE VIBES ARE OFF.

I’d love to invite you to reflect upon what happens next and how you experience it.

I observe 2 common responses from business owner clients.

1. Avoidance. Pretend it’s not happening. Often accompanied by self comforting along the lines of- ‘well I’m doing what I said I was gonna do so if they’re unhappy with something they must be an unreasonable person’.
2. Consumption. Assume the worst. Often accompanied by intense overgiving emerging from- ‘well they seem like a reasonable person so I must be doing a crappy job’.

We could also characterise the first one as a sort of neoliberal Capitalist vibe- I am putting me first, I am giving as little as I possibly can whilst extracting as much as I possibly can.

(I think this response is encouraged by the sort of “my experience with a nightmare client” shitposting we see from business coaches on social media, and the connected idea that business owners get to have boundaries at the expense of everyone else’s boundaries).

And we could characterise the second one as a Patriarchal vibe- I am putting everyone else first, I am extracting as much as I possibly can from myself in order to give to others.

(I think this response is encouraged by literally our entire lives of being socialised as women. I recommend the book Entitled by Kate Manne if you’d like to explore the concept of women as givers).

What could a more optimal response be? Something that’s healthier, and recognises the humanity of everyone involved? Something feminist…

Join me for this workshop on Friday 28th April (IN TWO DAYS! I changed the date since I first put it out there!) to explore this question further.

£1.00Feedback: Make It FeministBabes, I know it’s an almighty bum clencher, but having a robust approach to seeking and integrating client feedback is… Read moreGet it now!

Heads Up- I’m also going to be offering a short Supported Implementation Programme where I’ll be sharing practical tools, hands on help (I’ll get stuck right in and offer you wording for difficult messages etc), developmental coaching support and encouragement.

I believe these sorts of programmes are called SPRINTS these days and I don’t know how I feel about it. If you buy the workshop, your investment will be deducted from the cost of the programme.

Can you imagine ACTUALLY feeling ok about navigating this terrain? I can tell you from the other side that it is a MIGHTY RELIEF.