[FIRST READ: 10/15/2017] I’d heard people rave about THE PROSPEROUS COACH, so when I decided to start a coaching practice, this was one of the first books I purchased. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed. The material felt light and fluffy, and the authors repeated themselves ad nauseam.

I was hoping for some practical advice about starting and running a successful coaching business, but instead, I got common sense tidbits (“coach as much as possible”) and general motivational snippets (“always be yourself!”). The writing itself was choppy and read like a series of blog posts or content mined out of a weekly newsletter and sloppily slapped together into a book.

I did appreciate the focus on each individual client. I think many people forget that you can build a successful business serving one person at a time. That’s how you grow a community, and that’s how you become known for being an expert in your field: by believing that every person you speak to is the most important person in the world at that very moment.

I would have loved more concrete examples of how to create value for people, how to make a difference, and how exactly to create those conversations where you “serve this person so powerfully that they never forget this experience for the rest of their life.”

[2ND READING: 06/25/21] It's amazing how much more I got out of this book the second time I read it. The first time, I was a brand new coach. I had just decided to hang up my coaching shingle. I wasn't certified, and I knew next to nothing about attracting clients and serving them at a deep level.

Nearly four years later, my business is at an entirely different level, and so am I. I've created a profitable business that aligns with what Chandler and Litvin preach in this book: a high-end, high-touch, high-value service that deeply impacts and transforms people's lives. As such, I found their advice powerful and moving, and infinitely actionable.

I did find the book repetitive in places -- especially toward the end -- but I didn't mind hearing the same message repeated since I found myself nodding along every time. This is one book I intend to read again. ( )

work, coaching, life skills, good ideas ( )