Episode notes
Most coaches looking to fill their practice are searching for clients somewhere out there — a new platform, a better funnel, the right niche. Deryl Sweeney spent years doing the same, until his coach asked him a simple question that changed everything: how many conversations are you actually committed to having each week?
Deryl is an executive coach and mentor who works with CEOs, founders, and leaders who want to create something meaningful in the world. In this conversation, he and James explore what it actually looks like to treat your coaching business as a business rather than a glorified hobby — and why that one shift, more than any tactic, is what moves a practice from half full to full. Deryl shares the story of how his own coach Ankush told him "faster is available" and what followed from that direct challenge.
They also get into what it means to see conversations everywhere — at your brother-in-law's birthday party, in the comments of someone else's LinkedIn post, in every person you already know — and how serving deeply in those moments, with no agenda attached, is what creates clients and referrals that compound over time. Deryl shares how one conversation at a party with his brother-in-law's fiancée about her kids led to a client who has since referred multiple others and joined his leadership institute.
If you've been wondering where your next client is coming from, this conversation makes it clear they're already around you — and you're walking right past them.
If this resonated and you're ready to explore what's possible for you and your business, reach out to James at JMWightman.com.
Connect with Deryl: derylsweeney.com
Connect with James: JMWightman.com
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