In the inaugural episode of Secrets of The High Demand Coach, Josh Elledge of UpMyInfluence speaks to the host of the show, Scott Ritzheimer. Scott shares that he began his entrepreneurial journey at 20 but had to fight for his business’s survival. He shares that he had three different bad experiences with coaches which turned him off to the idea. He ultimately found that he wanted to try his hand at being a coach. Not only that, but he wanted to offer a better experience to his clients than what he went through. He founded his coaching company, Scale Architects, after successfully exiting his previous business.
Josh Elledge
Welcome to episode number one. Scott Ritzheimer. I’ve got you in the interview chair, I am not the host. My name is Josh. But I get to interview the host of the show. And Scott, that’s you. Congratulations on the launch of your new podcast.
Scott Ritzheimer
Thank you. Thank you. I think this would be my favorite episode, because I just get to sit here and let you do all the hard work.
Josh Elledge
That’s right, I gotta come up with these great questions. And the first question is going to be what is this podcast about? So for our listener, who’s gone back, and they’re kind of like watching the movie trailer now before they maybe they’ve heard an episode or two already. And they’re like, Okay, I’m loving this. I want to go back and start from the beginning. What is the premise of secrets of the high demand coach?
Scott Ritzheimer
It actually comes from a really personal story for me. So I started my entrepreneurial journey in earnest at the ripe old age of 20. Now I get that I look like I’m about 20 right now. So suffice it to say that was many years ago, and I had no idea what I was doing and thought I knew everything about what I was doing. So I went through the world of being an entrepreneur, those early stages of fighting to survive to the fun stages of this is amazing, we can’t do anything wrong to the miserable stages of we can’t do anything, right. All on our own. I had a business partner, that was great, I had a wonderful team around me. But when we bumped into a problem, if we couldn’t solve it, we were up a creek, right? That was it.
And we tried a couple of times really poorly, to find a good coach that could help us out. And three out of three times we got burned in a really bad way. It’s just a bad relationship. And it just really turned us off to the idea of coaching now, the that is what it is. But what it had was a really profound side effect, which meant that we were alone. If we couldn’t figure it out, we really were up a creek, there was no way that we could go to help because we tried it three times, and it didn’t work. Now we had a big part in why those three didn’t work out. The coaches had a big part in why that that didn’t work out.
But what I found out as I sold that company and decided, hey, I want to take a stab at this coaching thing myself, I realized that just about every business owner you talk to has had a bad experience with a coach. I’ve actually done this, and I’ve been out speaking places, and I’ve gone around the room and you know, ask a group of entrepreneurs, have you ever had a coach? And a lot of them actually say yes. And then I asked them, have you ever had a bad experience with a coach and again, nine out of 10 times I get a yes. And it breaks my heart because I know they’re sitting in the same place that I was there sitting there feeling like I’ve tried to coaching thing, they led me somewhere I didn’t want to go, they gave me bad advice, they took my money. And I really didn’t get a return on it. Whatever it is, there’s some kind of a bad experience there.
And the net result of it is a coach who’s frustrated that they didn’t help a client. But more often than not, it’s a founder who feels alone. And the whole reason that I started scale architects the whole reason I started this podcast, because I don’t want founders to feel alone. And so I’ve had the privilege since that time of finding some really incredible coaches who’ve just moved us miles downfield. And I, in a very selfish sort of way decided I wanted to, I wanted to bring them on the show, so I could get more advice from them, because they gave me really, really good advice in the past. And so it’s a way for me to get free coaching from some of my favorite people in the world, and in all honesty, it’s a way for me to help folks see that there are amazing coaches out there. And to hear their their biggest brightest ideas, their you know, we could call them their deepest secrets, but to just get a glimpse behind the curtain and see what it’s like to to enter the world as a coach to help clients as a coach, and to see what these folks are doing for their clients.
Because I can tell you, I’ve just seen some unbelievable things happen. It’s like lightning in a bottle. When you get a good coach the right coach for the right time. And you get a client who’s who’s got that that fascinating combination of like the entrepreneurial, I’m gonna figure this out, but marked by the humility to say I can’t figure it all out by myself. And when you put those two together, it’s magical what happens. And so the goal of the show is to do that to help find folks find the right coach to to understand what coaching can do for them and to to get some of the best advice that you can find.
Josh Elledge
You know, this podcast is almost like a spotlight. So as you interview more and more coaches, you know, I think there’s someone who’s I’ve hired coaches, you’ve hired coaches, I think we’re going to also as from a consumer standpoint, I think it’s going to be really valuable to listen to how coaches operate, and we can start to normalize, what would true high achieving successful coaches, the coaches that everybody wants to work with? I think we’re going to start to likely hear patterns, right about “Hmm, I’m starting to hear this a lot.” And that will help us to understand, you know, am I working with a great coach, or should I hire one of your guests?
Scott Ritzheimer
Exactly. No, that’s exactly right. So for folks who are out there, like hey, I’ve got a coach. It’s great.
Well, one of the things that you’re gonna find is you may not have a great coach, right? I hope that you do. Most coaches are wonderful people. So that’s not to say that there are bad coaches that are out there stealing money… I just don’t believe that at all.
I do believe that there’s the wrong coach for the wrong time.
I also don’t believe that there’s a wrong coach for them, there’s just a wrong fit.
It’s a lot like hiring an employee, you can go out and you can find a great employee with a great resume and you bring them into your organization, and it doesn’t work at all. Well, whose fault is that? Ultimately, it’s your fault. You pick them, you’re in charge, right? If you’re the founder, your leader, you’re CEO, you’re in charge of what happens.
Well it’s very similar with a coach, if you go in and you go and get the wrong coach that helps you solve the wrong problem, or maybe at the wrong time, and it doesn’t work? That’s not necessarily the coach’s fault. Sure. There’s things that coaches need to do well, of course, but ultimately, it’s down to you.
And so my hope is that as you get this great advice, you see what’s out there, you see what a great coach looks like how they think about the world, how they help their clients, not only do you increase your odds of finding the right coach, but you also increase your odds of finding a great coach, that’s perfect for right now.
Josh Elledge
Scott, you have a unique opportunity in the work that you do because you work with coaches. And so you’ve become a bit of a synthesis center of influence in the coaching world. Do you mind just maybe briefly sharing how you typically work with coaches?
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah, so what we do with coaches, we do a number of things. But ultimately, what we do is we give them a model for bringing all of their skill to market and finding the right clients at the right time that you know that right client right time, right problem is such a big thing.
And what I found is you every coach out there, they’re brilliant at something, the question is, are they brilliant at finding people who need that something. And oftentimes, that’s not the case. And so what ends up happening is that coaches get outside of their zone of genius, maybe a zone of competence, but not necessarily genius.
And so what we do for coaches is we help them to really hone in on what that zone of genius is. And then we teach them how to get more and more clients in that zone of genius, how to help more and more in that space. And then what to do when you come across someone who’s not in that zone of genius.
And by doing that, we’re able to dramatically increase the quality of experience that their clients are feeling, we get to dramatically increase the quality of life that the coach has. Because when you’re doing a bunch of work, and you’re having to work really hard to do it, because it’s not in your zone of genius. It’s exhausting.
And so many coaches that I know are just burned out and on the fritz, because they’re doing this work, they’ve got plenty, it should look like it’s a success. But they’re spending so much of their time doing things that aren’t their sweet spot, that it’s just sucking the life out of the what could be the joy of doing what is in their sweet spot.
So we really help both sides, right, we really help the founders and leaders to, just like the goal of the show, find the right coach at the right time. But we also help coaches to dial in on when it’s the right time so that when they do what they do best, it has a disproportionate return for their clients.
Josh Elledge
And so for our listener right now, I suspect they know a really great coach that deserves to be recognized on this show. So what are some of those traits that if we know, coach, how would we know who would make a great guest for this program for this podcast?
Scott Ritzheimer
So we’re really looking for there’s lots of folks who are who are just starting out, right? And they’re like, they want to get their name out. No one’s ever heard of them. That’s not necessarily the show that we’re looking for. Right? We’re not looking for people are still cutting their teeth. This is exclusively for folks who who really earn their stripes, right? Who know what they’re doing, who have shown competence, and they’ve built a great book of business because of it. We’re looking for seasoned Coaches and Consultants.
Now the other thing we’re looking for is folks that have gone out independently, they’re doing their own thing. There are some folks who are going out there with the coaching wrote the consulting route, and, and they’re using a kind of a model that already exists, they’re plugged into a bigger company, they’re part of a big corporate consultancy. That’s not exactly what we’re looking for either. And the reason for that is that this podcast is fundamentally for entrepreneurs. And I think that the folks who know entrepreneurs are the coaches who themselves are entrepreneurs.
We’re looking for folks who can come alongside and say, I’m in your seat, but I also understand your seat and I can help you and and focus on your business, which is awesome.
The final bit there is that we’re looking for folks who are in high demand, right? It’s not just the every Joe and their brother. We’re looking for the folks that, you know, if you’re a listener and you’re wondering, “I wonder if this person is a fit.” It is the person that’s changed your life. You’ll hear from so many people who have just dramatically changed my life. And that’s what coaching even consulting is supposed to be. And that’s the folks that we’re looking for.
Josh Elledge
And we should also point out too, that these are not necessarily life coaches or fitness coaches, these are business coaches.
Scott Ritzheimer
Yeah. And particularly in the entrepreneurial space, right. And so, you know, there’s this massive world management, consulting and all of these things. But what we’re looking for is those management consultants, those coaches, even advisors, some financial advisors, but folks that are working with entrepreneurs.
I’m an entrepreneur at heart, I’ve helped start 20,000 organizations. And and that’s my passion is helping folks. And interestingly enough, both in the for profit and not for profit spaces. I believe that entrepreneurship is not the purview just businesses, I think it equally shows up in churches and nonprofits. And you’ll even see it in some governmental units. But those who who are helping the brave out there, who’ve started their entrepreneurial journey, who’ve worked and, given their life to it. The folks who work in that space, that’s who we want to work with.
Josh Elledge
For our guests, that’s listening right now, all you would do is send them to scalearchitects.com. Scott, that’s your website, and then look for a link, it will be either up at the top or the bottom, and it’ll say podcasts, just click on that.
And then that’s where you don’t have to do a formal back and forth pitching or whatever, just read the qualifications on the page. If you’re a fit, go ahead and schedule, and we would love to hear your story. Well, Scott, you’d love to have that conversation with them. And I can’t wait to hear.
Because again, I truly believe that success leaves clues. People that have made it as a coach, I really believe this, I think you’re gonna see some common threads, and how exciting it is. I’m thinking Scott for the listener who maybe is newer in the coaching journey, you know, to be able to hear all these great case studies of how these coaches got started and how they got their first clients and how they continue to create, impact and attract and keep their schedules so filled.
Scott Ritzheimer
This podcast is a goldmine, my friend. Yeah, it absolutely is actually a few of our very first guests. These are close mentors of mine, but they were instrumental in helping me start this business.
And as coaches we can forget, you know, that we’re entrepreneurs too. We’re building our own businesses too. And a coach should have a coach, right? It’s not just because your coach doesn’t mean you don’t need another one or mean that somehow you’re failing as a business leader. I’ve found that all of the best coaches either currently have a coach or have had a coach in the past and so for those who are listening, who are coaches starting out on their journey as well, you’re gonna just find an immense wealth of advice and wisdom. It’s gonna be great.
Josh Elledge
I love it. Scott Ritzheimer. Again, Founder and CEO of Scale Architects and of course, the host of the new podcast Secrets of the High Demand Coach, congratulations on the launch and let’s get right into Episode Two.
Contact Scott
Want to learn more about Scott’s work at Scale Architects? Check out his website at https://www.scalearchitects.com.