A New Beginning for Biashara 360

It’s been quite a while since we had a blog post here…and this one comes with an update.

There have been numerous changes in the business and also in my work.

The shift started in 2021 when a Business Coach I was working with challenged me to narrow down the programs I offered to just 3.

Over the course of 3 years, he helped me test out the programs and some ideas I wanted to implement. We also looked at the programs I loved and the ones that brought in the most money.

The end result: One program stood out and that is the Break Free, Live Your Life life coaching program.

It’s also the program that has withstood the test of time. While I’ve updated some of the content to include new strategies as I upskilled, this program has brought in the most money over time. It has also been the easiest to sell as it literally sells itself through word-of-mouth.

But, I had a problem…

How was I going to shift the brand that I had build as a Life and Business Coach to just Life Coaching?

First, I contacted a branding expert in September 2023 when I was ready to take the next step. He told me bluntly that there was a disconnect between brand Biashara 360 and the program I wanted as a flagship. His recommendation was to wrap up Biashara 360 and start afresh while building on the testimonials and expertise I had accumulated over the years.

That would not be hard since I still had my old business name, New Dawn Coaching. I had also kept the domain newdawncoaching.com alive even though there was no blog or website for it.

That advise didn’t sit very well with me so I gave myself 3 months to let it percolate.

Then in December 2023, I talked to another branding expert. She gave the same recommendation without me telling her that I had talked to another expert in September that year.

Unfortunately, I was unable to do anything until March 2024 because of events that unfolded.

• I had set a goal to travel while working. So I was working away from home in November and December 2023 and that included a bit of travel. This required more from me than I had expected so it was not the best time to take big actions.
• My brother got critically ill in November 2023 and as a family, we spent time with him at home and in hospital when he was admitted. Sadly, he got progressively worse and passed away on the 29th of December 2023. So we closed the year mourning.
• My brother’s funeral was on the 4th of January 2024 and there was very little time to prepare for it.

Events unfolded so fast that we didn’t have time to mourn properly because my children and I had to travel back to Mombasa and I had to get back to work. That took a toll on me and I feel as if I spent most of Q1 2024 in a daze.

During this period of turmoil, I met yet another branding expert. She too commented about the disconnect between brand Biashara 360 and my new focus.

This time, I was ready to listen and act. And that is what I have spent time doing behind the scenes: reducing my work as a Business Coach and increasing my work as a Transformational Life Coach.

Fast-forward to today…

And it’s now time to change direction again for Biashara 360 as I move to my new business New Dawn Coaching. That is where I am working fully as a Transformational Life Coach and also setting up a mastermind for women.

Below are some of the changes that will happen here on this blog in the course of this year.

1. Blog posts in the following Categories are moving to the New Dawn Coaching blog:

• Goal setting and achievement.
• Leadership.
• Mindset.
• Personal development.
• Productivity (the ones not related to business).
• Reflections (the ones not related to business).
• Review.
• Working mums.

2. This blog (biasharathreesixty.com) is turning into a Membership Site

The site will contain resources for self-employed professionals. I am biased towards coaching so most of the examples here will refer to coaching. However, you can still benefit from these tips and resources if you’re a self-employed Mentor, Trainer, Consultant, Counsellor, Therapist, or Freelancer.

These resources include:

1. A free weekly email newsletter.
2. Gated content in the blog (some free, some at a low cost).
3. Checklists, templates, worksheets, and other tools.
4. Short challenges.
5. E-courses.
6. Group coaching programs (only when launching some e-courses).

I’ve been learning about about setting up a membership site for years and have tested some ideas over the last 3 years. The time has come to go full in and put all the learning and resources I have collected or created into the site.

Finally, having this site is a step towards creating a passive income stream.

My goal is to have this site run and managed by a team that includes:

• Virtual Assistant/Online Business Manager.
• Social Media Marketer.
• Content Creators.
• Coaches.
• Community Manager(s).
• Learning Management Systems Manager.

I’m also working with Pauline Ngaara who is systems and processes expert to help me streamline my draft SOPs for the site. I’ll share the journey in the new email newsletter.

What about all the other things I was doing?

The big ones are Learning Wednesday webinars, GROW Membership, and Nawiri Community for women.

In September 2022, a former client challenged me to set up a WhatsApp community of women. She noted that I had a lot to share and that the community would help many while also give me clients on an ongoing basis.

That challenge gave birth to Nawiri Community, which launched in October 2022. A week later, As I launched it, I also wanted to host live teleclasses and webinars to bring experts to the community.

That is what led to launching Learning Wednesday a week after Nawiri Community went Live. At first, Learning Wednesday was just a place to share tips and strategies with the world. Over time, it became a place where experts teach and also learn as they connect with other participants.

Learning Wednesday gave birth to GROW, which was a paid membership where recordings of the webinars are shared. GROW became a forum where members connected, shared, and grew together during the Brown Bag weekly virtual meetups.

GROW was also a thank you gift to guest experts who taught in Learning Wednesday as they got lifetime access to GROW.

Every good thing has an end

I wrapped up Learning Wednesday in March 2024 followed by GROW and Nawiri Community in April.

I know this may seem unexpected, but the truth is that I felt a lack of clarity for a while and so I focused on other things while sifting through things until I had clarity.

One thing I wanted clarity about was what to do and how to grow.

Instead, what felt really clear was that what I had done until then was complete. It was time to shift to the next level where my team and I provide more resources and support for 1-1 and group coaching clients.

This new direction called for changes that were not in line with some of the things I was doing. And the change had to be immediate.

What does this mean for you?

If you’re a Coach, Mentor, Trainer, Consultant, Counsellor, or Therapist, you will benefit from the resources and content on the new Biashara 360 site. So keep it here and also join the new email newsletter that I’ll share in the coming days.

You can also join my new email newsletter on the New Dawn Coaching blog so that you see how I interact with prospects and clients. Email newsletters are a powerful tool for converting prospects into clients and I have seen that work in my business.

I’ll also share personal growth tips and resources on that blog and you can try some of them with your own clients.

If you’re a professional or business woman and what you need is tools and strategies to help you get ahead in the game of work and life:

• Hop over to the New Dawn Coaching blog.
• Sign up for the email newsletter there.
• Follow me on LinkedIn so that you get bite-sized tips, resources, and updates.

It’s a new dawn, and a new beginning

So that’s the update and way forward.

I feel as if I have come full circle to where I started off in 2011 when I set up my first coaching business.

All the things I have done since then as a Coach, have led me back to Transformational Life Coaching because at heart that is what I excel in!

The journey in the new direction has already started. In all, I thank you for being part of my community over the years. I also hope you have gained immense value from being here on this blog or my email newsletter.

I look forward to hearing from you so feel free to Connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know about yourself, what you do, and what you have gained from this blog. I love hearing from my readers, so you can be sure that I will respond.

In the meantime, remember to:

• Join me on the New Dawn Coaching blog and email newsletter if you’re looking for personal growth tips and resources.
• Keep it here and sign up for the membership once it’s open for registration – if you’re a Coach, Mentor, Trainer, Consultant, Counsellor, or Therapist (there will be a free access level). This site will have resources to help you streamline your business so that you make more money while working with your ideal clients.
• Make most use of the content here before it’s moved away, deleted, or turned into gated paid content.

Last and definitely not least, I give thanks to God for bringing us all together and making it possible for us to connect across counties, countries, and continents over mtandao as we call the internet in Swahili.

All the best as you move forward,

Caroline Gikonyo

P.S. If you would like my support in a more complete way, you can request for a complimentary Discovery Call to find out how Transformational Life Coaching can work for your ongoing growth and success.