What Makes Ellevated Outcomes Different from Other Coaches or Consultants?
Of the prospect meetings Ellevated Outcomes has had over the past 3 months, we’ve spotted a new trend. 80%(!!) of those we’re speaking to have worked with a coach or consultant before. (For context, this is a huge uptick in what we typically see). Sometimes that prior relationship was helpful. But overwhelmingly, the feedback is less than ideal. In these meetings we hear: “I’m would like help, but that wasn’t it. So I’m coming to you, feeling a little bruised and skeptical. Will Ellevated Outcomes be any different?”
If you’ve had an underwhelming or frustrating past experience, you’re not alone. So today, I’d like to answer the 5 most common questions we hear, directly.
1. With our former business coach, we spent months talking—but nothing actually happened. How is this different?
We hear this a lot. At Ellevated Outcomes, we don’t believe in meetings that end with vague encouragement or “the answer is inside you.” Every engagement starts with our signature Future Framework, where we ask a lot of questions (and I mean a lot) to extract your Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals. This tells us the “frame” we’ll be working in, as well as the North Star we’re aiming for. It also ensures that we’re personalizing our work for you and your unique business.
Then, over the course of our year, each meeting clearly ties back to what we set out to do together, with analysis and action, delivered to you in the form of documented Recaps andcrystal clear CEO [Home]work.
Our work isn’t theory; it’s (tr)action.
2. I paid a lot last time, but my consultant felt unprepared or misaligned. How do I know what to expect with you?
If you’ve been following along for some time, you know: we’re nuts about setting expectations. And we’re constantly unearthing new ways to keep getting them tighter. That’s why we start every engagement with discussing what we do, how we work, and what success looks like. We align early, so we’re not guessing at value later. In short, this is the discussion during our prospect call. That way, we can tell you upfront whether we think we’re a good fit – or not (and I promise you: we’re not shy to say if we don’t think we’re the right solution).
We work from the Ellevated Outcomes FrameworkTM. It’s tested, tried, and true: both the work itself and the client journey we guide you through. And along this journey, our process includes detailed Recaps. We believe that there’s extreme power in documentation. Seeing your thoughts (and our work) in black & white can help articulate something more clearly or even reveal that one of us has misunderstood the other. So you’re able to correct our understanding, or vice versa, in real time.
And here’s one more peek behind the curtain of our business model. Our internal structure, tools, and operating rhythm are um… robust. So much so that I can tell you: ~50% of our client work time is spent on preparation and follow-up and the other 50% directly interacting with you, in meetings and in-between correspondence (which is so important). The prep and follow-up isn’t extra; it’s hard-wired into our operating model.
3. I’ve had experiences where the meetings just became venting sessions. Will that happen again?
Running a business can be is emotional. As much as we’d like to believe it’s “just business,” humans are a tricky species ; ) When it comes to managing – and making space for – emotion in business, it’s an art and one where Ellevated Outcomes shines (if I do say so myself). There’s absolutely a healthy blend of supporting our clients emotionally and helping them make fact and business-based decisions.
We’ll hold space for the feelings and ensure that we keep moving foward.
Like Whitney Daniel of The Perfect Pair has graciously said:
It’s business therapy. It’s deep diving into the most important parts of running a business, which is all the logistics of it, alongside the emotional understanding, and that’s mind blowing. The emotional aspect of it is just as important to me as the business aspect.
4. What if I sign and then realize it’s not working?
We understand that after a disappointing past experience, signing an agreement can feel risky. As a risk-adverse lady myself, let me be clear: there is a risk. But please know: our Agreements are documents that we both sign. And the documentation is written in plain English and includes everything from how much time you should allot for CEO [Home]work, to how cancellation works.*
The most important guiding principle is advice I received from a business attorney when drafting the contract. He said, “Yes, of course document it all in black and white. But don’t take on any clients you don’t trust (and vice versa).”
And also on the topic, I want to share 1 more BTS peek: a check & balance in our process, to ensure we’re meeting our clients’ expectations: 5-6 months into our engagement, we have an Outcomes Check-in with every client, each year. Another Strategist from our team speaks with the client to get feedback: where are we meeting and exceeding expectations (or not). I have to tell you: this 30-minute call has become MAGIC in our business. It’s an unbelievable moment for us to “trip over the truth.”
We always come out with ideas about making the engagement better and more specialized to that client. Sometimes the feedback is “I love when my Strategist _________; do more of that.” But sometimes, we unearth major problems our client hadn’t previously raised (I just had this experience myself). By having this check-in, it gives us an opportunity for course correction and usually makes the engagement even stronger.
*To cut to the chase on cancellation, our Agreement states: “Companies like ours typically charge 100% upfront. Practicing our value of abundance, we’ve made the choice to cashflow your investment over the year, to create more financial ease for you. If, for some reason, both parties make a mutual decision to terminate contract, you will be charged 50% of the outstanding balance.”
5. I want to trust this process, but I’ve been burned before. Why should I believe this will be different?
When we speak with skeptical prospects, I always remind the team: “This would be me, if I was a prospect for Ellevated Outcomes!” So please know: we don’t mind handling objections and earning the business. And from where I sit, although I don’t ever want someone having a bad experience in our industry, I always love the opportunity to demonstrate how different we are.
Our work is rooted in:
- Ellevated Outcomes FrameworkTM: taking you from overwhelmed to focused.
- Execution: you’ll see real progress and outcomes, not just ideas.
- Partnership: we’re invested in your growth. (My gosh, there’s no way for me to express in 2D, just how much we all care).
We measure success by the changes you and your business can point to: clearer roles, better systems, stronger margins, healthier leadership, and growth as a Small Business CEO. As a matter of fact, 71% of our business this year has come from personal referral: 50% directly from our clients and 21% from generous superfans in the Ellevated Outcomes Ecosystem.
Final Thought
If you’ve had a disappointing experience before, it doesn’t mean you were wrong to seek help—it just means you hadn’t yet found the right fit for you. At Ellevated Outcomes, we believe small business owners deserve real support that is just the right fit for creative, small businesses: practical, structured, and human.
Our mission statement says it all:
We grow small businesses with personalized advice, objective facts, and accountability. Our clients leave every interaction from us feeling seen and heard as business owners and humans.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation, we’d love to see if we’re the right fit for you.
